Two Tribes: Difference between revisions

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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2011}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name      = Two Tribes
| name      = Two Tribes
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| recorded  =
| recorded  =
| studio    =
| studio    =
* Producer's Workshop ([[Fulham]])
* [[Sarm West]] (London)
| venue      =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Hi-NRG]]<ref>{{cite web|first= Paul |last= Lester |author-link= Paul Lester |url= http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=486 |title= Revolutions per minute – The Power of Love |website= [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |publisher= [[ZTT Records|ZTT]] |access-date= 31 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="80s disco">{{cite web|website=[[Evening Standard]]|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/box-of-sin-album-gay-1980s-highenergy-disco-b1109604.html|title=Only one kind of music makes clubbers dress up like this|last=Flynn|first=Paul|date=28 September 2023}}</ref><ref name=wapo/>|[[disco]]<ref name="80s disco"/><ref name=wapo>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title='Pleasuredome': Little Pleasure|date=3 November 1984|last=Brown|first=Joe|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1984/11/04/pleasuredome-little-pleasure/a7542692-128d-4162-9ee9-3f1970493c3f/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=[[The New York Times]]|title=THE POPLIFE; FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD|date=14 November 1984|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/14/arts/the-poplife-frankie-goes-to-hollywood.html}}</ref>|[[synth-pop]]<ref name="Weisbard & Marks 1995">{{cite book|editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |year=1995 |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=155}}</ref><ref name= "Marsh 1989">{{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5t5DYDniSHEC|date=1989|publisher=[[Plume (publisher)|Plume]]|isbn=0-452-26305-0|page=450}}</ref>}}
| genre      = {{hlist|[[New pop]]<ref name="Now That's What I Call New Pop!">Harvel, Jess. [http://pitchfork.com/features/article/6139-now-thats-what-i-call-new-pop/?page=3 "Now That's What I Call New Pop!".] ''[[Pitchfork Media]]''. 12 September 2005.</ref>|[[Hi-NRG]]<ref>{{cite web|first= Paul |last= Lester |author-link= Paul Lester |url= http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=486 |title= Revolutions per minute – The Power of Love |website= [[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |publisher= [[ZTT Records|ZTT]] |access-date= 31 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="80s disco">{{cite web|website=[[Evening Standard]]|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/box-of-sin-album-gay-1980s-highenergy-disco-b1109604.html|title=Only one kind of music makes clubbers dress up like this|last=Flynn|first=Paul|date=28 September 2023}}</ref><ref name=wapo/>|[[disco]]<ref name="80s disco"/><ref name=wapo>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|title='Pleasuredome': Little Pleasure|date=3 November 1984|last=Brown|first=Joe|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1984/11/04/pleasuredome-little-pleasure/a7542692-128d-4162-9ee9-3f1970493c3f/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|website=[[The New York Times]]|title=THE POPLIFE; FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD|date=14 November 1984|last=Pareles|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Pareles|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/14/arts/the-poplife-frankie-goes-to-hollywood.html}}</ref>|[[synth-pop]]<ref name="Weisbard & Marks 1995">{{cite book|editor1-last=Weisbard |editor1-first=Eric |editor1-link=Eric Weisbard |editor2-last=Marks |editor2-first=Craig |year=1995 |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide |publisher=[[Vintage Books]] |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=155}}</ref><ref name= "Marsh 1989">{{cite book|first=Dave|last=Marsh|title=The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5t5DYDniSHEC|date=1989|publisher=[[Plume (publisher)|Plume]]|isbn=0-452-26305-0|page=450}}</ref>}}
| length    = 3:56 <br> 3:23 (edit)
| length    = 3:56 <br> 3:23 (edit)
| label      = [[ZTT Records|ZTT]] {{small|(ZTAS 3)}}
| label      = [[ZTT Records|ZTT]] {{small|(ZTAS 3)}}
| writer    = {{hlist|[[Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)|Peter Gill]]|[[Holly Johnson]]|[[Mark O'Toole (musician)|Mark O'Toole]]}}
| writer    = {{hlist|[[Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)|Peter Gill]]|[[Holly Johnson]]|[[Mark O'Toole (musician)|Mark O'Toole]]}}
| producer  = [[Trevor Horn]]
| producer  = [[Trevor Horn]]
| prev_title = [[Relax (song)|Relax]]
| prev_title = [[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|Relax]]
| prev_year  = 1983
| prev_year  = 1983
| next_title = [[The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|The Power of Love]]
| next_title = [[The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|The Power of Love]]
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"'''Two Tribes'''" is an [[anti-war song]] by British band [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]], released in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] by [[ZTT Records]] on 4 June 1984.<ref name="ChartArchive.org">{{cite news|url=http://scans.chartarchive.org/UK/1984/24%20-%2016%20Jun%20Record%20Mirror%20Singles.jpg|title=Record Mirror|date=16 June 1984}}</ref> The song was later included on the album ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]''. Presenting a [[Nihilism|nihilistic]], gleeful lyric expressing enthusiasm for [[nuclear war]], it juxtaposes a relentless pounding bass line and guitar riff inspired by American funk and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] pop with influences of Russian classical music, in an opulent arrangement produced by [[Trevor Horn]].
"'''Two Tribes'''" is an [[anti-war song]] by British band [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]], released in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] by [[ZTT Records]] on 4 June 1984.<ref name="ChartArchive.org">{{cite news|url=http://scans.chartarchive.org/UK/1984/24%20-%2016%20Jun%20Record%20Mirror%20Singles.jpg|title=Record Mirror|date=16 June 1984}}</ref> The song was later included on the album ''[[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]''. Presenting a [[Nihilism|nihilistic]], gleeful lyric expressing enthusiasm for [[nuclear war]], it juxtaposes a relentless pounding bass line and guitar riff inspired by American funk and [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] pop with influences of Russian classical music, in an opulent arrangement produced by [[Trevor Horn]].


The single was a phenomenal success in the UK, helped by a wide range of [[remix]]es and supported by an advertising campaign depicting the band as members of the [[Red Army]]. It entered the [[UK Singles Chart]] at number one on 10 June 1984, where it stayed for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group's previous single "[[Relax (song)|Relax]]" climbed back up the charts to number two.<ref name="www.number-ones.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://www.number-ones.co.uk/Frankie-Goes-To-Hollywood-number-ones/Two-Tribes.html|publisher=number-ones.co.uk
The single was a phenomenal success in the UK, helped by a wide range of [[remix]]es and supported by an advertising campaign depicting the band as members of the [[Red Army]]. It entered the [[UK Singles Chart]] at number one on 10 June 1984, where it stayed for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group's previous single "[[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|Relax]]" climbed back up the charts to number two.<ref name="www.number-ones.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://www.number-ones.co.uk/Frankie-Goes-To-Hollywood-number-ones/Two-Tribes.html|publisher=number-ones.co.uk
|title=Number-Ones.co.uk|date=2014}}</ref><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
|title=Number-Ones.co.uk|date=2014}}</ref><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| first= David
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==Music==
==Music==
A version of "Two Tribes" was originally recorded for a [[BBC Radio 1|BBC]] [[John Peel]] session in October 1982. The session version makes clear that the basic structure of the song, including its signature bass-line, percussion arrangement and idiosyncratic introductory and middle eight sections, were already intact prior to any involvement from ZTT or eventual producer [[Trevor Horn]].
A version of "Two Tribes" was originally recorded for a [[BBC Radio 1|BBC]] [[John Peel]] session in October 1982. The basic structure of the song, including its signature bass-line, percussion arrangement and idiosyncratic introductory and middle eight sections, were already intact prior to any involvement from ZTT or eventual producer [[Trevor Horn]].{{citation needed|date=June 2025}} Further work was conducted at Producer's Workshop in [[Fulham]], which [[Stephen Lipson]] selected as a cheaper alternative to [[Sarm Studios]], where Frankie Goes Hollywood recorded their song "[[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|Relax]]". Horn identified "Two Tribes" as the band's next single due to its bassline despite reservations from Lipson, who was not impressed with the demo and thought that "there wasn't much to the song." The band recorded their parts, which was not deemed satisfactory, so Horn, Lipson, [[J.J. Jeczalik]], and [[Andy Richards]] redid the parts themselves. From those sessions, Lipson's guitar was the only instrument retained in the final mix.<ref name="Buskin">{{cite magazine |last=Buskin |first=Richard |title=Classic Tracks: Frankie Goes To Hollywood 'Relax' |magazine=Sound on Sound |date=April 2008 |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-frankie-goes-hollywood-relax |access-date=20 June 2025}}</ref>


{{Listen|filename=Two Tribes Peel Sessions 1982.ogg
{{Listen|filename=Two Tribes Peel Sessions 1982.ogg
|title="Two Tribes" (John Peel session)|description=An excerpt from the original [[John Peel]] session recording (1982).}}
|title="Two Tribes" (John Peel session)|description=An excerpt from the original [[John Peel]] session recording (1982).}}


Johnson also noted: "There's {{sic}} two elements in the music – an American funk line and a Russian line. It's the most obvious demonstration of two tribes that we have today."<ref name="Smash Hits, 26 April 1984">{{cite news|url=http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=55|publisher=Smash Hits
After their time at Producer's Workshop, the four moved back to Sarm Studios to further develop the song. A considerable amount of attention was placed on the bass part, particularly with the articulation of each note. In an adjacent studio, [[Clive Langer]] and [[Alan Winstanley]] were in the process of mixing an album, which they temporarily left to work on a different record. By the time Langer and Winstanley returned back to Sarm Studios, the bass part was still receiving adjustments. The final programmed bass pattern included a note that dropped down an [[octave]] whereas the original lacked this element.<ref name="Buskin"/>
|title=The War Game|date=26 April 1984}}</ref> To accentuate the musical tension, Horn arranged the 'Russian' segments as a dramatic string arrangement. The driving funk/rock rhythm section was played on synthesisers.
 
[[Holly Johnson]] noted that there were "two elements in the music – an American funk line and a Russian line. It's the most obvious demonstration of two tribes that we have today."<ref name="Smash Hits, 26 April 1984">{{cite news|url=http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=55|publisher=Smash Hits
|title=The War Game|date=26 April 1984}}</ref> Lipson programmed some parts on a [[Synclavier]], including the drum break at the end of the first chorus. He recalled that Horn "thought it was the weirdest fill he'd ever heard — a jazz fill in the middle of a pop song. However, I told him I thought it was great, so he went along with it, although begrudgingly, and that was indicative of how we worked together." The [[LinnDrum]] programming was added by Horn late into the song's production.<ref name="Buskin"/>


==Title and lyrics==
==Title and lyrics==
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2026}}
The single was released at a time when the [[Cold War]] had [[Cold War (1979–85)|intensified]] and fears about global [[nuclear warfare]] were at a peak. Although Johnson would attest in a 1984 radio interview that the "two tribes" of the song potentially represented any pair of warring adversaries (giving the examples of "[[cowboy]]s and [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] or [[James T. Kirk|Captain Kirk]] and [[Klingon]]s"), the line "On the air America/I modelled shirts by Van Heusen" is a clear reference to then [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]. Reagan had advertised for [[Phillips Van Heusen]] in 1953 (briefly reviving the association in the early 1980s). The title of his first film had been ''[[Love Is on the Air]]''.
The single was released at a time when the [[Cold War]] had [[Cold War (1979–85)|intensified]] and fears about global [[nuclear warfare]] were at a peak. Although Johnson would attest in a 1984 radio interview that the "two tribes" of the song potentially represented any pair of warring adversaries (giving the examples of "[[cowboy]]s and [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] or [[James T. Kirk|Captain Kirk]] and [[Klingon]]s"), the line "On the air America/I modelled shirts by Van Heusen" is a clear reference to then [[President of the United States|US President]] [[Ronald Reagan]]. Reagan had advertised for [[Phillips Van Heusen]] in 1953 (briefly reviving the association in the early 1980s). The title of his first film had been ''[[Love Is on the Air]]''.


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American magazine ''[[Cash Box]]'' called it "a more scintillating anti-war track than ["[[The War Song]]"]", saying it is "both an effective dance cut and a piece of modern art."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-10-20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814200503/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-10-20.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-14 |url-status=live|date=October 20, 1984|accessdate=2022-07-26|page=9}}</ref> Richard Harris from ''[[New Musical Express|NME]]'' wrote, {{"'}}Two Tribes' is a fine example of why over-production is a musical virtue, not least when it ceases to be a pop song and tries to [[disco]]-ise [[Tchaikovsky]]."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Richard|last=Harris|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53008798379/|title=Long Play|magazine=[[New Musical Express|NME]]|date=30 October 1993|page=28|access-date=5 July 2023}}</ref>
American magazine ''[[Cash Box]]'' called it "a more scintillating anti-war track than ["[[The War Song]]"]", saying it is "both an effective dance cut and a piece of modern art."<ref name=cb>{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-10-20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814200503/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-10-20.pdf |archive-date=2020-08-14 |url-status=live|date=October 20, 1984|accessdate=2022-07-26|page=9}}</ref> Richard Harris from ''[[New Musical Express|NME]]'' wrote, {{"'}}Two Tribes' is a fine example of why over-production is a musical virtue, not least when it ceases to be a pop song and tries to [[disco]]-ise [[Tchaikovsky]]."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Richard|last=Harris|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/nothingelseon/53008798379/|title=Long Play|magazine=[[New Musical Express|NME]]|date=30 October 1993|page=28|access-date=5 July 2023}}</ref>


==Promotion==
==Release==
ZTT aggressively marketed the single in terms of its topical political angle, promoting it with images of the group wearing American military garb in combat, as well as [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-style army uniforms set against an American urban backdrop.
[[ZTT Records|ZTT]] released "Two Tribes" on 4 June 1984, with the 7-inch single including "One February Friday" as its B-side.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2 June 1984 |title=New Singles |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-06-02.pdf |access-date=12 April 2026 |magazine=[[Music Week]] |page=14 |via=World Radio History}}</ref> "One February Friday" was an interview between Morley and the group's three musicians, [[Mark O'Toole (musician)|Mark O'Toole]], [[Brian Nash (musician)|Brian Nash]] and [[Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)|Peter Gill]], over an otherwise untitled instrumental track. A similar track had been included on the B-side of "[[Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|Relax]]", with the title "One September Monday". The principal B-side to the original 12-inch single was a cover version of "[[War (Edwin Starr song)|War]]", which became the subject of an extended remix (subtitled "Hidden") on the single's third UK 12-inch release, where it was promoted as a [[double A-side]] with "Carnage".{{citation needed|date=April 2026}}
 
ZTT aggressively marketed the single in terms of its political angle, promoting it with images of the group wearing American military garb in combat, as well as [[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-style army uniforms set against an American urban backdrop. The UK [[cassette single]] featured a cut-together combination of "Surrender", "Carnage" and "Annihilation", plus Reagan snippets and interview sections not included on any other release.{{citation needed|date=April 2026}}
 
The original cover art featured a Soviet mural of [[Vladimir Lenin]] in St Petersburg, and images of Reagan and then-[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|UK Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]]. The sleeve notes, attributed to ZTT's [[Paul Morley]], dispassionately reported details of the relative nuclear arsenals of each [[superpower]].{{citation needed|date=April 2026}}


The original cover art featured a Soviet mural of [[Vladimir Lenin]] in St Petersburg, and images of Reagan and then-[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|UK Prime Minister]] [[Margaret Thatcher]]. The sleeve notes, attributed to ZTT's [[Paul Morley]], dispassionately reported details of the relative nuclear arsenals of each [[superpower]].
==Videos==
The [[Godley & Creme]]-directed video depicted a wrestling match between then-US President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Konstantin Chernenko]], then Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in front of group members and an assembly of representatives from the world's nations. The match eventually degenerates into global destruction. Certain violent moments ("Reagan" is seen, for example, biting "Chernenko's" ear) were edited from the version shown on [[MTV]].
 
A longer version of the video (based on the "Hibakusha" mix) included an introductory, heavily [[Film editing|edited]] monologue by [[Richard Nixon]] taken from an ad from his 1960 US Presidential campaign ("No&nbsp;... firm diplomacy&nbsp;... No&nbsp;... peace for America and the world"), plus similar contributions from other world leaders, including [[Lord Beaverbrook]], [[Yasser Arafat]] and [[John F. Kennedy]]. The complete soundtrack to the extended video was eventually released as "Two Tribes (Video Destructo)" on the German version of the ''[[Twelve Inches]]'' compilation. A third version of the video, included on the band's ''From An Wasteland to an Artificial Paradise'' VHS, retains the introduction, but omits most of the inserted clips in the main wrestling sequence.


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
Credits sourced from ''Sound on Sound''.<ref name="Buskin">{{cite magazine |last=Buskin |first=Richard |title=Classic Tracks: Frankie Goes To Hollywood 'Relax' |magazine=Sound on Sound |date=April 2008 |url=https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/classic-tracks-frankie-goes-hollywood-relax}}</ref>
Credits sourced from ''Sound on Sound''.<ref name="Buskin"/>


'''Frankie Goes to Hollywood'''
'''Frankie Goes to Hollywood'''
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Since 1984, "Two Tribes" has been re-issued several times, generally involving third-party remixes bearing little relation to the original releases in terms of either structure or character.
Since 1984, "Two Tribes" has been re-issued several times, generally involving third-party remixes bearing little relation to the original releases in terms of either structure or character.


==B-sides==
The 7-inch featured "One February Friday", an interview between Morley and the group's three musicians, [[Mark O'Toole (musician)|Mark O'Toole]], [[Brian Nash (musician)|Brian Nash]] and [[Peter Gill (FGTH drummer)|Peter Gill]], over an otherwise untitled instrumental track. A similar track had been included on the B-side of "[[Relax (song)|Relax]]", with the title "One September Monday".
The principal B-side to the original 12-inch single was a cover version of "[[War (Edwin Starr song)|War]]", which became the subject of an extended remix (subtitled "Hidden") on the single's third UK 12-inch release, where it was promoted as a [[double A-side]] with "Carnage".
The UK [[cassette single]] featured a cut-together combination of "Surrender", "Carnage" and "Annihilation", plus Reagan snippets and interview sections not included on any other release.
==Videos==
The [[Godley & Creme]]-directed video depicted a wrestling match between then-US President [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[Konstantin Chernenko]], then Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in front of group members and an assembly of representatives from the world's nations. The match eventually degenerates into global destruction. Certain violent moments ("Reagan" is seen, for example, biting "Chernenko's" ear) were edited from the version shown on [[MTV]].
A longer version of the video (based on the "Hibakusha" mix) included an introductory, heavily [[Film editing|edited]] monologue by [[Richard Nixon]] taken from an ad from his 1960 US Presidential campaign ("No&nbsp;... firm diplomacy&nbsp;... No&nbsp;... peace for America and the world"), plus similar contributions from other world leaders, including [[Lord Beaverbrook]], [[Yasser Arafat]] and [[John F. Kennedy]]. The complete soundtrack to the extended video was eventually released as "Two Tribes (Video Destructo)" on the German version of the ''[[Twelve Inches]]'' compilation. A third version of the video, included on the band's ''From An Wasteland to an Artificial Paradise'' VHS, retains the introduction, but omits most of the inserted clips in the main wrestling sequence.


==Charts==
==Charts==
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|-
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|1|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Two Tribes|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Flanders|1|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Two Tribes|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|Canada (''[[The Record (magazine)|The Record]]'')<ref>{{cite book|author=Nanda Lwin|author-link=Nanda Lwin|title=Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide|publisher=Music Data Canada|year=1999|isbn=1-896594-13-1}}</ref>
| 17
|-
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|9|chartid=8529|rowheader=true}}
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|9|chartid=8529|rowheader=true}}
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| 20
| 20
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1984|title=Jaaroverzichten 1984|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref>
!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1984|title=Jaaroverzichten 1984|publisher=Ultratop|access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref>
| 2
| 2
|-
|-
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| 14
| 14
|-
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Selling Singles of 1984|website=Official NZ Music Charts.com. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited|url= https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1984-12-31|access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>
!scope="row"|New Zealand (RIANZ)<ref>{{cite web|title=Top Selling Singles of 1984|website=Official NZ Music Charts.com. Recorded Music New Zealand Limited|url= https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-singles/1984-12-31|access-date=31 December 2016}}</ref>
| 12
| 12
|-
|-
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| 4
| 4
|-
|-
!scope="row"|US Dance Club Songs (''Billboard'')<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top Dance Songs of 1984|url=https://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=year&year=1984&tab=dancesongchartstab&sort=pointsup&filter=all|access-date=17 July 2020|website=www.musicvf.com}}</ref>  
!scope="row"|US Hot Dance/Disco (''Billboard'')<ref>{{Cite web|title=Top Dance Songs of 1984|url=https://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=year&year=1984&tab=dancesongchartstab&sort=pointsup&filter=all|access-date=17 July 2020|website=www.musicvf.com}}</ref>  
| 34
| 34
|-
|-
!scope="row"|West Germany (Official German Charts)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1984|title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts|language=German|work=[[GfK Entertainment]]|publisher=offiziellecharts.de|access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>
!scope="row"|West Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1984|title=Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1984|language=de|publisher=[[GfK Entertainment]]|access-date=26 February 2022}}</ref>
| 10
| 10
|}
|}
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{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Two Tribes|award=Platinum|certyear=1984|relyear=1984|id=7837-1960-1|salesamount=1,580,000|salesref=<ref name="guardian nov2012"/>|access-date=29 November 2019}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|title=Two Tribes|award=Platinum|certyear=1984|relyear=1984|id=7837-1960-1|salesamount=1,580,000|salesref=<ref name="guardian nov2012"/>|access-date=29 November 2019}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}
==Track listing==
All discographical information pertains to the original UK single release only.
* "Two Tribes" written by Gill/Johnson/O'Toole
* "War" written by [[Barrett Strong|Strong]]/[[Norman Whitfield|Whitfield]]
* "One February Friday" credited to Gill/Johnson/Morley/Nash/O'Toole/[[Paul Rutherford (singer)|Paul Rutherford]]
'''7": ZTT / ZTAS 3 United Kingdom:'''
{{track listing
| title1        = Two Tribes
| length1        = 3:57
| title2        = One February Friday"
| length2        = 4:55
}}
The A-side mix is commonly referred as "Cowboys and Indians" to avoid confusion with other mixes, as ZTT commonly gives the sides on singles separate names. Thus, "One February Friday" is sometimes subtitled as either "Doctors and Nurses" (as per the regular 7") or "Only Bullets Can Stop Them Now" (as per the picture disc B-side label).
'''7" (picture disc): ZTT / P ZTAS 3 United Kingdom:'''
{{track listing
| title1        = Two Tribes
| length1        = 4:10
| title2        = One February Friday
| length2        = 4:55
}}
The A-side is an alternative mix to the regular 7" (subtitled "We Don't Want To Die" on the B-side label). A common theory within many fans is that "We Don't Want To Die" is essentially "Surrender" with vocals.
Also issued as a regular 7" in Canada.<!-- "Rumours" require citation: It is rumoured to have been also issued in Australia in a generic sleeve, but that has the regular 7" mix. -->
'''12": ZTT / 12 ZTAS 3 United Kingdom:'''
# "Two Tribes" (Annihilation) – 9:08
# "War" (Hide Yourself) – 4:12
# "One February Friday" (12" edit) – 1:46
# "Two Tribes" (Surrender) – 3:46
# ["The Last Voice"] (unlisted) – 1:14
'''12": Island Records - ZTT Records (0-96931 - Special 12" Single - United States) / X-14065 Australia:'''
# "Two Tribes" (Extended Version) – 9:10
# "War" (Hide Yourself) – 4:12
# "Two Tribes" – 4:11
# "One February Friday"  4:57
"Extended Version" is the same as "Annihilation".
"Two Tribes" on the B-side is the 7" picture disc mix.
'''12": ZTT / 12 XZTAS 3 United Kingdom:'''
# "Two Tribes" (Carnage) – 7:54
# "War" (Hide Yourself) – 4:12
# "One February Friday" (12" edit) – 1:46
# "Two Tribes" (Surrender) – 3:46
# ["The Last Voice"] (unlisted) – 1:14
'''12": ZTT / WARTZ 3 United Kingdom:'''
# "War" (Hidden) – 8:33
# "Two Tribes" (Carnage) 7:54
# "One February Friday" (12" edit) – 1:46
'''12": ZTT / X ZIP 1 United Kingdom:'''
# "Two Tribes" ([[Hibakusha]]) – 6:38
# "War" (Hide Yourself) – 4:12
# "One February Friday" (12" edit) – 1:46
# "Two Tribes" (Surrender) – 3:46
# ["The Last Voice"] [Edited] (unlisted) – 0:35
'''12": ZTT / XZTAS 3DJ United Kingdom:'''
# Two Tribes (Carnage) – 7:56
# Relax (New York Mix) – 7:23
"New York Mix" was mislabeled as "U.S mix".
'''MC: ZTT / CTIS 103 United Kingdom:'''
# "[On The Subject of Frankie Goes to Hollywood]" – 0:23
# "One February Friday (part 1)" – 0:38
# "Two Tribes" (Keep The Peace) – 15:17
# "One February Friday (part 2)" – 1:08
# "War" (Somewhere Between Hiding And Hidden) {{resize|[identical to "War" (Hide Yourself)]}} – 4:12
# "One February Friday (part 3)" – 0:21
# "[War Is Peace]" – 0:05
"Keep The Peace" is a combination of Surrender, Carnage and Annihilation.
The mixes on this cassette single reissued on vinyl for Record Store Day 2022 as Side B of 'Altered Reels' – The cassette single of "Relax" was reissued on Side A.
'''2014 digital download #1: Two Tribes:'''
# "Two Tribes" (Annihilation 7") – 3:56
# "Two Tribes" (Carnage 7") – 4:12
# "Two Tribes" (Annihilation) – 9:09
# "Two Tribes" (Carnage) – 7:54
# "Two Tribes" (Hibakusha) – 6:37
# "Two Tribes" (Hibakush-ah!) – 6:59
# "One February Friday" – 4:57
# "The Last Voice" – 1:14
"Hibakush-ah!" is an early version of "Hibakusha".
'''2014 digital download #2: War (Hidden):'''
# "War!" (Hidden) – 8:33
# "War!" (Hide yourself!) – 4:14
# "One February Friday" (12" Edit) – 1:45
# "Two Tribes" (Surrender) – 3:44
# "War!" (..And Hide) {{resize|[identical to the album version]}} – 6:13
# "War!" (Coming out of Hiding) – 3:17


==References==
==References==
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{{Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{Jon Stevens}}
{{Jon Stevens}}
{{Music about nuclear war}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles]]
[[Category:Frankie Goes to Hollywood songs]]
[[Category:Frankie Goes to Hollywood songs]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Godley and Creme]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Godley & Creme]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in Germany]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand]]
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[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]]
[[Category:ZTT Records singles]]
[[Category:ZTT Records singles]]
[[Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles]]

Latest revision as of 21:30, 7 June 2026

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"Two Tribes" is an anti-war song by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, released in the UK by ZTT Records on 4 June 1984.[1] The song was later included on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. Presenting a nihilistic, gleeful lyric expressing enthusiasm for nuclear war, it juxtaposes a relentless pounding bass line and guitar riff inspired by American funk and R&B pop with influences of Russian classical music, in an opulent arrangement produced by Trevor Horn.

The single was a phenomenal success in the UK, helped by a wide range of remixes and supported by an advertising campaign depicting the band as members of the Red Army. It entered the UK Singles Chart at number one on 10 June 1984, where it stayed for nine consecutive weeks, during which time the group's previous single "Relax" climbed back up the charts to number two.[2][3] It was the longest-running number-one single in the UK of the 1980s. It has sold 1.58 million copies in the UK as of November 2012,[4] being in the Top 30 best-selling singles in the UK as of 2022.[5]

Songwriters Johnson, Gill and O'Toole received the 1984 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.[6] In 2015 the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 14th-favourite 1980s number one in a poll for ITV.[7]

Music

A version of "Two Tribes" was originally recorded for a BBC John Peel session in October 1982. The basic structure of the song, including its signature bass-line, percussion arrangement and idiosyncratic introductory and middle eight sections, were already intact prior to any involvement from ZTT or eventual producer Trevor Horn.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Further work was conducted at Producer's Workshop in Fulham, which Stephen Lipson selected as a cheaper alternative to Sarm Studios, where Frankie Goes Hollywood recorded their song "Relax". Horn identified "Two Tribes" as the band's next single due to its bassline despite reservations from Lipson, who was not impressed with the demo and thought that "there wasn't much to the song." The band recorded their parts, which was not deemed satisfactory, so Horn, Lipson, J.J. Jeczalik, and Andy Richards redid the parts themselves. From those sessions, Lipson's guitar was the only instrument retained in the final mix.[8]

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After their time at Producer's Workshop, the four moved back to Sarm Studios to further develop the song. A considerable amount of attention was placed on the bass part, particularly with the articulation of each note. In an adjacent studio, Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley were in the process of mixing an album, which they temporarily left to work on a different record. By the time Langer and Winstanley returned back to Sarm Studios, the bass part was still receiving adjustments. The final programmed bass pattern included a note that dropped down an octave whereas the original lacked this element.[8]

Holly Johnson noted that there were "two elements in the music – an American funk line and a Russian line. It's the most obvious demonstration of two tribes that we have today."[9] Lipson programmed some parts on a Synclavier, including the drum break at the end of the first chorus. He recalled that Horn "thought it was the weirdest fill he'd ever heard — a jazz fill in the middle of a pop song. However, I told him I thought it was great, so he went along with it, although begrudgingly, and that was indicative of how we worked together." The LinnDrum programming was added by Horn late into the song's production.[8]

Title and lyrics

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". The single was released at a time when the Cold War had intensified and fears about global nuclear warfare were at a peak. Although Johnson would attest in a 1984 radio interview that the "two tribes" of the song potentially represented any pair of warring adversaries (giving the examples of "cowboys and Indians or Captain Kirk and Klingons"), the line "On the air America/I modelled shirts by Van Heusen" is a clear reference to then US President Ronald Reagan. Reagan had advertised for Phillips Van Heusen in 1953 (briefly reviving the association in the early 1980s). The title of his first film had been Love Is on the Air.

The lyric "working for the black gas" is, according to Johnson, "About oil surpassing gold. How you might as well be paid in petrol."[10] And the line "Are we living in a land where sex and horror are the new gods?" was inspired by the 1959 British film Cover Girl Killer. Johnson explained, "The TV was on in the background while I was doing me ironing and suddenly this character came out with that statement."[10] (The actual dialogue, which occurs at about 48 minutes 24 seconds into the film, is "Surely sex and horror are the new gods in this polluted world of so-called entertainment?")

The track featured snippets of narration from actor Patrick Allen, recreating his narration from the British Protect and Survive public information films about how to survive a nuclear war. (The original Protect and Survive soundtracks were sampled for the 7-inch mixes.)

The 12-inch A- and B-sides featured voice parts by British actor Chris Barrie imitating Ronald Reagan. Barrie also voiced the Reagan puppet on Spitting Image. Barrie's parts as 'Reagan' included praise for the band, as well as parts of Adolf Hitler's speech to a court after the Beer Hall Putsch: "You may pronounce us guilty a thousand times over, but the Goddess of the Eternal Court of History will smile and tear to tatters the brief of the State Prosecutor and the sentence of this court, for She acquits us." Barrie also voiced the last sentence of "History Will Absolve Me" (Spanish: "La historia me absolverá") which is the concluding sentence and subsequent title of a four-hour speech made by Fidel Castro on 16 October 1953. Castro made the speech in his own defense in court against the charges brought against him after leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks on 26 July 1953. Barrie would return for the band's next single, "The Power of Love", imitating Mike Read in a parody of the DJ's ban on their previous single, "Relax".

The song's title derives from the line "two mighty warrior tribes went to war" from the film Mad Max 2 (the line is also spoken by Holly Johnson at the beginning of the session version).[11]

Critical reception

American magazine Cash Box called it "a more scintillating anti-war track than ["The War Song"]", saying it is "both an effective dance cut and a piece of modern art."[12] Richard Harris from NME wrote, "'Two Tribes' is a fine example of why over-production is a musical virtue, not least when it ceases to be a pop song and tries to disco-ise Tchaikovsky."[13]

Release

ZTT released "Two Tribes" on 4 June 1984, with the 7-inch single including "One February Friday" as its B-side.[14] "One February Friday" was an interview between Morley and the group's three musicians, Mark O'Toole, Brian Nash and Peter Gill, over an otherwise untitled instrumental track. A similar track had been included on the B-side of "Relax", with the title "One September Monday". The principal B-side to the original 12-inch single was a cover version of "War", which became the subject of an extended remix (subtitled "Hidden") on the single's third UK 12-inch release, where it was promoted as a double A-side with "Carnage".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

ZTT aggressively marketed the single in terms of its political angle, promoting it with images of the group wearing American military garb in combat, as well as Soviet-style army uniforms set against an American urban backdrop. The UK cassette single featured a cut-together combination of "Surrender", "Carnage" and "Annihilation", plus Reagan snippets and interview sections not included on any other release.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The original cover art featured a Soviet mural of Vladimir Lenin in St Petersburg, and images of Reagan and then-UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The sleeve notes, attributed to ZTT's Paul Morley, dispassionately reported details of the relative nuclear arsenals of each superpower.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Videos

The Godley & Creme-directed video depicted a wrestling match between then-US President Ronald Reagan and Konstantin Chernenko, then Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in front of group members and an assembly of representatives from the world's nations. The match eventually degenerates into global destruction. Certain violent moments ("Reagan" is seen, for example, biting "Chernenko's" ear) were edited from the version shown on MTV.

A longer version of the video (based on the "Hibakusha" mix) included an introductory, heavily edited monologue by Richard Nixon taken from an ad from his 1960 US Presidential campaign ("No ... firm diplomacy ... No ... peace for America and the world"), plus similar contributions from other world leaders, including Lord Beaverbrook, Yasser Arafat and John F. Kennedy. The complete soundtrack to the extended video was eventually released as "Two Tribes (Video Destructo)" on the German version of the Twelve Inches compilation. A third version of the video, included on the band's From An Wasteland to an Artificial Paradise VHS, retains the introduction, but omits most of the inserted clips in the main wrestling sequence.

Personnel

Credits sourced from Sound on Sound.[8]

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Other musicians

Original 1984 mixes

The song appeared in the form of six mixes, including "Annihilation", "Carnage", "Hibakusha", "Cowboys and Indians", "We Don't Want to Die" and "For the Victims of Ravishment".

The first 12-inch mix ("Annihilation") started with an air-raid siren, and included advice from Allen about how to tag and dispose of family members should they die in the fallout shelter (taken from the public information film Casualties). This version appeared on CD editions of the album. "Annihilation" was the basis for the "Hibakusha" mix, which was originally released in a limited edition, Japanese-only version of the 1985 album Bang!. Hibakusha is the Japanese word for survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"For the Victims of Ravishment" appeared on the LP and cassette editions of the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome. It is the shortest version, at 3:27 minutes. This mix derived from the "Carnage" mix, which prominently featured strings as well as vocal samples from Allen and the group's B-side interview.

Since 1984, "Two Tribes" has been re-issued several times, generally involving third-party remixes bearing little relation to the original releases in terms of either structure or character.


Charts

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Certifications

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Lister, David, Pop ballads bite back in lyrical fashion, The Independent, 28 May 1994
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b No 1 magazine, 4 August 1984 http://www.zttaat.com/article.php?title=181
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  17. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8529." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Two Tribes". Irish Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Frankie Goes To Hollywood".
  27. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink". Nederlandse Top 40 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  28. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  29. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes". Top 40 Singles.
  30. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes". VG-lista.
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes". Singles Top 100.
  34. ↑ "Script error: No such module "WLink".&titel=Script error: No such module "WLink".&cat=s Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes". Swiss Singles Chart.
  35. ↑ "Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "WLink"./chart-history/HSI "Frankie Goes to Hollywood Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "WLink"./chart-history/DSI "Frankie Goes to Hollywood Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "WLink"./chart-history/RTT "Frankie Goes to Hollywood Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Two Tribes" Template:In lang. GfK Entertainment charts.
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9638." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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