| No One Is to Blame | |
| Cover: | Howard Jones - No One Is to Blame.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Howard Jones |
| Album: | Dream Into Action (original version) Action Replay and One to One (re-recorded version) |
| B-Side: | The Chase |
| Released: | 3 March 1986 (UK) 24 March 1986 (US) |
| Recorded: | 1985 |
| Genre: | New wave, soft rock[1] |
| Length: | 3:29 (1985 version) 4:13 (1986 version) |
| Label: | WEA (UK) Elektra Records (US) |
| Producer: | Phil Collins & Hugh Padgham |
| Prev Title: | Life in One Day |
| Prev Year: | 1985 |
| Next Title: | All I Want |
| Next Year: | 1986 |
"No One Is to Blame" is a song written and performed by British musician Howard Jones. Originally released on Jones's 1985 album, Dream into Action, "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded and released as a single in 1986. The single became Jones's biggest U.S. hit to date, peaking at #4.
The original version of the song can be found on Dream into Action. Following the success of the previous singles from that album, it was re-recorded to generate a more radio-friendly sound. Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham produced the re-recording, with Collins adding his own drum work and mood.[2] [3] The new version of the song was included on the 1986 US EP Action Replay as well as the CD version of Jones' 1986 studio album, One to One.[4]
"No One Is to Blame" was released as a single in March 1986. It became Jones' biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also became the first of his two #1 songs on the U.S. adult contemporary chart ("Everlasting Love" would top this chart in 1989).[5] "No One Is to Blame" was also a top 10 hit in Australia and a #16 hit in the U.K.[6]
In 2018, Morgan Enos of Billboard described "No One Is to Blame" as a "dreamy, existential" ballad that "doesn’t quite deal with love, but with the lack thereof". Enos added that the song "had a message and melody that resonated".[7] The song is known for its "aching beauty"[8] and for Jones's "plaintive lead vocals and piano".[9]
7"
12"
| Chart (1986) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 9 | |
| Canada (The Record)[11] | 12 | |
| Italian Singles Chart | 21 | |
| UK Singles Chart | 16 | |
| US Adult Contemporary | 1 | |
| US Mainstream Rock Tracks | 20 | |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| Year-end chart (1986) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 63 | |
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[13] | 44 |
Jones performed the song solo on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1985.[14] A previously unreleased version of "No One is to Blame" by Neilson Hubbard appears on the 2001 Parasol Records compilation, Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Volume 4.[15]
Rachael Sage recorded a version of "No One Is to Blame" in 2018.
