Harman Patil (Editor)

Blue Savannah

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Released
  
26 February 1990

Recorded
  
1989

Format
  
12", 7", cassette, CD

Length
  
4:23

B-side
  
"Runaround on the Underground", "No G.D.M."

Genre
  
Synthpop Freestyle (Der Deutsche mixes)

"Blue Savannah" is a song by Erasure which was issued as a single from the duo's fourth studio album Wild! in 1990. Mute Records released it in Europe as the album's third single, and Sire Records released it in the United States as the album's second single.

Contents

It is a classic Erasure synthpop song written by members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell. One of the band's signature songs, the duo still perform it regularly in concert. An uplifting love song, the instrumentation is crisp and heavily synthesized, accented with sweeping, programmed piano.

The music video shows Clarke and Bell performing the song in a large, white room, which gets painted blue as the video progresses. A blue hand holds a paint brush in view, and the camera follows the hand as it paints Clarke and a shirtless Bell until they both are completely blue. Eventually gold-colored leaves, similar to those featured on the Wild! album cover, blow in and cover the duo as they perform.

"Blue Savannah" became one of Erasure's most successful singles, peaking at number three on the UK singles chart. It also returned the band to the Top 20 in Germany, where the song hit number 13. The release of the single brought about the usual array of remixes and B-sides. Although several club mixes of "Blue Savannah" were issued commercially, the Shep Pettibone 'Out of the Blue' mix proved to be most popular in dance clubs. This remix, available only on promotional copies of the 12 inch single, was never officially released and fetches a premium from collectors on trading sites such as eBay. Compact disc versions of the promotional single which contain the 'Out of the Blue' remix are even rarer. In 2004, HiBias Records of Canada started their Retro:Active - Rare & Remixed CD series and the 'Out of the Blue' Mix received its first official release, on volume one. In 2016, the remix was included on the Erasure 30th-Anniversary anthology, "From Moscow To Mars" making its first-ever official release on an Erasure album. In Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, the song is often played at the end of music nights across the town as a finale.

"Blue Savannah" was the inspiration for the song "Escribeme en el Cielo" three years later by the Mexican group Sentidos Opuestos, which is strikingly similar in its instrumental arrangements and melody.

7" single (MUTE109) / Cassette Single (CMUTE109)

  1. "Blue Savannah"
  2. "Runaround on the Underground"

12" single (12MUTE109) / CD single (CDMUTE109)

  1. "Blue Savannah" (Mark Saunders Mix)
  2. "Runaround on the Underground"
  3. "No G.D.M."

Limited 12" single #1 (L12MUTE109)

  1. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix II)
  2. "No G.D.M." (Unfinished Mix)
  3. "Runaround on the Underground" (12" Mix)

Limited 12" single #2 (XL12MUTE109)

  1. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix II)
  2. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix I)

Limited CD single (LCDMUTE109)

  1. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix I)
  2. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix II)
  3. "Runaround on the Underground" (12" Mix)

U.S. CD maxi-single (21428-2)

  • Also released on 12" (Sire 21428-0) and cassette (Sire 21428-4), minus "Blue Savannah" (Single Version).
    1. "Blue Savannah" (Single Version)
    2. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix I)
    3. "Blue Savannah" (Der Deutsche Mix II)
    4. "Runaround on the Underground" (12" Mix)
    5. "Blue Savannah" (Mark Saunders Remix)
    6. "Supernature" (William Orbit's Mix)
    7. "No G.D.M." (Zeus B. Held Mix)

    U.S. cassette single (Sire 922721-4)

    1. Blue Savannah (7″ Edit)
    2. 91 Steps

    References

    Blue Savannah Wikipedia