| "Liberation" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPet Shop Boys | ||||
| from the albumVery | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 5 April 1994 (1994-04-05) | |||
| Length | 4:05 | |||
| Label | Parlophone | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Pet Shop Boys | |||
| Pet Shop Boys singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Liberation" onYouTube | ||||
"Liberation" is a song by Englishsynth-pop duoPet Shop Boys, released on 5 April 1994 byParlophone as the fourth single from their fifth studio album,Very (1993). It peaked at number 14 on theUK Singles Chart, making it the lowest-charting single fromVery in the United Kingdom.[1] Its accompanying music video was directed byHoward Greenhalgh usingcomputer-generated imagery.
"Liberation" is a love song on the theme of "live for today". The melody was written byNeil Tennant and was inspired by the opening notes of the piano piece "Friar Laurence" fromProkofiev'sRomeo and Juliet.J.J. Belle played guitar on the track, andAnne Dudley wrote and conducted an orchestra arrangement.[2]
The single was released on CD, cassette, and 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl formats. The B-side, "Decadence", featuredJohnny Marr on guitar andFrank Ricotti on percussion andvibraphone, with a string arrangement byRichard Niles.[2] Additional bonus tracks included remixes of the album track "Young Offender" byJam & Spoon and of "Liberation" byE Smoove andMurk.
A live version of "Liberation" is onDiscovery: Live in Rio 1994 (1995), re-released on DVD and CD in 2021.[3] "Decadence" was included on the re-releaseVery: Further Listening: 1992–1994 and the B-sides compilationAlternative.
The cover art used computer-generated forms from the music video, created by rotating the duo's profiles 360 degrees to form solid objects that appear to be spinning.Chris Lowe's image is orange (pictured), and Tennant's is blue. The back covers used offset text boxes in orange or blue to create an impression of motion, while the remix covers used close-ups of the heads.[4]
The portraits are reminiscent ofRenato Bertelli's "Continuous profile of Mussolini" (1933), a ceramic bust with the profile rotated in a similar manner.[4][5]
In his weekly UK chart commentary,James Masterton wrote, "The single makes a strong showing, not least due to the fact that the gorgeousballad is one of the best tracks from thealbum. What gives it an extra boost is the innovating virtual reality video, currently touring the country in a roadshow whereby punters can climb into a booth and experience the state of the art computer graphics at first hand. Even the standard2D version is a wonder to behold, whatever happens to the single it is surely a candidate for video of the year."[6]Sarra Manning fromMelody Maker felt it's "a bit limp and lifeless after the oomphing crescendoes of 'Go West' and 'Can You Forgive Her?' Still, it's harmless enough in aChianti-grooved,falsetto kind of way."[7]
Alan Jones fromMusic Week gave the song a score of four out of five and named it Pick of the Week, saying, "Sleek and sophisticated in its original mix, expensive strings underscoreNeil Tennant's typically mournful vocals. [...] The fourth hit from the PSBs albumVery, and a big one."[8] Johnny Cigarettes ofNME wrote, "This single will witness few embarrassing tongue cavortings around youth club discos, because apart from a particularly divine chord change in the bridge, this is simply too laid-back and Sunday afternoon snooze-ish to reach the intended heart strings. The tune's hardly a gasser either."[9] Mark Sutherland fromSmash Hits also gave it four out of five, writing, "This is not the Pettoes at the absolute pinnacle of their powers, but 'Liberation' still has more than enough going for it to merit mass swooning. [...] This is a touchingly tender tinkle through an achingly sad song, with Neil's vocals at their very wispiest, so may I suggest a smart top hat and tails, in day-glo lilac with matching feather dusters. The song's absolutely marvellous, by the way."[10] Jonathan Bernstein fromSpin remarked its "sigh of surrender".[11]
The music video for "Liberation", directed by British directorHoward Greenhalgh, is almost entirelyCG, an early example of exclusively CG output. The only live-action footage the video features is Neil Tennant's face, seen singing on gold circles. Other features in the video are reminiscent of the duo, including several disembodied heads and figures all wearing tall pointy caps (like those seen in the video for "Can You Forgive Her?") and animated versions of the 3D renderings of the duo's silhouettes that were also used on the single covers. The video was used as part ofCyberWorld, an early 3D cinema demonstration, onIMAX screens across the UK and elsewhere in 2000 and 2001.[4][12]
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Credits adapted from the liner notes forVery: Further Listening 1992–1994[2] and "Liberation".[13]
Pet Shop Boys
Additional musicians
Technical personnel
Artwork
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 5 April 1994 |
| Parlophone | [34] |
| 25 April 1994 | 2×12-inch vinyl | [35] | ||
| Australia | 16 May 1994 |
| [36] | |
| 30 May 1994 | CD2 | [37] |
