Artist:Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Song:If You Leave
Album:The OMD Singles
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) were an early synth pop band. At first they were experimental. But by the time If You Leave was a top five hit in the US they went in a more pop direction. The song is from the popular 1985 film Pretty in Pink. OMD are from Merseyside in Northern England. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys were classmates. They were in bands during high school. But they didn't like the usual macho attitude of guitar driven rock. They liked German electronic music groups like Kraftwerk. They had several bands including The Id which played local clubs. They were working on the side project VCL XI which was renamed OMD. McCluskey was lead singer and Humphreys played keyboards. Malcolm Holmes played drums. They signed with Virgin's Dindisc label and released their debut album in 1980. OMD were very successful in England with the 1981 album Architecture & Morality and the 1983 album Drizzle Ships. They had a string of top ten singles in England. Martin Cooper joined in 1980. With the 1984 album Junk Culture, OMD shifted to a more pop influenced sound. They also added Graham and Neil Weir to the band. When the single So in Love from the 1985 album Crush was a top 30 pop hit in the US, John Hughes asked OMD for a song for his upcoming film Pretty in Pink. Hughes was known for using new wave music on his soundtracks. The song selected was Goddess of Love. It played over the film's final scene. When preview audiences hated the film's ending and the song, Hughes reshot the ending and asked OMD for a different song. They wrote and recorded If You Leave in 24 hours. The film was a big hit and If You Leave reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. They went into decline after that. Humphreys left in 1988 and McCluskey continued OMD solo. He brought in musicians for the 1991 album Sugar Tax. That was their final successful album in England. McCluskey retired the OMD name in 1996. This budget comp covers their entire run. McCluskey produced the girl group Atomic Kitten. Humphreys and Claudia Brucken were called Onetwo. OMD reformed in 2006. They have released three albums and continue to tour. A deluxe box set was released in 2019 to celebrate OMD's 40th anniversary and they toured to support it. Here's the video for If You Leave by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
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