Erasure - It Doesn't Have To Be (#TheCircus30)

Original release date: February 16th 1987 (UK)
UK Chart Peak: Number 12
US Club Play Chart Peak: Not released

Buy It Doesn't Have To Be here (Amazon GB)
Read my Erasure album anniversary posts here
Follow my #TheCircus30 project here

#TheCircus30:
While The Circus is widely and correctly credited as the album that catapulted Erasure into the big leagues, it is actually so much more than that. It demonstrated solid musical growth from their charming Wonderland album and set the architectural blue print for the bold pop and heartbreaking ballads that would come with The Innocents (and give them much greater success). The synthesised sound added to the danceability of the songs, while making the quieter moments more melancholy - giving you opportunity to appreciate what a phenomenal pairing Vince and Andy proved to be from the very beginning. When the album was initially released I wasn't quite at my record buying/pop chart interest phase so discovered The Circus in two ways - firstly by my older brother playing the album on a loop so that it naturally permeated my consciousness; then, when I fell hard for Erasure during The Innocents era; through tracking down previous releases to help fill my collection. #TheCircus30 is a celebration of the singles from the album with a look back at each one on the 30th anniversary of the date they were initially released...

It Doesn't Have To Be:
The second pre-cursor to Erasure's second album, The Circus, came a few weeks before the album release. It Doesn't Have To Be was not exactly a ballad, but was a more mid-tempo affair than Sometimes; a brave decision by the duo/record label to showcase the versatility of their musical abilities. It must have been a massive temptation to chose a track that was more stylistically in line with their mega hit but It Doesn't Have To Be was the right choice in order to promote the album to as broad an audience as possible (plus, as history would go on to prove, there were many more dance floor fillers to come in their repertoire). While the pages of Smash Hits magazine were filled with the likes of Nick Kamen and Ben Long Last Name from Curiosity Killed The Cat, Vince and Andy were still more likely to be written about in the columns of Melody Maker and Music Weekly - lending a certain aura of cool to their music. It is probably why I don't recall exactly when and where I was when I first heard the song; what I do know is that it is comes swathed in classic synth melody with an irrepressible hook that makes it a favourite to go to over the years. It is the kind of song that sneaks up on you rather than gets in your face from the get-go - and that meant it had (and still has) a certain charm to it.

Whilst most folk were comparing Erasure to Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, It Doesn't Have To Be still gave me hints of ABBA (much like Sometimes did), most likely because the Swedish superstars were the dominant soundtrack to my formative years. The lyrics, detailing apartheid in Africa (with a glorious middle 8 sung in Kiswahili), were akin with tracks like The Visitors. Andy's yearning vocals, lamenting the pointlessness and tragedy of division amongst equals were as electrifying and poignant in their own way as Anni-Frids on the aforementioned classic. It culminated with a chorus that shimmered like the most beautiful sunrise you have seen, a refrain that stayed in your brain long after the song had finished. And there is a certain sadness that the lyrics of the song are still relevant all these years later - yet a certain comfort that you can find escape and salvation in the words of this composition. It is the sweet and seductive nature of the music, plus the brand name recognition from Sometimes, that gave the boys their first top 30 debut. The song sashayed in at number 28 with just one week of sales under its belt.

There must have been a sigh of relief all round when the song fastidiously started climbing the charts. Week after week there was a little more buzz about the song as more and more people fell in love with it (helped, once again, by some splendid 12" remixes by Rico Conning and PWL's Phil Harding). This time round my brother had managed to nab the limited edition 12" with the Boop Oopa Doo mix on (meaning it was much easier for me to track down the regular release when I started seriously collecting the band's releases a year or so later). I loved the drum loops and pulsing groove of this particular remix and it became the version that got played most in my house. What I do recall is the duo performing the song on Top of The Pops and being slightly obsessed with how Andy Bell had his shirt sleeves rolled up. It only gave the song a small boost but kept it climbing to its eventual peak of number 12 (and, looking back, I think it only started descending the charts because the parent album was being heavily advertised and released the next week). Indeed, The Circus then debuted at number six and Erasure were a bonafide pop force to be reckoned with.

UK chart run ~ 28-20-17-15-12-19-29-50-60