“Chains of Love” by Erasure

"Chains of Love" comes from The Innocents, Erasure's third album, from 1988, and it's the English synth-pop duo at their sweetest and most sure-footed. Vince Clarke and Andy Bell wrote it, Mute released it in Britain as the second single from the album and ninth single of their career, and Sire made it the first single in America.

Stephen Hague produced it, with Bob Kraushaar engineering, and the sound is buoyant, glossy and warm: Clarke's synths bubbling along while Bell leaps into falsetto for a chorus that sticks on first hearing. Naomi Thompson and Caron Wheeler add the backing vocals, giving it a soulful lift. The single was remixed a little from the album cut; on the record it starts cold, while the radio version slips in with a short synth pattern first.

The video hoisted Clarke and Bell into the air on thick metal chains as they performed it, a visual pun on the title.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.