"(Keep Feeling) Fascination" is a song by English

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

band

the Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

. It was composed by

Jo Callis John William "Jo" Callis (born 2 May 1951) is a British musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band the Rezillos (under the name Luke Warm) and post-punk band Boots for Dancing, before joining the Human ...

and

Philip Oakey Philip Oakey (born 2 October 1955) is an English singer-songwriter who is the frontman and co-founder of the synth-pop band the Human League. Aside from the Human League, he has enjoyed an extensive solo music career and has collaborated with n ...

, and produced by

Martin Rushent Martin Charles Rushent (11 July 1948 – 4 June 2011) was an English record producer, best known for his work with the Human League, the Stranglers and Buzzcocks. Early life Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His fathe ...

(which would be the last song he produced for the band for seven years). The song features vocals from four of the band members, including lead singer

, female co-vocalists

Susan Ann Sulley Susan Ann Sulley (born 22 March 1963), formerly known as Susanne Sulley and Susan Ann Gayle, is an English singer. She is one of the two female vocalists in the synth-pop band the Human League, contributing co-lead vocals on the conflicting due ...

and

Joanne Catherall Joanne Catherall (born 18 September 1962) is an English singer who is one of two female vocalists in the English synth-pop band the Human League. In 1980, when Catherall had just turned 18 and was still at school doing A levels, she and her ...

, and a rare vocal role from keyboardist and guitarist

. The single was designated 'Red' on the Human League's short-lived, self-imposed labelling system of 'Blue' for pop songs and 'Red' for dance tracks.

Chart performance and certifications

The single was released in the UK on 15 April 1983 as a non-album

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, and went to number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. It was incorporated into the band's EP ''

Fascination! ''Fascination!'' is an EP released by English synth-pop band The Human League in 1983. The EP was issued as a stop-gap release in between the albums ''Dare'' (1981) and ''Hysteria'' (1984). Released in the US and Canada, it was made available ...

''. Released in the US a month after the UK release, the single reached number 1 on the US

Hot Dance Music/Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart (their first single to do so) and number 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 that summer. The EP ''Fascination!'' contained two versions of "(Keep Feeling) Fascination"; the extended mix and an

improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

, both different from the single version. These were also the tracks featured on the 12-inch issue in the UK. The 7-inch issue featured a new instrumental track on the B-side, "Total Panic".

Music video

The video for "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" was filmed in a semi-derelict area of

Newham The London Borough of Newham () is a London boroughs, London borough created in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. It covers an area previously administered by the Essex county boroughs of County Borough of West Ham, West Ham and County ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

which was due for demolition and redevelopment as part of the widescale redevelopment of Docklands and East London which took place in the early 1980s. The video begins with an aerial view of an orange "you are here" dot on a street map, which is revealed as an actual giant orange dot on the ground as the camera zooms in. The dot highlights a single house on the apex of two streets, and the camera passes through a set of window curtains to show the band playing the song inside. The entire room is painted grey, as are the band's instruments and microphones. During the song's bridge, two boys are shown kicking a ball around in the street outside. Both the ball and one boy's clothes turn orange when they enter the dot; when he kicks the ball back, it returns to its original colour. As the song ends, the camera retreats from the room and zooms back out into the sky, the view changing back to the original map. Unusually for Human League videos to this point, the band are all seen playing instruments as if it were a live performance.

said in 1983: Both the house (which was First Avenue, London E13 8AP) and surrounding area (Junction of 1st Avenue and 3rd Avenue) encompassed by the orange dot were completely painted orange, including a nearby

Austin 1800 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16), ...

car. The video was conceived and directed by

Steve Barron Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker and music video director. Among the music videos he has directed are "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, " Burning Up (Madonna song), Burnin Up" by Madonna, "Summer of '69" and "Run t ...

, who directed most of the Human League's early 1980s music videos. The band's scenes were all filmed in a studio;

said that the house was still occupied by a family during the painting and filming of the external scenes. The house remained orange until being demolished in mid-1983.

Track listings

7-inch vinyl (Virgin – VS 569) # "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" – 3:39 # "Total Panic" – 3:23 12-inch vinyl (Virgin – VS569-12) # "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (extended version) – 5:00 # "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (improvisation) – 6:15 Mini-CD (Virgin – CDT24) # "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (extended 12-inch version) – 5:00 # "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" (improvisation 12-inch dub) – 6:15 # "Total Panic" – 3:23 #* CD released in 1988

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

* Appears in the 2002 video game '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' on the in-game radio station Wave 103. * A

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song recorded by

Rob Crow Robertdale Rulon Crow Jr. (born February 21, 1971) is an American singer and musician from San Diego, California, known for his involvement with the bands Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, Physics (band), Physics, Optiganally Yours, Goblin Cock, and Thi ...

(of

Pinback Pinback is an American indie rock band from San Diego, California. The band was formed in 1998 by singers, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow, who have been its two constant members. They have releas ...

), features in the 2010 commercial for

Kingsford Charcoal Kingsford is a brand that makes charcoal briquettes, along with related products, used for grilling. Established in 1920, the brand is owned by The Clorox Company. Currently, the Kingsford Products Company remains the leading manufacturer of ch ...

. * A cover version of the song recorded by the

OV7 OV7, formerly known as La Onda Vaselina, was a Mexicans, Mexican Latin pop Vocal group, group formed in 1989. With a career spanning more than 30 years and several hits in the Latin American markets, OV7 remains as one of the most successful acts ...

group features in the album ''Siete Latidos'' (2001). * The track appears briefly in the 2008 film ''

You Don't Mess with the Zohan ''You Don't Mess with the Zohan'' is a 2008 American Satire (film and television), satirical Action comedy, action comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel, and Judd Apatow. Sandler also stars, alongside Joh ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keep Feeling 1983 songs 1983 singles A&M Records singles The Human League songs Song recordings produced by Martin Rushent Songs written by Jo Callis Songs written by Philip Oakey Virgin Records singles Music videos shot in London