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in: Songs, Songs played live, 1981,
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Joan of Arc

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Joan of Arc (McCluskey) is the title of an OMD song which first appeared as a single A side, released on 09 October 1981. It later featured on the third studio album Architecture & Morality, side two track one.

It is one of two songs written by Andy McCluskey about the French saint Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc, c.1412-1431) which feature as consecutive tracks on the album and were released as consecutive singles.

Evolution[]

McCluskey had originally started work on the 'Maid of Orleans' version of Joan of Arc but then abandoned it to concentrate on this version. In 2019 he had this to say about the writing of Joan of Arc:

“To give you an idea of how it worked [then], if you think of the song ‘Joan of Arc’, that started with me laying down 5 minutes of myself singing the note A and putting in an echo. Then another 5 minutes of me singing random harmonies around it.  Then I played glockenspiel randomly in A major, and then I put down a click [track].  Then I started to write a song over that [instrumental] bed track.I put down the bass and chords, and then I finally got a vocal and drums. And that’s how ‘Joan of Arc’ was created. ‘Joan of Arc’ would not have that same texture or atmosphere if I had not started from those completely abstract elements" (source) 

The lyrics are written from the point of a view of a person telling the tale of the death of Joan and his longing to get in touch with her and actually be with her. The first person plural is also used 'listen to us good...', '..everything we tell..'. Typically there is no chorus although the words 'without me' are repeated several times.

The song has a quiet solo choral solo voice (actually McCluskey's) fade-in and gradually builds up to a climax. the lyrics refer to 'a little Catholic girl' and the titular Joan is only mentioned once by name. There is also no 'hook' melody as had been the case with previous singles. The fade-out also features layers of solo choral voices.

McCluskey wrote Joan Of Arc on the 550th anniversary of her death (30 May 1981).[1]

The final version was produced by OMD & Richard Manwaring.

Release[]

Joan of Arc was the second single release prior to the Architecture & Morality album and was the follow-up to Souvenir, which had reached no.3 in September. It was first released on Dindisc both as 7" (DIN 36) and a 12" (DIN 36-12) singles. The two sleeves were of slightly different design but both featured statues of the saint and a dark red and white background colour scheme. The first 1,000 copies of the 12" were printed on a faux-antique textured card stock.

The group name is reduced to 'Orchestral Manoeuvres' on the sleeve and label logos.

The B side was another new track The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished). It is considered to be the same recording as the track of the same name without the 'Unfinished' annotation, which eventually appeared on the Dazzle Ships album.

The labels do not state any timings and the length of 7", 12" and album versions are considered to be identical. the release of a "12" version" on CD in 1985 gave a track timing of 3:51, around 5 secs. longer than the original.

Reception[]

The single entered the UK Top 40 at no.36 in the chart revealed on 20 October 1981 (only new singles by The Police and The Jam entered higher).[2] It then made weekly progress up to positions 21, 7 and 5 where it remained for two weeks before dropping down again. The single spent a total of eight weeks in the Top 40 and fourteen weeks in the Top 100.

No promo video was made for the single, although the group made TV performances to promote the song including Top of the Pops on 29 October 1981.

Legacy[]

Joan of Arc remains one of the group's best known songs, if perhaps slightly less famous than its successor, and has featured on all of their hits compilation albums.

The song has been regularly performed live since 1981 and features on several live albums (see below).

Availability[]

Version Available on Notes
Single/album version 3:48
"12" version" 3:51
Demo "rough mix"
live versions

Audio

Video

Organ mix by Mulu
  • The OMD Remixes
  • digital download [2]
Top of the Pops

29/10/1981 (video)

  1. ↑ recorded at Bonn Biskuithalle, 16.11.93, live broadcast courtesy of SWF3
  2. ↑ both erroneously labelled "Maid Orleans Afterhours mix", tracks are inverted.

See also[]

External links[]

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