For a Friend
| "For a Friend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Communards | ||||
| from the album Red | ||||
| B-side | "Victims (Live)" (7") | |||
| Released | 8 February 1988 (UK)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop, ballad | |||
| Length | 4:39 (CD single) | |||
| Label | London Records (UK) / Metronome (Germany) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Coles, Jimmy Somerville | |||
| Producer(s) | Stephen Hague | |||
| The Communards singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"For a Friend" is a single from the British synth-pop duo The Communards taken from their 1987 album Red.
The song is an emotional ballad and was written in the memory of Mark Ashton,[2] a friend of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles.[3] Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock writes that this cut may be Somerville's "most impassioned moment".[2] "For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts.[4]
In media
The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[5] In 2014, the song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Pride.[6] It was also one of the songs played at Burberry’s February 2018 show, presented on 17 February at the Dimco Buildings in West London, marking Christopher Bailey’s final outing for the brand.[7]
Track and format listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Victims (Live)" | 5:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | |
| 2. | "Victims (Live)" | |
| 3. | "Don't Leave Me This Way (Live)" | |
| 4. | "Heavens Above" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend (Remix)" | |
| 2. | "You Are My World (Live)" | |
| 3. | "So Cold The Night (Live)" | |
| 4. | "Victims (Live)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | |
| 2. | "Megamix" | |
| 3. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | |
| 4. | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | |
| 5. | "Disenchanted" | |
| 6. | "You Are My World" | |
| 7. | "Heaven Above" | |
| 8. | "You Are My World" |
Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[8] | 29 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 28 |
| West Germany (GfK)[11] | 35 |
Notes
- ^ "Index". Record Mirror. 6 February 1988. p. 2.
- ^ a b Hooper 2003, pp. 221–222.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Review: Red". AllMusic.
- ^ Warwick, Kutner & Brown 2004, p. 256.
- ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - the Communards - "For a friend"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ Brightmore, Dan (12 September 2014). "The Story Behind the Making of Pride – Producer and Cast Q&A". NME. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ^ Laura, Hawkins. "United Visual Artists lights up Christopher Bailey's final Burberry show". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ^ "The Communards - For A Friend" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Communards – For A Friend" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
References
- Hooper, Mark (2003). Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0. OL 9016361W.
- Kutner, Jon (28 October 2012). "For A Friend (Communards)".
- Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British charts: Singles & Albums. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5.
External links
- For a Friend at AllMusic
- "For a Friend" at MusicBrainz
- "For a Friend" at Discogs
- "Jimmy Somerville on TV-am in 1988" on YouTube
