No One Is to Blame
Encyclopedia
"No One Is to Blame" is a song by British
new wave
musician Howard Jones
. The song, in its original version, can be found on Jones's second studio album, Dream Into Action
, which was released in 1985. Following the success of the previous singles taken from the album, the original track for "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded to give the song a more radio-friendly sound. Phil Collins
produced the re-recording, adding his own backing vocals and drum work. The radio remix of the song was included on Jones' 1986 studio album, One to One
.
"No One Is to Blame" was released as a single in March 1986 and became Jones' biggest hit single in the United States
, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song also became the first of his two #1 songs on the U.S. adult contemporary chart
("Everlasting Love
" would top this chart three years later, in 1989). The song was also a top 10 hit in Australia
and a #16 hit in the U.K.
.
The song is about unfulfilled attractions, saying that these are normal and commonplace ("We want everyone - no one is to blame"). It uses a number of metaphors, such as "You can look at the menu, but you just can't eat" and "It's the last piece of the puzzle, but you just can't make it fit," to describe the frustration of experiencing attraction but being unable to act on it, for whatever reason.
12”
The Long Mix is a piano and vocal-only version of the song recorded in session for the BBC Radio 1
Janice Long
show.
Katrina Carlson
recorded a cover version
, on which Jones contributed piano and backing vocals. Carlson’s version, which is taken from her album Here and Now, reached #20 on the US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
Emile Millar covered the song for the soundtrack of Waitress
in 2007.
United 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...
new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musician Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
. The song, in its original version, can be found on Jones's second studio album, Dream Into Action
Dream into Action
Dream into Action is the second album by British pop musician Howard Jones. It was released in March 1985 and reached No.2 in the UK Album Charts...
, which was released in 1985. Following the success of the previous singles taken from the album, the original track for "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded to give the song a more radio-friendly sound. Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
produced the re-recording, adding his own backing vocals and drum work. The radio remix of the song was included on Jones' 1986 studio album, One to One
One to One (Howard Jones album)
One to One is the third album by British pop musician Howard Jones, released in October 1986. The CD release also contains the single version of "No One Is to Blame" with Phil Collins on backing vocals and drums...
.
"No One Is to Blame" was released as a single in March 1986 and became Jones' biggest hit single in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, peaking at #4 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 song also became the first of his two #1 songs on the U.S. adult contemporary chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
("Everlasting Love
Everlasting Love (Howard Jones song)
"Everlasting Love" is the title of a popular song originally written and recorded by the British singer-songwriter Howard Jones.Released as the first single from Jones' 1989 album Cross That Line, "Everlasting Love" reached #12 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the late spring...
" would top this chart three years later, in 1989). The song was also a top 10 hit in Australia
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
and a #16 hit in the U.K.
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 ...
.
The song is about unfulfilled attractions, saying that these are normal and commonplace ("We want everyone - no one is to blame"). It uses a number of metaphors, such as "You can look at the menu, but you just can't eat" and "It's the last piece of the puzzle, but you just can't make it fit," to describe the frustration of experiencing attraction but being unable to act on it, for whatever reason.
Track list
7”- ”No One Is to Blame” – 4:14
- ”The Chase” – 2:53
12”
- ”No One Is to Blame (Extended Mix)” – 5:16
- ”The Chase” – 2:53
- ”No One Is to Blame (The Long Mix)” – 3:07
The Long Mix is a piano and vocal-only version of the song recorded in session for the BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...
show.
Other versions
- Played by Jones on grand piano accompanied only by a percussionist, the song appeared on the 1996 album “Live Acoustic AmericaLive Acoustic AmericaLive Acoustic America is an acoustic live recording of classic Howard Jones songs, released in 1996.-Track listing:#"Intro/Pearl in the Shell" - 3:44#"Don't Always Look At The Rain" - 2:56#"Fallin' Away" - 4:25#"Exodus/Come Together" - 5:29...
”. - An entirely re-recorded version featuring the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra was included on Jones’ 2000 studio album ”Perform.00” (released the following year in the US as “Perform.01”).
Cover versions
In 2007, American singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Katrina Carlson
Katrina Carlson
Katrina Carlson is an American singer-songwriter and actress.-Early life:Carlson was born and grew up in Paradise Valley, Arizona, the youngest of 11 children. By the age of 13, she was playing both piano and guitar, and composing songs...
recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
, on which Jones contributed piano and backing vocals. Carlson’s version, which is taken from her album Here and Now, reached #20 on the US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.
Emile Millar covered the song for the soundtrack of Waitress
Waitress (film)
Waitress is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, who also appears in a supporting role. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and went into limited theatrical release in the US on May 2, 2007.-Plot:...
in 2007.
External links
- Billboard.com for US artist chart history
- Chartstats.com for UK artist chart history
- Here And Now at cdbaby.com
- Katrina Carlson at Billboard.com