Don't Go
Yaz/Yazoo's big hit
I knew this duo as Yaz, but they only used that in Canada and the US. The rest of the world knew them as Yazoo. This song was everywhere in 1982, making their debut album Upstairs at Eric’s, a hit. What really makes the song in my opinion is Alison Moyet’s big voice, although I don’t intend to short-shrift Vince Clarke’s contribution, as he wrote it and created the driving rhythm. From Facebook page Colouring the Past:
An earworm of an intro from an ARP 2600 set the stage, carried along by an incessant bass courtesy of Clarke’s ever-present Sequential Circuits Pro-One. A thick Roland Juno-60 bass complemented Moyet’s soulful voice.
The video plays with a Frankenstein theme, which I personally don’t think works for the song at all, although it is obvious Moyet and Clarke are having a blast. It’s directed by Chris Gabrin, who did a lot of videos for Culture Club and Madness and also worked with The Cure, The Go-Gos, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Wham! among others.
Enjoy your song of the day! Thanks No Cramps at Jays in the House for reminding me of this great song.
What a blast from the past! The song that started playing in my mind first when I saw "Yaz" was "Bring Your Love Down (Didn't I)." I don't remember if I heard any of their music when it first came out, or if it was via my kids' dad, whom I met in the mid '90s; he had *Upstairs at Eric's* and played it often.