"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 6 March 1981, and the lead single from their debut studio album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981). It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US. It developed from an instrumental, "Groove Thang", that Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh created earlier that year for Music for Stowaways, an album they released as British Electric Foundation.
| "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Heaven 17 | ||||
| from the album Penthouse and Pavement | ||||
| B-side | "The Decline of the West" | |||
| Released | 6 March 1981 | |||
| Studio | Maison Rouge (Sheffield) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:20[3] | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | British Electric Foundation | |||
| Heaven 17 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" on YouTube | ||||
Details and ban by the BBC
edit"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was written by Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory and included on their 1981 debut album Penthouse and Pavement.[4] It was the first single released by the band.[3]
AllMusic reviewer Stewart Mason describes the song as "clattering and jangled", with multiple electronic rhythm tracks played simultaneously making the song seem faster than its nominal tempo.[3]
In the lyrics fascism and racism are described in an ironic fashion, using the lexicon of funk music. The lyrics of the song also reference the recent election of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States;[3][5] the song was banned by the BBC due to concerns by Radio 1's legal department that it libelled Reagan by describing him as a "fascist god in motion".[6][7]
Reception and chart performance
editDespite the BBC ban, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" reached number 45 on the UK singles chart.[8] It debuted on that chart on 21 March 1981 and peaked one week later.[8] The single peaked at number 72 in Australia,[9] and was a minor dance hit in the U.S., reaching number 29 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1981.[10] The song was ranked at number 4 among the top 10 "Tracks of the Year" for 1981 by NME.[11]
Personnel
editHeaven 17:
- Glenn Gregory – Vocals
- Ian Craig Marsh – Synthesisers
- Martyn Ware – Synthesisers, Linn LM-1 and Backing Vocals
with:
- Josie James – Vocals
- John Wilson – Bass, rhythm guitar[12]
Remix
editA Rapino Brothers remix of "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was released as a single in 1993, reaching number 40 in the UK Singles Chart.[13] The remix and original version of the song were included on the compilation album Higher and Higher – The Best of Heaven 17, released in the same year.
Cover versions
editScottish post-punk band The Fire Engines covered the song for a 23 February 1981 Peel session on BBC Radio 1.
German dark wave project Deine Lakaien featured a cover on the 1999 CD Maxi "Into My Arms" (as "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing").[14]
American indie rock band Poster Children covered the song on their 2004 EP On the Offensive.
American synth-pop band Information Society covered the song in 2016 for their album Orders of Magnitude. It was remixed by Inertia and The Crusher for the DEF CON 24 music compilation that same year, featuring multiple voice samples of American president elect Donald Trump.
American post-punk band 100 Flowers covered the song in 2017 for release as a digital single.
American rock band LCD Soundsystem released a cover of the song on 2 November 2018, with the lyrics altered to reference Donald Trump instead of Reagan, and included it on their live album Electric Lady Sessions (2019).[15]
Philadelphia punk rock band The Dead Milkmen released a cover August 21, 2020 on a limited-release 7", with proceeds to benefit the charity Girls Rock Philly.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Borthwick, Stuart; Moy, Ron (2004). Popular Music Genres: An Introduction. Routledge. p. 129. ISBN 9780415973694.
- ^ Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1981.3". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. pp. 284–285. ISBN 978-1-915841-45-2.
- ^ a b c d Mason, Stewart. "Heaven 17: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang". allmusic. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ LeRoy, Dan. "Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement". allmusic. Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ Clark, Tristan (1 November 2007). Stick this in your memory hole. aduki independent press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-9803351-2-5. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ Cloonan, Martin (1996). Banned: Censorship of Popular Music in Britain: 1967-1992. Ashgate Publishing. p. 117. ISBN 1-85742-300-3.
Radio 1 remained wary in the political arena and in 1981 its legal department advised Heaven 17 that their hit 'We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing' libeled American President Ronald Reagan by calling him a 'fascist'. So the BBC dropped it...
- ^ Heaven 17 – (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang, retrieved 25 May 2023
- ^ a b "Official Charts > Heaven 17". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Heaven 17: Billboard singles". allmusic. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ^ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ^ "We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang". Song facts. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "HEAVEN 17 | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "Deine Lakaien - Into My Arms". Discogs. 1999.
- ^ Yoo, Noah (11 January 2019). "LCD Soundsystem Detail New Live Album Electric Lady Sessions". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Blistein, Jon (20 August 2020). "The Dead Milkmen Drop Punchy Cover of Heaven 17's '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 December 2020.