"Warm Leatherette"
Single by the Normal
A-side"T.V.O.D."
ReleasedNovember 1978
Genre
Length6:15
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Daniel Miller
Producer(s)Daniel Miller

"Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project the Normal, released in 1978.

The Normal original

Overview

The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J. G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel Crash, which had heavily influenced Daniel Miller.[1] Together with his college friend[who?] he had worked on a film script based on the book, but after the project was abandoned Miller decided to "write a song encapsulating [the script] in 2 and a half minutes".[2] The song was recorded in Miller's apartment using two Revox B-77 tape machines. A series of sawtooth waves were recorded on a Korg 700S synthesizer.

Miller took the record to a few independent music shops, including Rough Trade in London, where it would be played to customers.[2] "Warm Leatherette" was released as the B-side to "T.V.O.D.", the only single by Miller's musical project the Normal, and the very first release on his Mute Records label. However, since it was "Warm Leatherette" that gained more public attention,[3] it was featured as the lead song on subsequent single re-releases. Although Miller did not expect the single to be successful,[4] it sold 30,000 copies.[5]

Legacy

The single was an early example of industrial and synth-pop music, emerging on a wave of numerous electronic pop experiments of the late 1970s in the UK.[6][7] It has since been described as having "revolutionised electronic music with its punk aesthetic, stark sound and dark subject matter"[2] "Warm Leatherette" is considered to be a seminal track that influenced the emerging synth-pop of the 1980's[8] and has been covered by numerous artists,[4] including Grace Jones and Duran Duran, who performed it on a 2007 tour.[9] The song is featured in the 2020 American horror film Antebellum.

Track listing

A. "T.V.O.D." – 2:51
B. "Warm Leatherette" – 3:20
A. "Warm Leatherette" – 3:24
B. "T.V.O.D." – 2:52

Grace Jones version

"Warm Leatherette"
Single by Grace Jones
from the album Warm Leatherette
Released1980
Length4:25
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Daniel Miller
Producer(s)
Grace Jones singles chronology
"Breakdown"
(1980) 		"Warm Leatherette"
(1980) 		"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"
(1980)

Grace Jones recorded "Warm Leatherette" for her 1980 album of the same name. The song was released as a promotional 12-inch single. In 1981, it served as the opening song of her A One Man Show tour.

Track listing

A1. "Warm Leatherette" – 4:25
A2. "Love Is the Drug" – 7:15
B1. "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" – 3:50
B2. "Bullshit" – 5:20

Chart performance

Chart Peak
position
United States (Dance Music/Club Play)[10] 20

References

  1. ^ "DANIEL MILLER: Mute Records, Depeche Mode & Home Studio". Soundonsound.com. December 1998. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
  2. ^ a b c "Daniel Miller - Exclusive Interview For ElektroDiskow.com!". www.elektrodiskow.com. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  3. ^ "T.V.O.D./Warm Leatherette - The Normal : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  4. ^ a b "Interview: Daniel Miller". Emusic. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  5. ^ Simon Reynolds (2006). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. Penguin Books. p. 31. ISBN 9780143036722.
  6. ^ "RA: Daniel Miller: Muting the noise - Interview". www.residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  7. ^ Bergstrom, John (22 July 2016). "Grace Jones: Warm Leatherette (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021. "Warm Leatherette" had been one side of the lone single by the Normal [...] only two years prior. A cold, sparse bit of proto-industrial synth pop, the song's J.G. Ballard-referencing, car crash fetishist lyrics were the ideal, erm, vehicle for Jones' new direction.
  8. ^ Jason L. (17 December 2021). "Seminal: Being Boiled by The Human League". Velvet Rebel Music.
  9. ^ "Interview Duran Duran John Taylor". Pitchfork. 2 December 2007.
  10. ^ "Grace Jones - Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
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