BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1986
“Human” is a song recorded by British synthpop band The Human League, and released as the first single from their 1986 album Crash. The track, which deals with the subject of infidelity, was written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
In 1985, the recording sessions for the Human League’s fifth album were not going well, and the band did not like the results, which was causing internal conflict. Virgin Records executives, worried by the lack of progress from their at-the-time most profitable signing, suggested the band accept an offer to work with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who already had material to work with; and had expressed an interest in the band from their U.S. releases. Jam and Lewis had recently emerged as in-demand talent due to their success with Janet Jackson and her Control album.
Of the ten songs on Crash, Jam and Lewis wrote three, “Human” being one of them. It is a mid-tempo ballad which lyrically is an exchange between a man and a woman in a relationship who have reunited after a separation. In the first two verses Philip Oakey is apologizing to his partner for being unfaithful during her absence, and in the song’s breakdown Joanne Catherall’s spoken-word confession reveals that she too was unfaithful. The song’s title is derived from the chorus, in which both parties in the relationship explain that they are “only human” and “born to make mistakes”. The song is a composition in common time with a tempo of 102 beats per minute. It is set in a key of A♭ major, with a chord progression from D♭-E♭-f.
“Human” became the second million-selling and final number-one single for The Human League on the US Billboard Hot 100 (after “Don’t You Want Me”) and their second chart-topper on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart (after “(Keep Feeling) Fascination”). Jam and Lewis’ R&B-based production was also popular on American urban radio, bringing the Human League into the top ten of the U.S. R&B chart for the first time. The song hit #1 in the US; however, in the UK, where R&B was less popular, “Human” peaked at number eight in the UK singles chart.
SIDE A:
Human (Extended Version) 5:06
SIDE B:
Human (A Cappella Version) 2:01
Human (Instrumental Version) 5:04
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Human | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #1 |
| 1986 | Human | U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles | #3 |
| 1986 | Human | U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | #1 |
| 1986 | Human | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary | #3 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records – SP-12197
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: US
Released: 1986
Genre: Electronic
Style: Downtempo, Synth-pop
CREDITS:
Executive-producer – John McClain
Producer – Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Written-By – J. Harris III-T. Lewis*
NOTES:
Produced for Flyte Tyme Productions, Inc.
Original version appears on the LP “CRASH”
VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
