Weak in the Presence of Beauty (song)

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty"
Single by Floy Joy
from the album Weak in the Presence of Beauty
B-side "You and Me"
Released 1986 (1986)
Format 7" single, 12" single
Genre Pop
Length 3:24
Label Virgin Records
Writer(s) Michael Ward; Rob Clarke
Producer Don Was
Floy Joy singles chronology
"Operator"
(1985)		 "Weak in the Presence of Beauty"
(1986)		 "Friday Night In This Cold City"
(1986)

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" is a song written by Michael Ward and Rob Clarke which was first released by their band, Floy Joy, in 1986. The song was later covered by singer Alison Moyet in 1987 and became a hit for her.

Contents

Floy Joy version

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was the first single for Floy Joy's second and last album of the same name. The track wasn't a huge hit in the UK, only peaking at #85. The previous debut album featured vocals by Carroll Thompson whereas this single and album featured Desy Campbell.[1]

Track listing

7" single
  1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" – 3:24
  2. "You And Me" – 3:07
12" single
  1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty (Extended version)" – 5:12
  2. "You And Me" – 3:07

Chart performance

Chart (1986) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart[2] 14 5
Canadian Singles Chart[3] 68 5
UK Singles Chart[4] 85 3

Alison Moyet version

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty"
Single by Alison Moyet
from the album Raindancing
B-side "To Work on You"
Released 1987 (1987)
Format 7" single, 12" single
Genre Pop
Length 3:37
Label CBS, Columbia
Writer(s) Michael Ward; Rob Clarke
Producer Jimmy Iovine
Alison Moyet singles chronology
Is This Love?"
(1986)		 "Weak in the Presence of Beauty"
(1987)		 "Ordinary Girl"
(1987)

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" is the first 1987 single released by Alison Moyet from her second studio album Raindancing. Unlike the original version, this cover became a huge hit throughout Europe.

Today, Moyet states the song was only recorded as she knew it would be a hit single, she isn't fond of the song at all.[5]

Track listings

7" single
  1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" - 3:37
  2. "To Work on You" - 4:13
12" single #1
  1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty (Extended remix)" – 6:04
  2. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty (Single version)" - 3:37
  3. "To Work on You" - 4:13
12" single #2
  1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty (Extended remix)" – 6:04
  2. "To Work on You" - 4:13
  3. "Take My Imagination To Bed" - 3:41

Chart performance

Chart (1987) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
Belgian Singles Chart 16 7
Dutch Singles Chart[6] 25 11
French Singles Chart 9 ?
German Singles Chart[7] 18 14
Irish Singles Chart[8] 4 6
Italian Singles Chart[9] 33 ?
New Zealand Singles Chart[10] 7 10
Norwegian Singles Chart[11] 4 6
Swiss Singles Chart[12] 23 6
UK Singles Chart[13] 6 10

Other versions

The American band Eddie and the Tide released a version on their 1987 album "Looking For Adventure".[14]

References

  1. ^ http://www.discogs.com/
  2. ^ www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
  3. ^ www.collectionscanada.gc.ca
  4. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/
  5. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXioZm8JQlk
  6. ^ http://www.dutchcharts.nl/
  7. ^ http://www.musicline.de/
  8. ^ http://www.irishcharts.ie/
  9. ^ http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/indici/per_interprete/am.htm
  10. ^ http://www.charts.org.nz/
  11. ^ http://www.norwegiancharts.com/
  12. ^ http://www.swisscharts.com/
  13. ^ http://www.chartstats.com/
  14. ^ http://eddieandthetide.com/discography/discography/looking.html
Alison Moyet
With Yazoo/Yaz
Studio albums
Alf (1984) · Raindancing (1987) · Hoodoo (1991) · Essex (1994) · Hometime (2002) · Voice (2004) · The Turn (2007)
Compilation albums
Singles
"Love Resurrection" • "All Cried Out" • "Invisible" • "That Ole Devil Called Love" • "For You Only" • "Is This Love?" • "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" • "Ordinary Girl" • "Sleep Like Breathing" • "Love Letters" • "It Won't Be Long" • "Wishing You Were Here" • "This House" • "Hoodoo" • "Falling" • "Whispering Your Name" • "Getting into Something" • "Ode to Boy II" • "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" • "Solid Wood" • "Should I Feel That It's Over" • "Do You Ever Wonder" • "More" • "Almost Blue" / "Alfie" • "Slipping Away" • "One More Time" • "A Guy Like You" •
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