"More than This" is a song by the Englishrock bandRoxy Music. It was released in March 1982 as the first single from their eighth and final studio album,Avalon (1982). "More than This" was the group's last top-10 UK hit, peaking atNo. 6 on theUK Singles Chart, and also charted in the United States, reaching No. 58 on theBillboardRock Top Tracks chart.
The song was written by lead vocalistBryan Ferry, who has stated in interviews that he began writing the songs forAvalon while on the western coast ofIreland, which he believes contributed to the dark melancholy of the album.[9] "More than This" is somewhat unusual for apop song in that Ferry's lead vocals end 1 minute and 45 seconds before the song does, leaving the remainder as asynthesizer-driven instrumental outro.[10][11]
English singer-songwriterEmmie recorded a cover of the song and released it as a single on 11 January 1999.[30] Produced by Mark Hadfield and Adam Carter-Ryan, her version of the song peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart,[31] No. 25 on theIrish Singles Chart,[14] and No. 39 in theFlanders region of Belgium.[32] It ended 1999 at No. 153 on the UK year-end chart.[33]
Bill Murray's character Bob Harris performs akaraoke version of "More Than This" in the 2003Sofia Coppola filmLost in Translation.[34] This version is available as a hidden track at the end of the film'ssoundtrack album.[35]Sofia Coppola andBill Murray selected the song for inclusion during the filming of the movie.[36] As Tom Nicholson wrote inEmpire, "It's absolutely perfect. [Murray] makes for a weary, fragile kind of Bryan Ferry, thelounge lizard who's lost the ability to really connect. He takes a shot before his first line then barely opens his mouth to sing, either too exhausted or too numb to really let go."[37]
^Pitchfork Staff (24 August 2015)."The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s".Pitchfork. Retrieved18 October 2022.Pop songs are very rarely as lush and unabashedly romantic as "More Than This" ... "More Than This" is a high peak of the New Romantic moment of early 1980s UK pop...
