So Alive (Love and Rockets song)

"So Alive" is a song by British alternative rock band Love and Rockets, released in 1989 as the second single from their self-titled fourth album. The song reached No. 1 in Canada and charted within the top 30 in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. In the US, it topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart for five weeks and was ranked No. 1 on that listing's year-end chart for 1989. The song's music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and produced by Pamela James.

Background
At a party one Saturday night, singer Daniel Ash saw a beautiful woman with long brown hair on the other side of a dark, shadowy room. He didn't go talk to her because he was married, but he was infatuated for the rest of the weekend. "It was like I'd known her in a different lifetime or something. It was just this thing that hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't stop thinking about her," he said.

On Monday, he took a bottle of whiskey into the basement of Blackwing Studios in London, and put together chords and lyrics about the woman in 45 minutes. His bandmates provided bass and drums. Inspired by "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, the band brought in female backing singers the next day, and finished the song in under 24 hours.

Critical reception
Billboard magazine described "So Alive" as "delectable" as well as the "best T. Rex tune that Marc Bolan never wrote." Ned Raggett of AllMusic wrote that the song was the only track on the album capable of receiving airplay and also noted the T. Rex similarities.

Chart performance
The single was Love and Rockets' biggest hit in the United States, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, where it stayed for five weeks, as well as achieving a peak of No. 9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It was the most successful modern rock song of 1989 in the United States, ranking in at No. 1 on the chart's year-end edition. The song peaked at No. 1 on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart for two weeks, finishing 1989 as Canada's sixth-best-performing single. "So Alive" also reached No. 79 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 24 on the Australian Singles Chart, and No. 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Track listings

 * UK, US, and Canadian 7-inch single
 * UK and Canadian 12-inch single
 * UK and US cassette single
 * A. "So Alive" – 4:18 (4:15 in North America)
 * B. "Dreamtime" – 8:42 (8:40 in North America)


 * UK CD single
 * 1) "So Alive" – 3:48
 * 2) "Dreamtime" – 8:42
 * 3) "Motorcycle" – 3:32
 * 4) "Bike" – 3:46


 * European and Australasian 7-inch single
 * A. "So Alive" – 4:15
 * B. "Bike" – 3:56 (3:46 in Australasia)


 * European and Australian 12-inch single
 * A1. "So Alive" – 4:15
 * B1. "Bike" – 3:56 (3:46 in Australia)
 * B2. "Dreamtime" – 8:40