"Living on Video" is a song by Canadian

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 Trans-X written and published in 1982, but not released as a single until May 1983 by

Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...

, and then remixed for re-release in 1985. Trans-X also originally recorded a French-language version under the title "Vivre sur Vidéo". The song has been covered by many artists throughout the years.

Trans-X version

The song is featured on the band's debut album, '' Living on Video''. In its original release in 1983, the song only managed to reach No. 77 in the UK. It was remixed and re-released in 1985, peaking at No. 9 in the UK and also charting in the US, reaching No. 61 on ''Billboard'' and No. 77 on the ''Cashbox'' charts. This version featured on the US version of band's 1986 second album, also called ''Living on Video''. The band re-recorded the song in 1986 and released it as a 12" maxi single, although the fact that it was re-recorded was not mentioned. This was featured on the Canadian version of their second album. In 1984, the track was re-produced for Metromix by Norman Jester (DJ Dizzo) for a 12" club mix adding fresh synths and a powerful 808 beat.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

features the band performing the song in a room with several TVs and a

Commodore PET The Commodore PET is a line of personal computers produced starting in 1977 by Commodore International. A single all-in-one case combines a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, Commodore BASIC in read-only memory, keyboard, monochrome monitor ...

. A

Roland SH-101 The Roland SH-101 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1986. Though it did not achieve significant commercial success, it later became a staple of electronic music in the 1990s, particularly house music ...

keytar A keytar (a portmanteau of ''keyboard'' and ''guitar'') is a keyboard instrument similar to a synthesizer or MIDI controller that is supported by a strap around the neck and shoulders, similar to the way a guitar is held. Overview Though the ...

is also featured, which Languirand uses. It was filmed in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Germany and is a live performance from the TV show ' in 1984.

Track listings

1983

; 7" single # "Living on Video" — 4:18 # "Digital World" — 3:30 ; 12" single # "Living on Video" (Long Version) — 5:55 # "Digital World" — 3:30 ; 12" maxi # "Living on Video" — 5:55 # "Vivre sur Vidéo" — 6:13 #"Living on Video" (Remix) — 6:42

1985

7" single # "Living on Video" ('85 Big Mix) — 5:32 # "Digital Word" — 3:30 12" maxi # "Living on Video" ('85 Big Mix) — 5:32 # "Living on Video" (Dub Mix) — 6:30 # "Digital Word" — 3:30

1986

12" maxi # "Living on Video" — 6:59 # "Living on Video" (Instrumental) — 5:00 # "Living on Video" (Radio Version) — 3:40

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

2 Brothers on the 4th Floor version

In 1999,

2 Brothers on the 4th Floor 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor is a Dutch musical group created in 1990 by brothers Martin and Bobby Boer. The group has had success in many countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland, South Afric ...

released their version of the song titled "Living in Cyberspace". Musically, it resembles the original score, but is adapted to the 1990s. The same applies in part to the text; the original text was indeed adopted, but supplemented by a few lines. Although the cover never appeared on a studio album, it is included on the compilations ''Summer Hit Mix 2000'' and ''Best of 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor''.

Track listings

CD-maxi # "Living in Cyberspace" (Snapshot RMX II) - 3:19 # "Living in Cyberspace" (Radio Version) - 3:44 # "Living in Cyberspace" (Lick Discomix) - 5:45

Charts

Pakito version

In 2006,

Pakito Julien Ranouil (; born 26 January 1981 in Bergerac), known by his stage name Pakito () or Karlux, is a French electronic dance DJ and discografic producer. His cover of Trans-X's " Living on Video" reached number one on France's singles chart. ...

released their debut album ''

Video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...

'' containing their debut single "Living on Video" and another remix. It reached number one in France for four weeks and hit the charts in several other countries. As of July 2014, it was the 85th best-selling single of the 21st century in France, with 328,000 units sold.

Track listings

; CD maxi # "Living on Video" (original radio edit) — 3:20 # "Living on Video" (noot's vocal radio edit) — 3:10 # "Living on Video" (original mix) — 5:36 # "Living on Video" (noot's vocal mix) — 6:34

Charts and sales

Peak positions

End of year charts

Certifications

Other remixes and versions

It was remixed by Trans-X in 2003 and again in 2006. The song has also been remixed by U96 as "Love Sees No Colour (Version 2)", Nathalie De Borah, DJ Piccolo, Dr. Lektroluv, Trance XS, Cardenia, Cosmo & Tom, Culture Beat, DJ Interface, Ratty, Lazard, Gary D, Masterboy, Pin-Occhio (as " Tu Tatuta Tuta Ta"), Potatoheadz and by both Tronix Dj and Recorder, Stream (in 2016). It also has been covered as "Vivre Sur Video" by

Vive la Fête Vive la Fête () is a Belgian music duo from Ghent, East Flanders, formed in 1997 by Danny Mommens (guitar, vocals) and Els Pynoo (vocals). History Vive la Fête was founded in 1997 when Danny Mommens (then still a member of dEUS) met Els Pynoo ...

. Most recently, it was covered by the band HexRX for the ''Das Bunker: Choice of a New Generation'' compilation. In 2012, "Robots", a single by Belgian singer

Kate Ryan Kate Ryan (born Katrien Verbeeck, 22 July 1980) is a Belgian singer and songwriter, and the winner of a World Music Award. She began her singing career in 2001 and later found fame with a string of dance hits. These included covers, mostly of ...

, sampled the song. Also, in 2013, it was used as the main theme in the song "Get Ready Now" by Beatmaker. Arash sampled the song in 2014 under the name SLR. Parts of the song has also been remixed by Logobi GT as "Gâter le Koin" (from ''La Puissance'' in 2010). The electronic music group Frozen Plasma covered the song on their 2015 album '' Decadenz''.

References

{{authority control 1982 songs 1983 singles 1999 singles 2006 debut singles 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor songs Pakito songs Canadian synth-pop songs SNEP Top Singles number-one singles Polydor Records singles Atco Records singles ZYX Music singles