Released 8 July 1985 Recorded The Manor, 1984 Length 3:56 | Format 7" single, 12" single Genre New wave | |
B-side "Drift" (UK)
"Firegun" (US) | ||
"Secret" is a song by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released as a single from their 1985 album Crush. Paul Humphreys sings lead vocals on the track. It became their second US Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 63, and also made number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.
Contents
- Reception
- B sides
- Music video
- Live performances
- 7 Virgin VS 796 UK
- 12 Virgin VS 796 12 UK
- 7 AMVirgin AM 2794 US
- Cover versions
- References
The song was featured in the movie Arthur 2: On the Rocks and on its soundtrack album.
Reception
"Secret" received generally unfavourable contemporary reviews. On the other hand, Bill Merrill in the Altus Times noted the song's "smooth combination of airy vocals and catchy hooks", while Michigan Daily writer Beth Fertig called it "strong", "witty" and "playfully silly".
Retrospectively, Dave Thompson in AllMusic called "Secret" an "emotive love song buried in an over-produced behemoth of a backing". Conversely, Thompson's colleague Mike DeGagne lauded the track as one of OMD's best 1980s singles, noting its "adolescent innocence".
B-sides
The UK B-side "Drift" was an instrumental song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper. "Drift" has never been released on CD. The US B-Side "Firegun" is a vocal song credited to the whole band that was later released on their 2001 CD compilation Navigation: The OMD B-Sides. "Firegun" was released in the UK as the B-side to the band's successive single "La Femme Accident".
Music video
The video for "Secret", directed by Andy Morahan, shows various vintage black & white film clips, including footage of The Beatles, interspersed with new black & white footage of Humphreys and a woman processed to look like old home movies; additionally there are colour scenes of Humphreys singing. The theme is that a woman deserts her current love interest (McCluskey) to return to the arms of her true love (Humphreys). McCluskey's character observes the two lovers together and, though despondent, gallantly accepts that his love interest should instead be with Humphreys' character, before walking into the distance along the shore. The clip was filmed at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.
Live performances
The song was part of the setlist during the Crush tour in 1985 and 1986, although more recently has only been performed at gigs in the US. A video recording of a short concert held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in aid of Greenpeace on 26 October 1985 shows that Humphreys shared the lead vocal with Andy McCluskey.
7": Virgin / VS 796 (UK)
- "Secret" – 3:54
- "Drift" – 4:14
12": Virgin / VS 796-12 (UK)
- "Secret" (extended mix) – 6:14
- "Drift" – 4:14
7" A&M/Virgin / AM-2794 (US)
- "Secret" – 3:54
- "Firegun" – 4:36
Initial releases had a bonus disc with:
- "Red Frame/White Light"
- "I Betray My Friends"
Cover versions
A cover of the song by Laura Watling appeared on the 2001 compilation Pretending to See the Future: A Tribute to OMD.