Having topped the charts around the world withWelcome to the Pleasuredome and its accompanying singles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood took off toAmsterdam to record the follow-up album,Liverpool. Taking on a rockier edge, "Rage Hard" was the first single culled from the album.
In a 1986 interview, singer Holly Johnson was asked about the meaning of the song explaining, "Have you read the poem 'Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night' byDylan Thomas? It was kind of inspired by that. It's an incantation against death and lethargy, and it's supposed to encourage lots of creative idealism in the listener."[2] He added toSounds, "It's saying: don't die quietly, resist the greyness surrounding us at the moment."[3]
Not only was it the first Frankie single to be featured on CD single, it was also the first single to not feature a cassette release—new rules limited the number of items that could count towards the official charts, following the earlier ZTT excesses. "Rage Hard" eventually reached number four on theUK Singles Chart and number one inWest Germany for two weeks, number five in Switzerland, number seven in the Netherlands, number 12 in Austria, number 19 in Sweden and number 32 in France.
Upon its release,Neil Spencer ofSounds called "Rage Hard" "great", "huge", "catchy" and "superbly understated", although "scarcely credible". He also noted the 12-inch version "boasts an array of spot-on fun witticisms".[4] Ro Newton ofSmash Hits compared the single unfavorably with their previous releases as, "watered-down and without the guts. The over all effect is a bit limp and very disappointing."[5] In the US,Billboard praised the band's performance calling "the matured Frankie socks out weight art-rock best suited to AOR/ alternative radio."[6]
The original B-side is an odd composition entitled "(Don't Lose What's Left) Of Your Little Mind". It was released in two versions—a 4-minute mix and a 6-minute mix—and featuredHolly Johnson and Brian Nash imitatingCount von Count ("Ha ha ha/I am the Count") from the children's TV showSesame Street. This was complemented by sampled burps and belches over a backing track.
For the 12-inch single to "Rage Hard" were covers ofDavid Bowie's "Suffragette City", stylized as "SuffRAGEtte City" to fit in with the "Rage Hard" promotion and the second cover song wasthe Doors' "Roadhouse Blues." A shorter version features on the CD single.
"(Don't Lose What's Left) Of Your Little Mind" – 6:15
"['always note the sequencer...']" – 0:22
An edit (10:05) of track 1 is also known as "Young Person's Guide into the 12-inch".
This 12-inch was also released with a 12"x24" poster (12 ZTAQ 22), limited to 20,000 copies.
Also released on German CD (Island / 658 434).
12-inch: ZTT / 12 ZTAX 22 United Kingdom
"Rage Hard" (broad mix) – 8:36
"Roadhouse Blues" – 4:03
"(Don't Lose What's Left) Of Your Little Mind" – 6:15
"['always note the sequencer...']" – 0:22
Sleeve featuring the yellow fist.
This release also came in a limited edition cardboard box which was designed to contain the complete set of "Rage Hard" UK releases. The front of the box lists the relevant catalogue numbers of the intended contents, minus the "Stamped" mix 7-inch single which is not listed. The box, called "The Total" had a sticker which made it clear that only 12 ZTAX 22 was included. It is still not established whether any box sets with their intended contents were ever officially released or indeed sold by record stores, but it's highly likely that some stores sold a complete set on request, if not officially.
The "Broad" mix is also known as "Rage Hard ⊕⊕".
Track 2 is labelled as "Broadhouse Blues" on the sleeve.
Track 3 is labelled as "(Don'tLoose What's Left) Of Your Little Mind" on the front sleeve.
A version of the song appeared as a B-side of "The Power of Love" reissue (FGTH 3), entitled the "original DJ mix". This version is the original 7-inch mix from 1986, but with the first chorus removed. Instead, the first verse and second verse are jointed together. This release can also be found on a large centre hole 7-inch disc with the label details stamped into the naked vinyl, as opposed to a paper or printed label.
