"Nothing in Common" is a song by the British band

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were an English Pop music, pop band, formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a New wave music, new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scori ...

, which was released in 1986 as a single from the soundtrack of the American comedy-drama film ''

Nothing in Common ''Nothing in Common'' is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall. It stars Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason in his final film role. Gleason died less than a year after the film's release. The film was not considered a big fin ...

''. The song was written by

Alannah Currie Alannah Joy Currie (born 20 September 1957) is a New Zealand artist based in London. She is a musician and activist, best known as a former member of the pop band Thompson Twins. Career Born in New Zealand and trained as a journalist, Currie ...

and Tom Bailey, and produced by

Geoffrey Downes Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group the Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia. Born in Stockport, Downes moved to London ...

and Bailey. With the departure of band member Joe Leeway earlier in 1986, "Nothing in Common" was the Thompson Twins' first release as a duo. It reached No. 54 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Promotion

A music video was filmed to promote the single, featuring

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

and various clips from the movie. It was directed by

Meiert Avis Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Career Meiert Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Paramore, Alanis Morissette, Flyleaf, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory ...

and produced by Jon Small for Picture Vision. It achieved active rotation on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

Critical reception

On its release, ''

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 ...

'' considered the song to "sound a little rockier and less melancholy" than the Thompson Twins' past hits.

Formats

;7" single #"Nothing in Common" - 3:24 #"Nothing to Lose" - 4:15 ;7" single (Philippines release) #"Nothing in Common" - 3:24 #"If You Were Here" - 2:53 ;7" single (South Africa release) #"Nothing in Common" - 3:24 #"Nothing In Common (7" Remix)" - 4:06 ;7" single (US promo) #"Nothing in Common" - 3:24 #"Nothing in Common" - 3:24 ;12" single #"Nothing in Common" (7" Single) – 3:30 #"

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

" (Extended Remix) – 6:25 ( Lennon/McCartney) #"Nothing in Common" (7" Remix) – 4:08 #"Nothing in Common" (Street Mix - Vocal & Instrumental) – 6:22 #"Nothing in Common" (Club Mix) – 7:38 ;12" single (German release) #"Nothing in Common" (Club Mix) – 7:38 #"Nothing in Common" (Street Mix - Vocal & Instrumental) – 6:22 #"Nothing in Common" (7" Remix) – 4:08

Chart performance

Personnel

, Tom Bailey - producers *Owen Davies - engineer *Robin Goodfellow - technical coordinator *

- artwork direction

References

{{Authority control 1986 singles Thompson Twins songs Songs written by Alannah Currie Songs written by Tom Bailey (musician) Music videos directed by Meiert Avis