Feel Me (Blancmange song)

"Feel Me"
Single by Blancmange
from the album Happy Families
B-side	"Feel Me (Instrumental)"
Released	23 July 1982 (1982-07-23)
Genre	Electro-funk[1] funk-pop[2] dance-pop[3]
Length	5:05
Label	London
Songwriter(s)	Neil Arthur Stephen Luscombe
Producer(s)	Mike Howlett
Blancmange singles chronology
"God's Kitchen" (1982) "Feel Me" (1982) "Living on the Ceiling" (1982)

"Feel Me" is a song by the English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released on 23 July 1982 as the second single from their debut studio album Happy Families (1982). It was written by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, and produced by Mike Howlett.[4] "Feel Me" reached No. 46 in the UK and remained on the charts for five weeks.[5]

Speaking to The Spill Magazine in 2018, Arthur recalled of the song's writing: "Stephen came in with a groove — my input was the words and the topline melody."[6]

Critical reception

Upon release, Billboard picked the single as a "recommended" single under the "Dance/Disco" category.[7] Keyboard wrote: "Much of Luscombe's work is sustained lines with muted tone colors, but on "Feel Me" he does a gutty synth bass figure."[8]

In a retrospective review of Happy Families (1982), Bill Cassel of AllMusic considered "Feel Me" as one of the album's highlights.[4] Ira Robbins of Trouser Press felt the song "suffer[s] from extreme monochromatic tediousness".[9] John Bergstrom of PopMatters stated: "The nervous "I Can't Explain", and twisted electro-funk love song "Feel Me" still sound taut and sharp, and Arthur and Luscombe never bettered them."[1] John Doran of The Quietus commented in a review of The Very Best of Blancmange (2012): "There is a marginally darker feel to other early singles with lurching, belligerent electronic funk pop evident on "Feel Me" and "I Can't Explain"."[2]

Track listing

7-inch single

1. "Feel Me" – 5:05
2. "Feel Me" (Instrumental) – 5:04

7-inch single (Philippines release)

1. "Feel Me" – 5:03
2. "God's Kitchen" – 2:51

12-inch single

1. "Feel Me (Extended Version)" – 7:03
2. "Feel Me (Instrumental)" – 5:08

Personnel

Blancmange

• Neil Arthur – lead vocals
• Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers

Additional personnel

• Madeline Bell, Stevie Lange – backing vocals
• David Rhodes – guitar
• Mike Howlett – producer
• Tim Young – mastering

Charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart[5]	46

References

1. "Blancmange: Happy Families / Mange Tout / Believe You Me". PopMatters. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
2. "Reviews | Blancmange". The Quietus. 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
3. Evans, Richard (August 6, 2024). "1982.2". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 359. ISBN 978-1-915841-45-2.
4. Bill Cassel. "Happy Families - Blancmange | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
5. "BLANCMANGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
6. Robert Defina. "Spill Feature: Finding His Ideal Home - A Conversation With Neil Arthur Of Near Future/Blancmange". The Spill Magazine. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
7. "Billboard - Google Books". 1982-12-11. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
8. "Keyboard - Google Books". 2010-05-25. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
9. Robbins, Ira A. (2007-01-04). The Trouser Press Record Guide - Ira A. Robbins - Google Books. Collier Books. ISBN 9780020363613. Retrieved 2018-10-20.

External links

• "Feel Me" at Discogs (list of releases)