Electricity (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)

"Electricity" was the first song that Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys wrote together at the age of 16.[8] Inspired by Kraftwerk's "Radioactivity" McCluskey has said that the song is "just a faster, punkier version of "Radioactivity" with a chorus."[9]

After OMD's first concert, opening for Joy Division in a 1978 appearance at Eric's Club in Liverpool, McCluskey was inspired to send a demo of the song to Factory Records founder Tony Wilson. They later heard that while he was not impressed with it, his wife was, so he bought it from them and released it as a single. Its ensuing success led to them receiving a seven-album record deal worth £250,000.[10]

"Electricity" was a hit with veteran DJ John Peel, who gave the song regular play on his late-night radio show;[11][12] as a result, the British music press quickly picked up on the song.[12] Adrian Thrills in the New Musical Express cited it as "the best example of Factory Records to date – excellent, melodic, synthesiser pop." He also lauded B-side "Almost", calling it "a doleful, heartsick slab of electronic angst."[12] In a review of 1980 single "Enola Gay", Jonathan Green of The Canberra Times described both it and "Electricity" as a "super pop song".[13]

Conversely, Garry Bushell gave a negative review in Sounds, in which he remarked: "If Mike Oldfield was ten years younger and a Tubeway Army fan, this is what he'd sound like – who wants to listen to a bunch of Scousers whining about electricity anyway?"[12] However, David Hepworth, who re-appraised the track in the same publication, opined that OMD's sound "commands your attention" and lauded the single for being "packaged with as much taste as it's played."[12] "Electricity" featured on the NME end-of-year list for 1979.[14]

Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Ned Raggett described the song as "pure zeitgeist, a celebration of synth pop's incipient reign".[2] Dave Thompson called it a "perfect electro-pop number".[15]

Vince Clarke cited "Electricity" as the track that sparked his interest in electronic music. In a BBC interview he said: "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique."[16] Philip Oakey of the Human League called it a "brilliant single",[17] and Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr admitted to being "downright jealous" of the song.[18] BBC Radio's Steve Lamacq has named it as the track that made him want to become a DJ.[11] Musician Ian Devaney was inspired to form the band Nation of Language after hearing the song.[19]

"Electricity" has been covered by the bands NOFX[20] and MGMT.[21]

Multiple versions of "Electricity" exist; the earliest are recordings by McCluskey and Humphreys' previous group The Id.

There are many different versions of the two songs that were present on OMD's debut single. After the band left Factory Records, DinDisc attempted twice to score a hit with "Electricity". Consequently, four versions of "Electricity" and three of "Almost" exist.

Version I

• "Electricity" (3:36) and "Almost" (3:50) were originally recorded at Cargo Studios, Rochdale and produced by Martin Hannett under the moniker Martin Zero, to be released by Factory Records.

Version II

• The band felt Hannett had overproduced their songs somewhat, so they recorded new versions at Henry's Studio, Liverpool. These versions were produced by themselves and band manager Paul Collister under the moniker Chester Valentino.
• A compromise was reached for the versions used on the single. This first Factory single contains the band's version of "Electricity" (3:44) and the Hannett version of "Almost" (3:50).[22]
• Version II of "Almost" (3:43) remained unreleased until appearing on the 2001 compilation; Navigation: The OMD B-Sides.

Version III

• The album versions of "Electricity" (3:39) and "Almost" (3:44) differ from the previous versions, and were used for the third and final release of the single. "Electricity" was remixed from the original Hannett version. It's also the version used on the 1988 Best Of and the 1998 Singles collections and is the best-known version of the song. The album version of "Almost" is similarly a remix of Hannett's version.

Version IV ("Electricity" only)

• A fourth mix of "Electricity" (3:43) was produced by Mike Howlett. This version of "Electricity" was recorded during the Organisation sessions when the band fancied extending the instrumental section in the middle of the song. It was initially released on the Dindisc 1980 compilation album in 1980.[23] In 2003, it was released on CD as a bonus track on the re-issue of Organisation.

The Micronauts Remix

• A radical remix by dance music act The Micronauts was released in 1998 both as part of The OMD Remixes release and as part of the bonus disc of the special edition The OMD Singles (France only).

The sleeve was designed by Factory's designer Peter Saville. The band and Saville met in a Rochdale pub and exchanged ideas. Saville told them about a book of avant-garde musical scores which he'd come across. Andy McCluskey said that he sometimes wrote down the tunes he composed in a similar shorthand. This led to the unusual graphics that feature on the sleeve. Saville suggested to use shiny black ink on black paper. Neither OMD nor Tony Wilson believed it could be done, but Saville persuaded a printer to do the job. The thermographic printing was a success, but the place set on fire three times, so eventually only 5,000 sleeves were printed.[26] The reissue sleeves were standard white on black printed sleeves.

A special edition of the single was released on 27 September 2019 as part of the group's 40th anniversary celebrations. The A-side features the Hannett/Cargo Studios version of "Electricity", incorrectly listed as the Factory Records version, while the B-side has a new remix of "Almost" by Vince Clarke. The limited edition release is pressed on clear vinyl and the sleeve is an adaptation of the original Peter Saville design.[25] This version debuted on the UK Vinyl Singles Chart at No. 1.[7]

• Lyrics for "Electricity".
• Lyrics for "Almost".
• Download section of official OMD website with The Id version of "Electricity" and version II of "Almost".