"Reap the Wild Wind" is

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

's first single from the ''

Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices and instruments. Classical String quartet In classical music, one of the most common combinations ...

'' album, recorded in

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

, in London and Montserrat and released on

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright A ...

on 16 September 1982. "Reap the Wild Wind" was also the opening song for Ultravox when they performed at the 1985

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine ...

concert. Midge Ure said in 2018: "'Reap the Wild Wind' is all about the melody and the rhythm of the song. We used the words and the voice, as a rhythmic sound, almost like an instrument itself. But actually, most of my old songs is a canvas of words. One line does not necessarily connect to the next. Take "Reap the Wild Wind" - it's really not about anything at all!" The promo video was directed by Midge Ure and Chris Cross. It is the only single of its album that charted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Track listing

7" version

# "Reap the Wild Wind" – 3:44 # "Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo)" – 4:21

12" version

# "Reap the Wild Wind" (Extended Version) – 4:43 # "Hosanna (In Excelsis Deo)" – 4:21

Chart performance

References

1982 singles Ultravox songs Songs written by Midge Ure Songs written by Warren Cann Songs written by Chris Cross Songs written by Billy Currie Song recordings produced by George Martin Chrysalis Records singles 1982 songs {{1980s-single-stub