“Gentlemen Take Polaroids” by Japan

"Gentlemen Take Polaroids" gave Japan's 1980 album its title, and as a single that autumn it was the English new wave band's first release on Virgin and their first record to crack the UK chart, even if it stalled at 60. David Sylvian started it from a keyboard line and wrote the chorus, the vocal melody and the words; Richard Barbieri laid a keyboard melody on top, Steve Jansen drummed, and Mick Karn, of all things, played oboe. Guitarist Rob Dean recalled that they spent longer on it than on anything else for the album, and with John Punter producing it comes out cool, glossy and faintly aloof.

The flip side was Barbieri's instrumental "The Experience of Swimming", and a double-single edition added "The Width of a Room", the only Japan song Dean ever wrote, plus a version of "Burning Bridges" produced by Sylvian.

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