Joan of Arc (OMD song)

"Joan of Arc"
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Architecture & Morality
Released	October 9, 1981
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Oxfordshire, England
Genre	New wave
Length	3:48
Label	Dindisc
Writer(s)	Andy McCluskey
Producer(s)	OMD and Richard Manwaring
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"Souvenir" (1981) "Joan of Arc" (1981) "Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc)" (1982)

"Joan of Arc" is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released as the second single from their third studio album Architecture & Morality. It became an international hit, reaching the Top 5 in the UK and Canada and number 13 in Ireland.

Critic Dave Thompson in AllMusic lauded the song: "[T]wo almost opposing rhythms [are] miraculously melded together by the strength of the gorgeous melody and sweeping synths. The tattoo of the boombox juxtaposed against the ethereal vocal, like a spirit circling overhead, can induce goosebumps, and the power of this song is almost equal to Joan's own...A revelation of a single."^[1] Colleague Ned Raggett described it as "a towering heartbreaker, with Andy McCluskey and band in full flight."^[2]

Track listings

7" vinyl single

• UK: DinDisc DIN 36

Side one

1. "Joan of Arc" (Andy McCluskey)

Side two

1. "The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished)" (Paul Humphreys/McCluskey)

12" vinyl single

• UK: DinDisc DIN 36-12

1. "Joan of Arc" (Andy McCluskey)

Side two

1. "The Romance of the Telescope (Unfinished)" (Humphreys/McCluskey)

Chart performance

References