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Nobody's Diary

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B-side
  
"State Farm"

Format
  
7", 12"

Genre
  
Synthpop

Released
  
9 May 1983

Recorded
  
1983

Length
  
4:31

"Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released in May 1983 as the first and only single from their second and last album, You and Me Both. The song was written by Yazoo vocalist Alison Moyet and produced by the band and Eric Radcliffe.

Contents

The 12-inch single was released with different B-sides in the UK and U.S. Mute Records released the song in the UK with "Situation" on the flip side. "Situation" appears on the U.S. version of the band's previous album Upstairs at Eric's (although it was added to the UK track list in later pressings). The single peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart.

Sire Records released "Nobody's Diary" in the United States with You and Me Both album track "State Farm" as a double A-side. "State Farm" was not included on the UK version of You and Me Both. The double A-side hit number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart in July 1983.

Production

The song was written by Alison Moyet, and produced by Daniel Miller and the group at Eric Radcliffe's Blackwing Studios. The song was mastered at Townhouse Studios.

The song has a tempo of 129 beats per minute.

Cover art

The single's cover—designed by Steven Appleby with the sleeve produced by Acrobat Design—depicts a "rather hip young man in a bathtub [who] seems to have forgotten to turn off the water, so intent is he on his private thoughts."

Reception

In 1985, the 12" single version was described by The Absolute Sound as "[typifying] all the neat features of 12 inch 45 rpm. The sound is glorious. [The song] is quite wonderful. The musical textures are fascinating. The sound is open, and the soundstage is huge. The bass is tight." In CMJ's 1999 New Music Report (coinciding with the release of the group's greatest hits compilation), "Nobody's Diary" was described as "[a] poignant offering, rife with emotional fervor that remains fresh and undated despite the limiting musical technology of the time."

Track listing

UK 7-inch vinyl (Mute YAZ 003)
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (3:58)
  2. "State Farm" (3:34)
UK 12-inch vinyl (Mute 12 YAZ 003)
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (6:07)
  2. "State Farm" (6:37)
UK 12-inch vinyl limited edition (Mute L12 YAZ 003)
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (4:30)
  2. "Situation" (Re-Recorded Remix) (7:30)
U.S. 12-inch vinyl (Sire 0-20121)
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (6:07)
  2. "State Farm" (6:37)

Nobody's Diary EP

"Nobody's Diary" was remastered as part of the 2008 In Your Room Yazoo box set and released as a separate EP to promote it. The 2008 release featured a slew of new remixes, including one by Vince Clarke's current Erasure partner Andy Bell.

"Nobody's Diary" was reissued by Mute Records in the UK on 12 May 2008. It is available in 12" vinyl and digital download formats. An exclusive remix of the song is available online directly through Mute's online shop.

Track listing

UK 12-inch vinyl EP (Mute 12YAZ7)
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (Andy Bell & JC Remix)
  2. "Nobody's Diary" (Original Remaster)
  3. "Nobody's Diary" (Koishii & Hush Remix)
UK digital download
  1. "Nobody's Diary" (Original Remaster)
  2. "Nobody's Diary" (Andy Bell & JC Remix)
  3. "Nobody's Diary" (Koishii & Hush Remix)
  4. "Nobody's Diary" (GRN's 12" Remix)
  5. "Nobody's Diary" (Soil in the Synth Remix)

References

Nobody's Diary Wikipedia
(Text) CC BY-SA