One Man in My Heart

"One Man in My Heart" is a song recorded by British synthpop

"One Man In My Heart"
band The Human League. It was released as the second single
from the band's album Octopus. A ballad, the song differs from
all previous Human League tracks as the lead vocal is performed
by a female member of the band, Susan Ann Sulley, with spoken
word refrains from Philip Oakey and contrasting backing from
the third Human League member Joanne Catherall. Released on 6
March 1995 in the UK, the song received positive reviews from
music critics and eventually peaked at number 13 in the UK
Singles Chart, eventually spending eight weeks in the charts.[1] In
2001, The Guardian newspaper called it one of the best love
songs of the 1990s.[2]
Single by The Human League
from the album Octopus
Contents Released 6 March 1995

Background Format 2 x CD single

Music video Recorded 1994

Critical reception Genre Synthpop

Track listings Length 3:45

Charts Label East West Records

References Songwriter(s) Oakey, Sutton

External links The Human League singles

chronology
"Tell Me "One Man "Filling Up
Background When" In My with
(1994) Heart" Heaven"
The song was written by Neil Sutton and Philip Oakey not only (1995) (1995)
to give Sulley, who was seeking a higher profile on the album, an
opportunity to expand her repertoire but also to contrast with the accepted Human League sound of
Oakey’s lead and Sulley's and Catherall’s backing which dominated the album. It was devised purely as
an album track: the band never intended it to be released as a single.[3]

After the unexpected commercial success of the first single from Octopus, "Tell Me When", East West
Records wanted another commercial, radio-friendly song to follow-up with. They selected "One Man in
My Heart", much to the surprise of the band. Oakey was said to be happy with the choice, but the only
person in the band who wasn’t was Sulley herself. To have a single with her on lead vocals with Oakey
barely contributing four lines was something never done before; it was an enormous creative and
commercial risk. Sulley's vocal ability had been harshly criticized in the past and she expected to be
mauled badly by the music critics. If the single bombed it would make it difficult to release a third single
from the album. Sulley feared that she personally would be blamed by the media for any failure.[4]
Ironically criticism of Sulley's vocals was that she was too technically proficient making her sound
"bland": one critic declared that he missed "The rough edges of the girl plucked from the Sheffield dance
floor".[5]

Music video
Susan Ann Sulley in the "One
Man in My Heart" promotional
video, 1995
The music video for One Man in My Heart has a similar
cinematography style to the video for the previous single Tell Me
When and had the same director, Andy Morahan. It is set in a
Parisian cafe and principally features (for this song) lead vocalist
Susan Ann Sulley sat on her own having a coffee while singing to
herself; whilst watching the other customers. Fellow band members
Philip Oakey and Joanne Catherall are seated elsewhere in the cafe
and the camera pans to them for their backing vocals and Oakey's
incidental spoken words.[6]

Known in the media for her regular dramatic style changes Sulley
had the look of an elegant business woman for the video. Sulley always insists that she "doesn’t dress up
for music videos" and the style seen on screen is how she could be found in her daily life. She changed
her style again before the next music video later that year. The video received considerable play on VH1;
it also played on MTV. It was cruelly caricatured at the time as a Starbucks commercial by some critics.

Critical reception
Billboard were highly favourable, writing: "this sophomore single from the act's comeback album
Octopus needs no apologies for its innocent composition. It is a beautiful ballad that should set top 40
afire."[7] Dave Thompson of Allmusic continued this welcoming sentiment, saying: "One Man in My
Heart" could have been a total throwaway, a gloopy little love song without a single redeeming quality,
beloved by grannies and tweenies, gag-inducing for those outside those age parameters. But the band
obviously gave the number time and attention, and thus ensured that it can't be so easily dismissed." He
added: "the group produced a love song unlike virtually all typical pop fodder."[8]

Track listings
"One Man In My Heart" was released as 2 CD singles with remixes by Joachim Björklund & Sören
Elonsson, credited as T.O.E.C.

CD 1 1995, East West (YZ904CD1)

1. One Man In My Heart

2. One Man In My Heart (T.O.E.C. Extended)
3. One Man In My Heart (T.O.E.C. Unplugged)
4. These Are The Days (Sonic Radiation)

CD 2 1995, East West (YZ904CD2)

1. These Are The Days (Ba Ba Mix)

2. These Are The Days (Overworld Mix)
3. These Are The Days (Man With No Name Vocal)
 4. One Man In My Heart (T.O.E.C. Nasty Sue Mix)

Charts
Peak
Chart (1995)
position

Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 90

Ireland (IRMA)[10] 29

Poland (LP3)[11] 25

Scotland (Official Charts Company)[12] 7

UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[13] 13

References
1. "Artist Chart History - The Human League" (http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/human%20
league/). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
2. The Guardian, Culture Supplement April 2001
3. Interview Journalist Mark Blackham - Susan Ann Sulley March 1995, Unpublished (Avail
Mark Blackham Website)
4. Interview Journalist Mark Blackham - Susan Ann Sulley March 1995, Unpublished (Avail
Mark Blackham Website)
5. Music Week Magazine March 1995
6. mvdbase.com - the Human League - "One man in my heart" (http://www.mvdbase.com/vide
o.php?id=13394)
7. Flick, Larry (3 June 1995). "Single reviews" (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1gsEAAA
AMBAJ&lpg=PA1&lr&rview=1&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q&f=false). Billboard. 107 (22): 83.
Retrieved 25 April 2019.
8. Thompson, Dave. "One Man in My Heart Single Review" (http://www.allmusic.com/song/one
-man-in-my-heart-mt0009265190). Allmusic. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
9. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Human League – One Man in My Heart" (https://www.offiziellecha
rts.de/titel-details-147750). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – One Man in My Heart" (http://irishcharts.ie/search/plac
ement?page=1&search_type=title&placement=One+Man+in+My+Heart). Irish Singles
Chart. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
11. "Notowanie nr696" (http://lp3.polskieradio.pl/notowania/?numer=696) (in Polish). LP3. 2
June 1995. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100" (https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottis
h-singles-chart/19950318/41/). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100" (https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/1995032
5/7501/). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 April 2018.

External links
www.susanne-sulley.net (http://www.Susanne-Sulley.net)
Lyrics of this song (http://www.metrolyrics.com/one-man-in-my-heart-lyrics-human-league.ht
ml) at MetroLyrics
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=One_Man_in_My_Heart&oldid=935049341"

This page was last edited on 10 January 2020, at 04:02 (UTC).

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