Born on this day in 1961, David Palmer, ABC, (1982 UK No.4 & US No.18 single ‘The Look Of Love’, plus nine other UK Top 40 singles).
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Song Review by Stewart Mason
One of the definitive singles of the early MTV era, ABC’s “Poison Arrow” is, like ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” (a song it bears a subtle but unmistakable resemblance to), both a kitsch masterpiece and a brilliantly written, near-perfect pop song. Released at a time when disco was still thought to be stone dead both critically and commercially, “Poison Arrow” is clearly a disco song, from the rubbery bass line and Giorgio Moroder-style synthesized drums to the Barry White-influenced sweep of the strings. (Producer Trevor Horn and arranger Anne Dudley, who would go on to form the Art of Noise after working together on this album, have clearly listened to their Love Unlimited Orchestra albums.) Martin Fry’s dramatic vocals lack the Bryan Ferry-derived archness of most of the rest of The Lexicon of Love, in favor of an urgent, almost pained delivery. The vocals, nonetheless, have more than their share of camp, especially in the spoken dialogue that precedes the utterly over-the-top climax. For further adventures in camp, check out the single B-side “Theme From Mantrap” (now available on some CD reissues of The Lexicon of Love), the intro to ABC’s pioneering long-form video of the same name, which is a slowed-down version of “Poison Arrow” performed in a cocktail piano setting.
