I Love I Hate Explained

I Love I Hate
Cover:Neil Arthur I Love I Hate 1994 Single Cover.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Neil Arthur
Album:Suitcase
Released:24 January 1994[1]
Studio:Livingston Recording Studios (London)[2]
Length:4:16 (single version)
4:30 (album version)
Label:Chrysalis
Producer:Marius de Vries
Prev Title:One Day, One Time
Prev Year:1992

"I Love I Hate" is a song by English singer and musician Neil Arthur, released on 24 January 1994 as the lead single from his debut solo studio album, Suitcase (1994).[3] It was written by Arthur and produced by Marius de Vries. It reached No. 50 in the UK and remained on the charts for two weeks.[4]

For the single's 12" format releases, remixes were created by the English electronic dance group the Grid, with others by Dom T. and Marius de Vries.[5] [6] A music video was filmed in Coney Island and New York City to promote the single.[7] It was directed by Lindy Heymann.[8]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Music & Media wrote, "The ex-frontman of Blancmange returns at almost the same point where he left seven years ago. His synth-flavoured new wave of the early '80s is spiced up with dance beats."[9] Alan Jones of Music Week considered it to be "pleasant commercial fare from Arthur, albeit not as startlingly innovative as some of his work with Blancmange or the West India Company". He felt the song was a "likely Top 40 contender" which "should find favour with radio in its regular mix, while The Grid's deeper dance interpretations tie up the club end of things".[10] Jim Lawn of The Lennox Herald remarked that Arthur "delivers a reasonable single with a nice hook and some radical dance remixes by The Grid".[11]

Penny Kiley of the Liverpool Echo described it as a "pleasant electro-pop song that is less quirky than his previous work". She felt the inclusion of "Living on the Ceiling" as a bonus track on the CD issues of the single "suggests Neil may not be so confident in his new stuff".[12] Terry Staunton of NME was critical of the song, stating it "has 'ordinary' tattooed right across its forehead" and calling Arthur "a poor man's Pet Shop Boy if ever there was one" who "made a couple of decent records as half of Blancmange". He added, "A plain, tinny, synthetic backing track with the dullest of vocals across the top. Not in the least bit good in any way at all."[13]

In an article on 1980s New Wave band comebacks, Keith Creighton of Popdose described the song as "positively epic".[14] Barry Page of The Electricity Club, in a feature titled "30 Lost Songs of the CD Era", considered the song to be "rather pedestrian" in comparison to Arthur's "engaging" debut single "One Day, One Time".[15]

Personnel

Production

Notes and References

  1. Single Releases . . 22 January 1994 . 21 . 0265-1548.
  2. Suitcase . Neil Arthur . 1994 . CDCHR 6065 . UK .
  3. Book: The Sound Of The Crowd - a Discography of the '80s (Third Edition) - Steve Binnie - Google Books . 27 November 2014. 9781326073589 . 2019-04-22. Binnie . Steve .
  4. Web site: NEIL ARTHUR | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . Officialcharts.com . 2019-04-22.
  5. Web site: Neil Arthur - I Love I Hate (Vinyl, 12") . Discogs . 2019-04-22.
  6. Web site: The Grid: remixes & production . Mit.edu . 2019-04-22.
  7. Web site: Neil Arthur - om ABBA, Vince, oljetankers och nästan 40 år med Blancmange - Zero Magazine . Zeromagazine.nu . 2019-04-22.
  8. Web site: Neil Arthur - "I love, I hate" . mvdbase.com . 2019-04-22.
  9. 29 January 1994 . Music - New Releases: Singles . . 10.
  10. Jones . Alan. 29 January 1994 . Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles . . 16.
  11. News: Lawn . Jim . 11 February 1994 . Music Scene: Latest releases . . 30.
  12. News: Kiley . Penny . 28 January 1994 . Same old singers, same old songs: New singles . . 29.
  13. Staunton . Terry . Singles . . 29 January 1994 . 47.
  14. Web site: Creighton . Keith . Popdose Prime: 10 Most Awesome '80s New Wave Comebacks Ever . Popdose.com . 21 September 2013 . 27 July 2023.
  15. Web site: Page . Barry . TASTY FISH : 30 Lost Songs of the CD Era . The Electricity Club . 3 May 2012 . 27 July 2023.