|
"Souvenir" is a song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and released as the first single from their 1981 album ''Architecture & Morality''. It is sung by Humphreys, who ordinarily functions as keyboard player and backing vocalist. The track has minimal lyrical content and is characterised by slowed-down choir sounds offset by pulsing major key piano chords. Its "gentle, sparkling" synthesizer hook〔Raggett, Ned. (''Architecture & Morality'' review ) at AllMusic〕 substitutes for a vocal chorus, as with other OMD compositions. "Souvenir" became a major international hit for the band. Peaking at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart,〔(Official UK Chart for 19 September 1981 ).〕 it remains the group's highest-charting single in their home country, along with 1991's "Sailing on the Seven Seas". The song also reached the Top 10 in several European territories, including topping the charts in France, Spain and Portugal.〔(OMD – Souvenir ) at Discogs.〕 Having gained little mainstream airplay in recent years, "Souvenir" has been hailed as a forgotten classic within popular music. The makers of the ''New Musical Express'' and ''Uncut'', in the 2011 publication ''501 Lost Songs'', lauded the track as a "classic piece of early '80s melancholy." Dave Thompson in AllMusic wrote: "OMD at their most luminescent, 'Souvenir' was a permanent memento of the group's early power."〔("Souvenir" review ) at AllMusic〕 Critic Ned Raggett praised Humphreys' vocal, as well as the mid-song instrumental break.〔 Some copies of The Human League's single "Love Action (I Believe in Love)" were mispressed with "Souvenir" as the A-side.〔 ==History== A tape consisting of slowed-down loops of a choir tuning up lent by ex-OMD member Dave Hughes had been the initial inspiration for the song.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Official OMD Website discography entry for ''Souvenir'' 7 )〕 Although displeased with the original version, they decided it had some merit after all, after having re-recorded it previously. Keyboard player Paul Humphreys co-wrote the song and provided lead vocals. Frontman and co-founder Andy McCluskey was not a fan of the track. He has said: "I think you can always make a better case for a song you've written on your own...But everyone seems to think I hated 'Souvenir' just because it was Paul's song – not so. I genuinely thought it was a bit soppy, and since I hadn't written it, I found it hard to relate to."〔Waller, Johnny; Humphreys, Mike. ''Messages''. Sidgwick & Jackson. 1987. ISBN 0-283-99234-4. p. 91.〕 An extended version of the song (with an additional verse) was released as a 10" single〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Official OMD Website discography entry for ''Souvenir'' 10 )〕 and included as a bonus on the digitally remastered copies of ''Architecture & Morality''. The title of the track was used for a documentary DVD about the reformed OMD, released in 2007 by Aspect Television.〔(Aspect Television )〕 It was originally titled "The Choir Song" and the working title remained up until the final week for Peter Saville's artwork delivery.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Souvenir (song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|