Arriving at the dawn of the synth-pop revolution in England in the late 1970s, The Human League developed a loyal following. By their 1982 album Dare! they became a Gold-selling act in America and triple-Platinum in the UK. They began in a slightly more industrial and arty vein with their first two albums. But following the departure of principal songwriters Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware to form Heaven 17, vocalist/co-lyricist Philip Oakey and visual technician and co-lyricist Philip Adrian Wright faced a career crossroads.
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By having acquired support singers Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley (with their distinct harmonies) on their sophomore album, then bringing synthesists Ian Burden and Jo Callis aboard, The Human League underwent an enchanting pop facelift that over time explored a wide swath of emotional terrain.
Dare! delivered the ever-popular No. 1 U.S. and UK hit “Don’t You Want Me” and produced other gems like “The Sound of the Crowd” and “Love Action (I Believe in Love).” The group scored four other hits in the U.S. by 1986 while their Top-10 tally in the UK reached seven.
The Human League remained more popular in England than America, but the group have produced a lot of good music over the past 45 years, adapting to the changing electronic musical taste of the 1990s and 2000s while still channeling the spirit of their ‘80s work. Like their British peers Duran Duran and A Flock of Seagulls, The Human League developed their original sounds and vision through a combination of artistic naivety, curiosity, and exploration.
Here are six solid deep cuts from The Human League that often showcase a darker and moodier side to their music that was there from their inception.
“Circus of Death,” from Reproduction (1979)
This ominous track from Human League’s debut album isn’t really about the circus. The lyrics reference Steve McGarrett—yes, the fictional detective from Hawaii Five-O—who is arriving in England to help track down a drug ring that is spreading bad dope around the world. Or it could be about a twisted circus as a front for a drug ring—after all, in the James Bond movie Octopussy, a nuclear warhead was to be detonated during a three-ring performance. This song was far from the only time The Human League touched upon real-world issues. The song “Seconds” from Dare! spoke of the JFK assassination without actually mentioning his name, while 1984’s “The Lebanon” chronicled war strife in the Middle East.
“Darkness,” from Dare! (1981)
This goth-inflected track was inspired by Wright’s experiences with insomnia after reading a riveting horror novel. Oakey is in fine vocal form here and effectively emotes the dread of the song while the dramatic synth sounds pull the listener in. It’s easy to hear how early The Human League, even with the transition to the poppier sounds of Dare!, influenced both synth pop and dark-wave artists.
“The Stars Are Going Out,” from Romantic? (1990)
While their 1986 album Crash produced the No. 1 U.S. and Top 10 U.K. hit “Human,” the subsequent singles killed the momentum The Human League had built up since their inception. After that album, the group’s three singers remained the constant core members. “The Stars Are Going Out” seems to be addressing the drop in the group’s popularity and how it was affecting their emotional state at the time. It’s a brooding, downbeat track that reflects on past times. Thankfully, there was still good music to come.
“Cruel Young Lover,” from Octopus (1995)
The final song on Octopus has a much harder EDM groove in line with what was going on with the burgeoning “electronica” movement at the time, but with some hard guitar chords lurking underneath. This angst-ridden track finds the protagonist pining for a younger lover who plays games with him, knowing the power of their age gap. The repeated lyric do you hear me? changes context from slightly assured to anxious and desperate, with the vocal choruses getting fuller and thicker as the song progresses. It feels like the words are being tossed into the ether. “Cruel Young Lover” is one of the more unique Human League numbers.
“The Snake,” from Secrets (2001)
The best-known track off of Secrets is the catchy “All I Ever Wanted” (No. 47 in the UK), which is still a deep cut for casual Human League fans. But it now ranks in their top 15 most-played songs in concert. Another solid tune here is “The Snake,” a percolating, effervescent track which nicely balances Oakey exploring the lower range of his voice against the higher-pitched singing of Catherall and Sulley. It’s definitely an underrated tune about a journey of the mind and unspecified celebration.
“Sky,” from Credo (2011)
This track from the last Human League album Credo truly invokes a deep groove and an ‘80s sound as Oakey describes a meeting a beguiling, mysterious woman at a bar who enlivens his spirits and renews his vigor for life. If one were to play this alongside classic Human League, they might think it was recorded sometime in the ‘80s. “Sky” is retro yet still sounds fresh, bringing them full circle in their decades-spanning musical journey.
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