"Crush (1980 Me)" is the third single released by Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hayes from his debut studio album, Spin (2002). Written by Hayes and Robert Conley and produced by Greg Bieck, it was released on 19 August 2002 in Australia. The track is a homage to the 1980s, featuring a synthesized pop sound, vocoded vocals, and references stars of the period like Cyndi Lauper, Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, and the Eurythmics. The track's "Crush on Holiday" remix utilized samples of Madonna's 1983 breakthrough single "Holiday".
| "Crush (1980 Me)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
_-_Darren_Hayes.jpg) UK CD1 cover | ||||
| Single by Darren Hayes | ||||
| from the album Spin | ||||
| B-side | "Right Dead Back on It" | |||
| Released | 19 August 2002[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2001 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:01 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Greg Bieck | |||
| Darren Hayes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Crush" became a moderate success, hitting the top twenty of both Australia and the United Kingdom and also charted in Sweden. The song is regarded as a huge shift for Hayes in sound and shaped the form of what would be his next studio album The Tension and the Spark (2004).[3]
Critical reception
editCan't Stop the Pop gave the single a positive review writing, "On paper, Crush (1980 Me)’s lyrics read like an inventory of ‘80s references. Yet, although there’s little narrative structure to the verses, the way they’re organised is a masterful show of pop composition. It never feels like a checklist of trademarks being mindlessly reeled off. The vocals are gently infused with subtle distortion and overlapped so that they jump from ear to ear, leaving no gaps between each line. Darren Hayes may well be indulging in his own nostalgia, but the production puts the listener right there with him in the centre of an all-consuming wall of sound."[2]
Music video
editThe music video is set in the mid-1980s and features Hayes in an outdoor cinema playing Space Invaders. The clip introduces the names of people including Hayes, Corey, a guy who thinks he's cool, Cyndi, Corey's girlfriend who adores Hayes, and Martha, a shy girl on the counter. Outside the bar, there are many people break-dancing and skateboarding. A crowd are amazed with Hayes' performance on Space Invaders and he breaks a record by getting to the hundredth level. After the game, Hayes chooses Martha over Cyndi and both of them enjoy a movie in the evening as a shooting star ends the clip. It was directed by Grant Marshall.[4]
Track listings and formats
edit|
Australian CD single[5]
UK CD1 – Enhanced[6]
UK CD2[7]
|
European CD single[8]
European maxi-CD single – Enhanced[9]
|
Personnel
editTaken from the Spin booklet.[10]
- Darren Hayes – lead and background vocals
- Walter Afanasieff and Robert Conley – keyboards, bass, drum, and rhythm programming
- Robert Conley – programming and vocal engineering
- Nick Thomas – engineer
Charts
edit| Chart (2002–2003) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[1] | 19 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[11] | 71 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] | 55 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 19 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 19 August 2002 | CD single | [1] | |
| United Kingdom | 20 January 2003 | Columbia |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Darren Hayes – Crush (1980 Me)". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Darren Hayes – Crush (1980 Me - Can't Stop the Pop". Can't Stop the Pop. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
The chorus is packed with ludicrously uplifting hooks and delivers a giddy hit of sugary sweet bubblegum pop.
- ^ "Interview: Darren Hayes - Can't Stop The Pop". Can't Stop the Pop. 1 September 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Darren Hayes Black Out The Sun UK Single – Watch The New Video Now". Facebook. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ Crush (1980 Me) (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). Darren Hayes. Roadshow Music, Sony Music Australia. 2002. 300724-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Crush (1980 Me) (UK CD1 single liner notes). Darren Hayes. Columbia Records. 2002. 673490 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Crush (1980 Me) (UK CD2 single liner notes). Darren Hayes. Columbia Records. 2002. 673490 5.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Crush (1980 Me) (European CD single liner notes). Darren Hayes. Columbia Records. 2002. 673662 1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Crush (1980 Me) (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Darren Hayes. Columbia Records. 2003. 673662 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Spin (album liner notes). Darren Hayes. Columbia Records. 2002. 86250.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 21, no. 7. London, United Kingdom. 8 February 2003. p. 11.
- ^ "Darren Hayes – Crush (1980 Me)". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2024.