by Mark Nobes, chief editor
By this stage in their musical career, The Human League were focusing their attention on the North American market. "Human" sold over 1 million copies in the U.S., and topped the Billboard Hot 100, and also reached No.1 in Canada. However, it was the last U.S. chart-topper for the band.
The 12" vinyl included three versions of Human; extended, acapella and instrumental.
The disappointing video by Andy Morahan features close-ups of the three band members against a backdrop of watery effects, such as a water fall, splashes in a pool of water and reflections. To be honest, it's a rather dull affair, and i's certainly not a video I really remember from the 80s.
By 1986, The Human League had lost their edginess (even Phil Oakey's hair style had become disappointingly normalised on the single sleeve), and there was much conflict between the band members during the recording of the Crash album. Worried by the lack of material actually being created, Virgin Records suggested that the trio work with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who had recently worked with Janet Jackson on her Control album.
Now, although I have always liked "Human", it lacked the distinctiveness of earlier songs by the band, and the polished production sounds americanised, like countless other songs in the charts during this period.
Despite a handful of chart hits during the 1990s, the band never regained the popularity they enjoyed during the early 80s synthpop era. Nonetheless, the band are still performing and toured Europe and the UK during 2016.
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