Forbidden City (Electronic song)
Encyclopedia
"Forbidden City" is a song by English
band Electronic
, comprising Bernard Sumner
and Johnny Marr
, with guesting co-writer Karl Bartos
of Kraftwerk
, released as the lead single from their second album Raise the Pressure
, and their first new release in almost exactly four years, the last being the stand-alone single "Disappointed
".
" and "Make It Happen
"). It is a guitar pop/rock song with a heavily distorted guitar solo by Marr; lyrically it is about a young man who has an abusive relationship with his father but wants to return home despite this antagonism.
release, "Forbidden City" was also issued in Australia
and Germany
on Compact Disc
, and in the USA
as a 1-track radio promo
. The commercial releases came with two non-album B-sides
: "Imitation of Life" (an edited version of which would appear on Get the Message - The Best of Electronic
ten years later) and "A New Religion", which featured Denise Johnson providing backing vocals. All three songs were written with Karl Bartos. The Australian CD omitted "A New Religion" in favour of "Getting Away with It
".
The song was not a huge hit (#14 on the UK Singles Chart
) but did receive substantial radio play in Britain. It remains one of Johnny Marr's favourite Electronic songs, and opened up the best of
in 2006, with stills from its Tom Merriton-directed video used for the front cover and inside the booklet.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band Electronic
Electronic (band)
-Albums:-Singles:-Music videos:-External links:* *...
, comprising Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
and Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
, with guesting co-writer Karl Bartos
Karl Bartos
Karl Bartos was, between 1975 and 1990, along with Wolfgang Flür, an electronic percussionist in the electronic-music group Kraftwerk. He was originally recruited to play on its US "Autobahn" tour...
of Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, released as the lead single from their second album Raise the Pressure
Raise the Pressure
Raise the Pressure is Electronic's second album, released in July 1996.-Recording:Seven of the thirteen tracks were composed by full-time members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner, and the other six co-written with former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos...
, and their first new release in almost exactly four years, the last being the stand-alone single "Disappointed
Disappointed
"Disappointed" was the fourth single by the English band Electronic. Like their first single "Getting Away with It" it featured Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys as well as founding members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner. It was released in June 1992 on Parlophone soon after the demise of Factory Records...
".
Composition
The track was one of the fastest to be written and recorded on the album, with most of the music by Marr and the lyrics by Sumner (much like "Get the MessageGet the Message (song)
"Get the Message" is a song by Electronic, the English band formed by Bernard Sumner of New Order and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.It was the second single from their 1991 debut album Electronic and was a commercial success around the world...
" and "Make It Happen
Make It Happen (Electronic song)
"Make It Happen" is a dance/rock song written and performed by the Bernard Sumner/Johnny Marr band Electronic. Produced by Electronic with Arthur Baker, it is the first track on their third album Twisted Tenderness....
"). It is a guitar pop/rock song with a heavily distorted guitar solo by Marr; lyrically it is about a young man who has an abusive relationship with his father but wants to return home despite this antagonism.
Single
As well as a UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
release, "Forbidden City" was also issued in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, and in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as a 1-track radio promo
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
. The commercial releases came with two non-album B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
: "Imitation of Life" (an edited version of which would appear on Get the Message - The Best of Electronic
Get the Message - The Best of Electronic
Get the Message is a compilation album by the Johnny Marr/Bernard Sumner band Electronic, released in September 2006 . It is the first career-spanning collection of the band; a 1999 Japanese compilation was cancelled just before release....
ten years later) and "A New Religion", which featured Denise Johnson providing backing vocals. All three songs were written with Karl Bartos. The Australian CD omitted "A New Religion" in favour of "Getting Away with It
Getting Away With It
"Getting Away with It" was the first single by the English band Electronic, which comprised Bernard Sumner of New Order, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and guesting vocalist Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. It was first released in 1989 ....
".
The song was not a huge hit (#14 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
) but did receive substantial radio play in Britain. It remains one of Johnny Marr's favourite Electronic songs, and opened up the best of
Get the Message - The Best of Electronic
Get the Message is a compilation album by the Johnny Marr/Bernard Sumner band Electronic, released in September 2006 . It is the first career-spanning collection of the band; a 1999 Japanese compilation was cancelled just before release....
in 2006, with stills from its Tom Merriton-directed video used for the front cover and inside the booklet.