"Red Skies" is a song by new wave/

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Fixx The Fixx are a rock band from London, England, founded in 1979. The band's hits include " One Thing Leads to Another", " Saved by Zero", " Are We Ourselves?", and " Secret Separation", each of which charted in the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' ...

. Released in 1982, it was the third single from the group's debut album, '' Shuttered Room''. It reached number 13 on ''

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''s Album Rock Tracks but peaked at number one on ''

''s Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart in early 1983. The song also charted in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It was later re-recorded for the band's 1987 album, '' React''.

Composition and recording

The song appeared on the Fixx's 1982 album '' Shuttered Room''. The lyrics of "Red Skies" warn of an imminent

nuclear holocaust A nuclear holocaust, also known as a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear annihilation, nuclear armageddon, or atomic holocaust, is a Futures studies, theoretical scenario where the mass detonation of nuclear weapons causes widespread destruction and radi ...

Release and reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it "a sailor's and dancer’s delight," praising the "haunting and dreamy synthesizer effects," steady beat" and "powerful vocals." "Red Skies" peaked at number 13 on the U.S.

Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" ...

chart, number 44 in the Netherlands and number 57 in the UK. Winda Benedetti of ''

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'' said it was one "of the more cutting-edge pop ongsof the time." Mark Spinn of the ''

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'' called it "the best of the band's moodier material." Bill Locey of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' complimented the song's "memorable chorus". The Fixx performed the song on ''

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'' on February 18, 1984.

Re-recording

According to drummer Adam Woods,

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

requested that the band re-record the song for their 1987 '' React'' album. "Nobody at MCA was really interested in the new things we wanted to do," Woods said. "They told us to re-do 'Red Skies,' and we gave in. We figured, 'All right, we'll give them exactly what they want, and it will bomb.' And sure enough, it did."

Track listing

7-inch vinyl #"Red Skies" – 3:30 #"Is It by Instinct" – 4:10 12-inch vinyl #"Red Skies" (Full Length lbumVersion) – 4:19 #"Sinking Island" (Special Extended Dance Mix) – 4:35

Chart performance

References

{{Authority control 1982 songs 1982 singles The Fixx songs Song recordings produced by Rupert Hine MCA Records singles