" Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project the Normal, released in 1978. Grace Jones recorded a well-known cover of the song in 1980.
The Normal original
Overview
The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J. G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel
Crash, which had heavily influenced Daniel Miller.
Together with his college friend he had worked on a film script based on the book, but after the project was abandoned Miller decided to "write a song encapsulating the in 2 and a half minutes".
The song was recorded in Miller's apartment using two
Revox B-77 tape machines. A series of
were recorded on a
Korg 700S synthesizer.
Miller took the record to a few independent music shops, including Rough Trade in London, where it would be played to customers.
Legacy
The single was an early example of
industrial music and
synth-pop music, emerging on a wave of numerous electronic pop experiments of the late 1970s in the UK.
It has since been described as having "revolutionised electronic music with its punk aesthetic, stark sound and dark subject matter"
"Warm Leatherette" is considered to be a seminal track that influenced the emerging synth-pop of the 1980s
and has been covered by numerous artists,
including
Grace Jones and
Duran Duran, who performed it on a 2007 tour.
The song is featured in the 2020 American horror film
Antebellum.
Track listing
- A. "T.V.O.D." – 2:51
- B. "Warm Leatherette" – 3:20
- A. "Warm Leatherette" – 3:24
- B. "T.V.O.D." – 2:52
Grace Jones version
Grace Jones recorded "Warm Leatherette" for her 1980 album of the same name. The song was released as a promotional 12-inch single. In 1981, it served as the opening song of her A One Man Show tour.
Track listing
- A1. "Warm Leatherette" – 4:25
- A2. "Love Is the Drug" – 7:15
- B1. "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" – 3:50
- B2. "Bullshit" – 5:20
Chart performance
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United States (Dance Music/Club Play) | 20 |
