"God's Kitchen" is a song by English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released in March 1982 as a double A-side with "I've Seen the Word". It was the lead single from the duo's debut studio album Happy Families (1982). "God's Kitchen" and "I've Seen the Word" was written by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, and produced by Mike Howlett.[2] The single reached No. 65 in the UK and remained on the charts for two weeks.[3]
| "God's Kitchen" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Blancmange | ||||
| from the album Happy Families | ||||
| A-side | "I've Seen the Word" (double A-side) | |||
| Released | March 1982 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:55 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Mike Howlett | |||
| Blancmange singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In a 2011 interview with Penny Black Music, Arthur considered the song to be "fairly bleak".[4] He recalled of the song to FutureMusic, "If I'd have only ever had one record with Blancmange, like 'God's Kitchen' then that would have sufficed. I remember hearing that track for the first time on Radio 1's Peter Powell Show and we drove across three lanes of the motorway we were so excited."[5]
Critical reception
editUpon release, Dave Rimmer of Smash Hits commented, "Well, this young synthesizer duo have looked for God in their kitchen. They've look for him in their room. They've look for him in their lampshade. They have hunted high and low for him. Pity they didn't take time out to find a good tune. Brill sleeve though."[6] In a retrospective review of Happy Families (1982), Bill Cassel of AllMusic considered "God's Kitchen" as one of the album's highlights.[2] Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War noted the song's "raunchy, dismembered sound" compared with the more "ballad-like" and "melodious" "I've Seen the Word".[7]
Track listing
edit7" single
- "I've Seen the Word" – 3:01
- "God's Kitchen" – 2:53
12" single
- "God's Kitchen" – 4:27
- "I've Seen the Word" – 3:01
Personnel
editBlancmange
- Neil Arthur – lead vocals
- Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers
Additional personnel
- David Rhodes – guitar
- Mike Howlett – producer
- Tim Young – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[3] | 65 |
References
edit- ^ Evans, Richard (August 6, 2024). "1982.2". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 358. ISBN 978-1-915841-45-2.
- ^ a b Bill Cassel. "Happy Families - Blancmange | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ a b "BLANCMANGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ "Blancmange - Interview". Pennyblackmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
- ^ Andrews, Jon (April 2011). "Interview: Blancmange". FutureMusic (238).
- ^ Rimmer, Dave (1 April 1982). "Singles". Smash Hits.
- ^ "Blancmange: Happy Families Deluxe Edition". Louder Than War. 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2019-06-13.
External links
edit- "God's Kitchen" at Discogs (list of releases)