I'm Your Money
| "I'm Your Money" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Heaven 17 | ||||
| B-side | "Are Everything" | |||
| Released | May 1981 | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | B.E.F. | |||
| Heaven 17 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I'm Your Money" is a song by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1981 by Virgin as a non-album single. The song was written by band members Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory, and produced by B.E.F. (Ware and Marsh).
Background
"I'm Your Money" was released as the band's second single in May 1981. Despite their debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" reaching number 45 in the UK Singles Chart earlier in the year, "I'm Your Money" failed to replicate the success and failed to chart,[1] although it did reach number 59 on the Record Business Top 100 Singles Chart.[2]
Speaking of the song's lyrics, Ware recalled to The Quietus in 2010, "I still think that's funny now. It's a very good analogy."[3]
Critical reception
Upon its release as a single, Peter Silverton of Smash Hits described "I'm Your Money" as sounding "just like Kraftwerk once sounded – conscious humour and all". He added that although it is "not as obviously funny" as the band's debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang", it is "stronger and harder".[4] Simon Tebbutt of Record Mirror was less enthusiastic, writing, "Seems like I'm one of the few not attracted to the cool sounds and automaton rhythms of Heaven 17. I prefer this to their last single but it all gets a bit relentless and monotonous really."[5]
During his time DJ-ing in the 2000s, Philip Oakey of The Human League would always include "I'm Your Money" in his set. He told This Is Not Retro in 2008 that he thought it is one of Heaven 17's "best and most interesting tracks".[6] In his 2009 book Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984, Simon Reynolds described the song as "brilliant" and noted that, like its predecessor "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang", it was "also something of a consciousness-raiser, transposing the language of business on to love and marriage à la Gang of Four's 'Contract'."[7]
Track listing
7–inch single (UK)[8]
- "I'm Your Money" – 3:26
- "Are Everything" (Pete Shelley) – 2:59
12–inch single (UK, 'Special fortified dance mixes!')[9]
- "I'm Your Money" – 5:42
- "Are Everything" – 4:25
Personnel
Heaven 17
- Glenn Gregory – vocals
- Martyn Ware – synthesizers, backing vocals
- Ian Craig Marsh – synthesizers
Additional musicians
- Huanita Rana Martinez – backing vocals
- Christopher Umfreville Wilkinson – backing vocals
- Kurt von Rauchitz – backing vocals
- Elzunia Kardasinska – backing vocals
- David Lockwood – acoustic guitar on "Are Everything"
Production
- B.E.F. – producers, engineers
- Denis Blackham – lacquer cut
Other
- Bob Last – sleeve design
- B.E.F. – sleeve design
- Virginia Turbett – photography
Charts
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Record Business Top 100 Singles Chart[2] | 59 |
References
- ^ The Best of Heaven 17 (UK CD album liner notes). Heaven 17. Virgin Records. 1992. VVIPD 118.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b "Singles Top 100" (PDF). Record Business. Vol. 4, no. 10. 25 May 1981. p. 6. Retrieved 7 April 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Doran, John (17 August 2010). "A dime in the hot slot: Heaven 17 interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Silverton, Peter (14 May 1981). "Reviews: Singles". Smash Hits. Vol. 3, no. 10. p. 35.
- ^ Tebbutt, Simon (16 May 1981). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804.
- ^ "Human League Interview". This Is Not Retro. August 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (2009). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571252275 – via Google Books.
- ^ I'm Your Money (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Heaven 17. Virgin Records. 1981. VS 417.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ I'm Your Money (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Heaven 17. Virgin Records. 1981. VS 41712.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)