"Chorus" is a song by English

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

duo

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member ...

, released as the first single from their fifth studio album of the same name (1991). Produced by Martyn Phillips and written by Erasure members

Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...

and Andy Bell, the song features Clarke's electronic soundscapes and Phillips' computerised production. The single was released by

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, ...

in the UK and

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehr ...

in the US. It peaked at number three in both Denmark and the UK, while reaching number four in Ireland. In the US, it peaked at number 83 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number four on the ''Billboard''

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

editor Ned Raggett described the song as "another great Erasure anthem".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote, "Fab British duo makes a welcome return with an environmentally-conscious

techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

ditty. Singer Andy Bell is in fine voice on this track". Bill Wyman from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' stated that it "percolates along nicely". The Daily Vault's Michael R. Smith commented, "Yes, the title track has the glaringly errant word "fishes" in the lyrics, but the contagious feel of the music makes up for it." A reviewer from ''

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'' viewed it as a "refreshing burst of pure pop". Andrew Smith of ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' praised the song as "absolutely bloody marvellous" and commented, "The familiar hyperactive throbs and skyward spiralling melodies are here and, as ever, few manage to say nothing with such passion and alacrity as Bell. As it happens, we instinctively know what he means anyway, a sure sign there we're in the presence of greatness."

David Quantick David Quantick (born 14 May 1961) is an English novelist, comedy writer and critic, who has worked as a journalist and screenwriter. A former freelance writer for the music magazine '' NME'', his writing credits have included '' On the Hour'', ' ...

of '' NME'' commented, "It has got a great, um, chorus, some splendid bleeping noises and a chirpy lyric about ecology. There is surely no other criterion for a good record in the 1990s." Chris Gerard from ''

Metro Weekly ''Metro Weekly'' is a free weekly magazine for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in Washington, D.C., United States. It was first published on May 5, 1994. ''Metro Weekly'' includes national and local news, intervie ...

'' called it an "old-school disco raver", that is "driven by frenetic beat, streams of keyboards that sound like lasers beaming into space, and an unforgettable melody sung with great soul by Andy Bell." He added that "Chorus" is one of the Erasure's "signature songs and finest moments." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' noted, "You can hear that these two know what's going on in the clubs without forcing themselves to follow the current dance trend. Melody is their specialty, best witnessed by the title track." Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic stated that it "kicks off" the album "in fine style". Also he noted "memorable lines", like "Go ahead with your dreamin'", "your schemin'", "and something about the fishes in the sea!"

Chart performance

Issued prior to the release of the ''Chorus'' album, the single returned Erasure to the upper reaches of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, debuting and peaking at number three for two weeks. It was also a success in Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland, reaching number three, four and ten. In the United States, the single became Erasure's first ''Billboard'' Hot 100 entry since "Stop!" in 1989, climbing to number 83. It was more successful on the ''

chart, where it peaked at number four to become the band's highest-placing song on this listing.

Track listings

* 7-inch and cassette single (MUTE125; CMUTE125) # "Chorus" # "Over the Rainbow" * 12-inch single (12MUTE125) # "Chorus" (Pure Trance Mix) # "Chorus" # "Snappy" (The Spice Has Risen mix) # "Chorus" (Transdental trance mix) * CD single (CDMUTE125) # "Chorus" # "Chorus" (Transdental Trance mix) # "Snappy" # "Over the Rainbow" * US CD single (9 40123-2) # "Chorus (Covered Up The Sun)" (single mix by Dave Bascombe) # "Chorus (Covered Up The Sun)" (Pure Trance mix by

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...

) # "Snappy" (12-inch remix by Martyn Phillips) # "Chorus (Covered Up The Sun)" (Aggressive trance mix by Youth) # "Chorus (Covered Up The Sun)" (Transdental trance mix by Youth) # "Snappy" (The Spice has risen mix by Justin Robertson) # "Over the Rainbow"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Erasure songs Music videos directed by David Mallet (director) Mute Records singles Sire Records singles Songs written by Andy Bell (singer) Songs written by Vince Clarke UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles