The Ballad of Go Go Brown

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"The Ballad of Go Go Brown"
Heaven17balladofgogobrown.jpg
Single by Heaven 17
from the album Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho
B-side"I Set You Free"
ReleasedAugust 1988[1]
GenreCountry, pop
Length3:43
LabelVirgin Records
Songwriter(s)Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware
Producer(s)Heaven 17
Heaven 17 singles chronology
"Trouble"
(1987) 		"The Ballad of Go Go Brown"
(1988) 		"Train of Love in Motion"
(1988)

"The Ballad of Go Go Brown" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1988 as the lead single from their fifth studio album Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho.[2] It was written and produced by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware.

"The Ballad of Go Go Brown" moved away from the trio's usual sound and instead featured guitars and country-influenced sound. It peaked at No. 91 in the UK, and spent two weeks on the chart.[3] It would prove to be the band's final Top 100 entry in the UK singles chart with new material (future entries were remixes of previous hits).[3]

No promotional video was created for the single. The band performed the song on the UK TV shows Get Fresh and The Garden Party.

Critical reception[]

Upon release, William Shaw of Smash Hits criticised the band for dropping their original electronic sound and "trying to pretend to be some ancient old "rhythm and blues" group". He said of the song: "This is a shockingly awful song. It's annoyingly nonsensical and it chugs along at such a relentlessly dismal pace."[4] Mica Paris, as guest reviewer for Number One said: "I think this is quite nice. Very country and western. I liked their older stuff a lot, but they've really moved away from that. This is OK but I couldn't handle too much of it."[5]

Aaron Badgley of AllMusic said: "Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho marked the first time that Heaven 17 highlighted guitar and real bass. Worth the price of the album, however, is the out of character country-tinged "The Ballad of Go Go Brown." Heaven 17 had never sounded like this before, and it demonstrated their versatility."[6]

Formats[]

7" single
  1. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown" - 3:43
  2. "I Set You Free" - 5:08
12" single
  1. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown (Extended Version)" - 4:37
  2. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown (7" Version)" - 3:43
  3. "The Ballad Of Go Go Brown (Version)" - 4:29
  4. "I Set You Free" - 5:08
CD single
  1. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown (Extended Version)" - 4:37
  2. "I Set You Free" - 5:09
  3. "The Ballad of Go Go Brown (7" Version)" - 3:43
  4. "Slow All Over" - 6:36

Chart performance[]

Chart (1988) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[3] 91

Personnel[]

Heaven 17
Additional personnel
  • Assorted Images - design and sleeve producer
  • Jean Pierre Masclet - photography

References[]

  1. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (2006-12-29). Rock Movers & Shakers - Dafydd Rees, Luke Crampton - Google Books. ISBN 9780874366617. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  2. ^ "Heaven 17 - Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Heaven 17 - Full Official Charts History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  4. ^ Shaw, William (10 August 1988). "Review: Singles". Smash Hits Magazine.
  5. ^ Paris, Mica (20 August 1988). "Singles". Number One Magazine.
  6. ^ Badgley, Aaron. "Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho - Heaven 17 : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
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