Being Boiled

"Being Boiled" is the debut single by the British synth-pop band the Human League. Composed by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, with lyrics by Philip Oakey, it is regarded as a seminal work in early synth-pop.

"Being Boiled" was one of the first mainstream British singles to use entirely electronic instruments, and is strikingly different from and darker than the group's more well known songs.

It has been released several times since 1978, and was a UK top ten hit in 1982.

Background and composition
The song was influenced by Kraftwerk, German krautrock such as Can and Neu!, American funk bands Funkadelic and Parliament and the attitudes of punk placed in a different context.

It has a strong bassline, compared to Bootsy Collins. The lyrics, described as "bizarre" and "confused", combine a protest against silk farming with vague mention of oriental religion - ("Listen to the voice of Buddha/saying stop your sericulture"). In Japan, the sound of bells are referred to as "the voice of Buddha".

The song's music predates Philip Oakey's joining the band. The Future, a band comprising Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, had just parted company with singer Adi Newton, later of Clock DVA. Needing a new singer, they contacted former schoolmate Philip Oakey, giving him the music to listen to. Two days later he was back, having written the lyrics. "That was the first thing I heard Phil do," Marsh recalled, "and I immediately thought, 'You've definitely got the job.'"

The original version was recorded on a domestic tape recorder, in mono, in an abandoned factory, at a cost of £2.50.

Different versions
"Being Boiled" was first released as a single in 1978 on the Fast Product label. In 1987, this version was added as a bonus track to the CD edition of the band's debut album Reproduction.

The band recorded a new version as part of a session for the John Peel radio programme in the summer of 1978. The session was recorded 8 August 1978 and broadcast on 16 August. Among the four songs recorded, "Being Boiled" is the only one which has had an official release.

A totally re-recorded version of "Being Boiled" was included on the band's Holiday '80 EP, which reached number 56 in 1980 and number 46 in 1982. This version was also included on their 1980 Travelogue album, and is also available on the Original Remixes and Rarities compilation album (2005).

A stereo remix of the original mono Fast Product version was released as a single in August 1980 through EMI Records, failing to chart. This stereo remix was then reissued in January 1982, this time reaching Number 6 in the UK Charts, shortly after the band's commercial breakthrough with Dare and "Don't You Want Me". It was later included on their Greatest Hits anthology released in 1988. It has also been released on subsequent greatest hits albums.

Reception
The song received a mixed reception among established artists of the time. David Bowie declared it to be "the future of music", but former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon, reviewing the single for the New Musical Express, dismissed the band as "trendy hippies". Peter York in Harper's and Queen cited the cover as an example of "post-modern packaging".

The song has become an influence on several musicians. Gary Numan has named it one of his favourite songs. Andy McCluskey of OMD called it "a great piece of music".

Track lists
7" single (1978 Fast Product release)
 * 1) "Being Boiled" (original version)
 * 2) "Circus of Death" (original version)

Holiday '80 EP (Virgin Records release)
 * 1) "Being Boiled" (re-recorded version)
 * 2) "Marianne"
 * 3) "Dancevision"
 * 4) "Rock 'N' Roll"/"Nightclubbing" medley

1980 EMI release and 1982 EMI reissue
 * 1) "Being Boiled" (stereo remix of the original version)
 * 2) "Circus of Death" (stereo remix of the original version)