You can listen to the original extended 12 inch version in our video above. You really get to hear the different layers of the song, and I didn't realise just how 80s that bassline really sounds - love it! The official video is further down the page.
The song was penned by Alison Moyet and her producers Stephen Nicholas Jolley and Tony Swain. This perfect combination of talent and Moyet's passionate vocal performance ensured that the song would become a global hit. It's my favourite track from Alison's solo work.
The single also reached No.6 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, and No.7 on the Irish and South African singles charts. It also reached No.21 on Australia's Kent Music Report chart and was a top 30 hit in several European countries.
The video doesn't feature any storyline as such, and features a combination of a close-up of Alison singing and various scenes of her in several locations.
It starts with Alison sat alone in a cafe and then walking by an old gas works. The video then focuses on Moyet as she belts out the chorus in magnificent style. After this, there is a scene with Moyet wearing a plaid headscarf and sat on a park bench. In other scenes, we see her walking up to the front door of her house and also inside her house removing some dead flowers. She is also seen laughing with a friend, and in the final scene, she is stood on the balcony of the second floor of her house gazing out. We briefly see the backing singers for about three seconds.
This is certainly not one of the more iconic videos of the decade, and it appears to be quite a low budget affair. Nonetheless, it works and it gets the job done, I guess! Alison is definitely best remembered for her songs rather than her videos.
Alison is a great lyricist, and these lyrics are, thankfully, easy to work out from the start, which is not always the case with 80s songs! They are about a lover who has left it too late to return, as in the line "You took your time to come back this time, the grass has grown under your feet". We also learn that Alison has found someone else in the next line "In your absence I changed my mind, and someone else is sitting in your seat".
Before the final burst of chorus, Alison sings "You go your way, I'll go mine, I won't stay around here, don't waste my time". Which concludes that there is not a chance in hell that she will be getting back together with this particular lover!
