The Human League - "Human" - 1986

The Human League took a long winding road to fame; starting as an all-male techno synth band in the late 70s before splitting into 2 bands (the other being Heaven 17) due to personal and musical differences and finally recruiting a couple of teenage girls off a club dance floor in an attempt to give the band a more 'glamorous' appearance. Those teenage girls were Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall and, together with lead singer Philip Oakey they formed the core of the group that would rise to international stardom in the early 80s.

In 1985, in search of fresh inspiration, they flew to Minneapolis to record with the production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The sessions did not go well, however, with the producers and band members wrestling constantly for control. Finally Oakey pulled the band from the studio and returned them to England and it was left to Jam and Lewis to finish the album, which became "Crash".

"Human" was released as the first single from Crash and went to #1 on the US charts. An exquisite blend of pop and R&B with a timeless melody Human lodged in the pleasure center of my brain the first time I heard it and has stayed there ever since. One of true high-points of 80s pop and one of my all-time favorites.