"Don't Drop Bombs" is a song by American actress and singer

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

, released in September 1989 by

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

/ZEE 2 as the second single from her ninth album, ''

Results A result is the outcome of an event. Result or Results may also refer to: Music * Results (album), ''Results'' (album), a 1989 album by Liza Minnelli * ''Results'', a 2012 album by Murder Construct * "The Result", a single by The Upsetters * "The ...

'' (1989), produced by

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

and

Julian Mendelsohn Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run by ...

. It was popular on the club circuit, but failed to make the Top 40 in the UK, peaking at No. 46. The single would only find its way onto the US club scene as an import and via the DJ subscription remix services Razormaid! and This Is Only a Test.

Critical reception

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 musi ...

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 ...

'' felt that the song "deftly straddles the line dividing high camp and pure drama". Dave Obee from ''

Calgary Herald The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network. History ''The C ...

'' named it one of the "good moments" of the ''

'' album. Edwin J. Bernard from '' Number One'' described it as "aggressive Bobby O-type dance".

Siân Pattenden Siân Pattenden is an English journalist, author, illustrator and artist. She has worked for British publications like '' The Face'', ''The Guardian'', ''Independent'', ''NME'', '' Select'' and ''Smash Hits''. Pattenden has written six children's ...

from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' declared it as "a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

stomper", adding, "Liza strides through this epic with so much gusto it leave you exhausted. All right, it ''does'' sound a ''tad'' like " Left to My Devices" but who cares? It's ruddy marvellous!"

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Don't Drop Bombs", directed by

Brian Grant Brian Wade Grant (born March 5, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), center positions for five teams during 12 seasons in the National Basket ...

was filmed at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of Pinewood Group, the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not ...

. It references other music videos and styles of the 1980s including

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

's "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

", a touch of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

towards the end, and even a reference to the Broadway Melody

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

from ''

Singin' in the Rain ''Singin' in the Rain'' is a 1952 American musical romantic comedy film directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, starring Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, and featuring Jean Hagen, Millard Mitchell, Rita Moreno a ...

'' with

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

and

Cyd Charisse Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American dancer and actress. After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...

. Parts of the video were shot in black and white.

Track listings

* 7" Epic / ZEE 2 (UK) # "Don't Drop Bombs" (7") – 3:34 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (instrumental) – 3:39 * 12" Epic / ZEE T2 (UK) # "Don't Drop Bombs" (Extended Remix) – 5:53 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (dub mix) – 5:44 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (a cappella) – 3:40 * 12" Epic / ZEE QT2 (UK) # "Don't Drop Bombs" (Extended Remix) – 5:53 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (new 7" mix) – 3:39 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (percapella) – 3:40 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (a cappella) – 3:40 * CD Epic / ZEE C2 (UK) # "Don't Drop Bombs" (7") – 3:34 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (Extended Remix) – 5:53 # "Don't Drop Bombs" (a cappella) – 3:40

Charts

References

1989 songs Liza Minnelli songs Songs written by Neil Tennant Songs written by Chris Lowe Song recordings produced by Julian Mendelsohn Epic Records singles {{1980s-song-stub