Hysteria is the fourth album by the British synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 band The Human League

The Human League

The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

, released in May 1984. Following the worldwide success of their 1981 album Dare

Dare (album)

Dare is the third studio album from British synthpop band The Human League.The album was recorded between March and September 1981 and first released in the UK on 20 October 1981, then subsequently in the U.S...

, the band struggled to make a successful follow-up and the sessions for Hysteria were fraught with problems. The album name itself is taken from the problematic recording period.
Producers Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent

Martin Rushent was an English record producer, best known for his work with The Human League, The Stranglers and The Buzzcocks.- Early life :Rushent was born on 11 July 1948 in Enfield, Middlesex. His father was a car salesman...

 and Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas (record producer)

Chris Thomas is an English record producer who has worked extensively with The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Badfinger, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Pulp and The Pretenders. He has also produced breakthrough albums for The Sex Pistols and INXS.Thomas is quoted as saying -Early life:Thomas was...

 both left the project which would eventually be finished by producer Hugh Padgham

Hugh Padgham

Hugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....

.

By the time Hysteria was released, three years had passed since Dare and the album met with relatively lacklustre success in comparison to its multi-platinum predecessor. Three singles from the album made the top-twenty of 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 first single The Lebanon

The Lebanon (song)

"The Lebanon" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984. Originally an album track on Hysteria, it was released as a single in the UK and the U.S...

 was the only song to chart in the U.S., stalling at number sixty-four on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. The album peaked at number three in the UK, later being certified Gold.

In 2005, Hysteria was remastered and re-issued with B-sides

B-Sides

B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...

 and extended mixes as bonus tracks.

The song "Rock Me Again And Again And Again And Again And Again And Again" is a cover of a 1973 song by Lyn Collins

Lyn Collins

Lyn Collins was an African American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s. Contrary to some reports, she is not related to Bootsy Collins, nor Catfish Collins....

 and James Brown

James Brown

James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

. "I Love You Too Much" is a rerecorded version from the Fascination!

Fascination!

Fascination! is an EP released by British synthpop band The Human League in 1983. The EP was issued by Virgin Records as a stop-gap release in between the albums Dare! and Hysteria....

 EP and "Don't You Know I Want You" is a reworked version of the instrumental B Side Total Panic! that appeared on the (Keep Feeling) Fascination

(Keep Feeling) Fascination

" Fascination" is a dance song performed by British synthpop group The Human League. It was composed by Jo Callis and Philip Oakey....

 single.

Track listing

1. "I'm Coming Back" (Oakey, Wright)
2. "I Love You Too Much" (Burden, Callis, Wright)
3. "Rock Me Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again (Six Times)" (Austin, Brown)
4. "Louise
   Louise (song)
   "Louise" is a song by the British synthpop group The Human League. It was released as a single in the UK in October 1984 and peaked at number thirteen in the UK Singles Chart. It was written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey with fellow band members Jo Callis and Philip Adrian Wright...
   
   " (Callis, Oakey, Wright)
5. "The Lebanon
   The Lebanon (song)
   "The Lebanon" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey and keyboard player Jo Callis, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984. Originally an album track on Hysteria, it was released as a single in the UK and the U.S...
   
   " (Callis, Oakey)
6. "Betrayed" (Oakey, Wright)
7. "The Sign" (Burden, Callis, Oakey)
8. "So Hurt" (Burden, Callis)
9. "Life on Your Own
   Life on Your Own
   "Life on Your Own" is a song by the British Synthpop group The Human League. Written jointly by lead singer Philip Oakey, Keyboard players Jo Callis and Adrian Wright, it was recorded at Air studios between 1983-1984...
   
   " (Callis, Oakey, Wright)
10. "Don't You Know I Want You" (Burden, Callis, Oakey)

Additional Tracks

1. "Thirteen" (from "The Lebanon" 12-inch single, and 7" B-side)
2. "The World Tonight" (from "Life on Your Own" 12-inch single, and 7" B-side)
3. "The Lebanon" (extended version)
4. "Life on Your Own" (extended version)
5. "The Sign" (extended version)

Chart performance

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart	43
Dutch Albums Chart	16
German Albums Chart	44
New Zealand Albums Chart	9
Swedish Albums Chart	6
UK Albums Chart	3
U.S. Billboard 200	62