Album · Yaz
Upstairs at Eric’s by Yaz
Upstairs at Eric’s is an album by Yaz, released in 1982. 3 songs from it have charted on rock radio countdowns, with 48 countdown appearances in total. The biggest is “Only You”, on 20 lists with a best position of #24.
Upstairs at Eric's, the debut from Yaz (Yazoo back home in England), arrived on Mute on 20 August 1982, and it's the sound of two opposites colliding. Vince Clarke, fresh out of Depeche Mode, brought the chilly, clockwork synthesizers; Alison Moyet brought a huge, soulful voice that could melt the machines. The duo produced it with Eric Radcliffe, whose Blackwing Studios gave the album its name, and Mute boss Daniel Miller lent a hand on some tracks.
"Only You" is the aching ballad and "Don't Go" the stomping dancefloor charge, and both had been big UK hits before the album landed. In North America, "Situation" went out as the first single over the pair's objections, and a François Kevorkian remix of it went to number one on the club chart. It's an early synth-pop blueprint, and the house scene was taking notes.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Upstairs at Eric’s on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Only You | 20 | #24 | – | 1988–2026 | |
| 2 | Don't Go | 27 | #37 | – | 1988–2024 | |
| 3 | Midnight | 1 | #1721 | – | 2003 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.