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Secret (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)

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"Secret"
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Crush
B-side
  • "Drift" (UK)
  • "Firegun" (US)
Released8 July 1985 (1985-07-08)[1]
Recorded1984
StudioThe Manor (Shipton-on-Cherwell, England)
GenreNew wave
Length3:56
LabelVirgin (UK)
A&M (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"So in Love"
(1985) 		"Secret"
(1985) 		"La Femme Accident"
(1985)
Music video
"Secret" on YouTube

"Secret" is a 1985 song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the second single from their album Crush. Paul Humphreys sings lead vocals on the track. It became their second US Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 63, and also made number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was featured in the 1988 movie Arthur 2: On the Rocks and on its soundtrack album; it was also re-released to radio in the US[2] as the follow-up to The Best of OMD track "Dreaming", approximately one month prior to the movie's premiere. Though it received renewed airplay on several US contemporary hit stations, it did not re-chart on the Hot 100.

Critical reception

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Writing in Number One, Stuart Husband referred to "Secret" as a "pretty song" and "the Manoeuvres' cutest single for many a moon".[3] Stateside, the Gavin Report dubbed it "the strongest OMD track since the tragically overlooked 'Souvenir'."[4] Bill Merrill of the Altus Times noted the song's "smooth combination of airy vocals and catchy hooks",[5] while Cashbox called it a "strong" and "very melodic" track with a "gently pulsing synth beat".[6]

In a retrospective review, Dave Thompson of AllMusic observed an "emotive love song buried in an over-produced behemoth of a backing".[7] Conversely, Thompson's colleague Mike DeGagne lauded the track as one of OMD's best 1980s singles, noting its "adolescent innocence".[8] Rolling Stone's Paul Evans described "Secret", and previous release "So in Love", as "flawless singles".[9]

Kevin Hearn of Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies recalled being "in love with the song" and recording a cover version with his high school band.[10] In a poll of 6,852 Slicing Up Eyeballs readers, "Secret" was voted the 74th-best track of 1985.[11]

B-sides

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The UK B-side "Drift" was an instrumental song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper. "Drift" has never been released on CD. The US B-Side "Firegun" is a vocal song credited to the whole band that was later released on their 2001 CD compilation Navigation: The OMD B-Sides. "Firegun" was released in the UK as the B-side to the band's successive single "La Femme Accident".

Music video

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The video for "Secret", directed by Andy Morahan,[12] shows various vintage black & white film clips, including footage of the Beatles, interspersed with new black & white footage of Humphreys and a woman processed to look like old home movies; additionally there are colour scenes of Humphreys singing. The theme is that a woman deserts her current love interest (McCluskey) to return to the arms of her true love (Humphreys). McCluskey's character observes the two lovers together and, though despondent, gallantly accepts that his love interest should instead be with Humphreys' character, before walking into the distance along the shore. The clip was filmed at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.[citation needed]

Live performances

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The song was part of the setlist during the Crush tour in 1985 and 1986, although more recently it has largely been performed at gigs in the US.[13] A video recording of a short concert held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands in aid of Greenpeace on 26 October 1985 shows that Humphreys shared the lead vocal with Andy McCluskey.[14]

Personnel

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Credits sourced from "One Two Testing"[15]

Additional Personnel

  • Maureen Humphreys - sampled "secret" vocal

Track listing

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7": Virgin / VS 796 (UK)

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  1. "Secret" – 3:54
  2. "Drift" – 4:14

12": Virgin / VS 796-12 (UK)

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  1. "Secret" (extended mix) – 6:14
  2. "Drift" – 4:14

7" A&M/Virgin / AM-2794 (US)

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  1. "Secret" – 3:54
  2. "Firegun" – 4:36

Initial releases had a bonus disc with:

  1. "Red Frame/White Light"
  2. "I Betray My Friends"

Charts

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Chart (1985–1986) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[17] 34
US Billboard Hot 100[18] 63
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19] 37
US Cash Box Top 100[20] 71
West Germany (GfK)[21] 25

Cover versions

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A cover of the song by Laura Watling appeared on the 2001 compilation Pretending to See the Future: A Tribute to OMD.

References in other media

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The hit Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which was known for naming episodes in its early seasons after '80s hit songs, named a two-part episode after this song. It was also featured in the 2014 film The Skeleton Twins.

References

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  1. ^ Smith, Robin (6 July 1985). "News". Record Mirror. p. 6.
  2. ^ "Radio & Records" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. 10 June 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  3. ^ Husband, Stuart (13 July 1985). "Singles". Number One. p. 36.
  4. ^ "New Releases". Gavin Report. No. 1563. 28 June 1985. p. 29.
  5. ^ Merrill, Bill (18 August 1985). "Record review". Altus Times. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Single Releases". Cashbox. 30 November 1985. p. 11.
  7. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Secret". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  8. ^ DeGagne, Mike. "The Best of OMD". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  9. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 607. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ^ Houghton, Richard (2019). OMD: Pretending to See the Future (expanded paperback ed.). This Day in Music Books. pp. 414–415. ISBN 978-1-9161156-2-0.
  11. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 1985: Slicing Up Eyeballs' Best of the '80s Redux — Part 6". Slicing Up Eyeballs. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  12. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "Secret"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Secret by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". Setlist.fm. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  14. ^ "OMD - Live 1985 Full Concert". 30 October 2013. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2016 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ Bacon, Tony (July 1985). "OMD Crushed". One Two Testing (Jul 1985): 46–52.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  17. ^ "OMD: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 24 September 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending February 8, 1986". Cash Box. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Secret" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
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