Operator (Floy Joy song)

"Operator"
Single by Floy Joy
from the album Into the Hot
B-side	"Mission"
Released	January 1985
Format	7", 12"
Genre	Pop
Length	3:53
Label	Virgin Records
Writer(s)	Shaun Ward, Michael Ward
Producer(s)	Don Was
Floy Joy singles chronology
"Until You Come Back to Me" (1984) "Operator" (1985) "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (1986)

"Operator" (a.k.a. "Operator Operator") is a song by British soul and jazz-influenced pop group Floy Joy, which was released as the third and final single from their 1984 debut album Into the Hot. The song was written by band members Shaun Ward and Michael Ward. It was produced by Don Was, who also produced the band's entire debut album.^[1]

Background

The band first broke into the UK chart in 1984 with the minor hit single "Until You Come Back to Me". In January 1985 the band released "Operator" as the follow-up single which became the most successful single from the album. It peaked at #86 in the UK, lasting in the Top 100 for a total of four weeks.^[2] It was the last single release to feature the line-up of the Into the Hot album, including lead singer Carroll Thompson. A new line-up would release the 1986 album Weak in the Presence of Beauty, which included the minor UK hit title track.^[3][4]

The song was recorded, along with the entire Into the Hot album, during a three-week session at the Sound Suite in Detroit. Originally this came to fruition after Floy Joy manager Paul Bower flew to New York to track down Don Was, who had never met, at Geffen Records. He played him the band's demos in Was' suite at The Mayflower. The result was the recording of the debut album, which was also Was' first non Was (Not Was) production.^[5] Shaun Ward spoke of the album in 1990, during an interview with his band Everyday People. He stated "The first Floy Joy album was an anthology of R&B, jazz... all the things we'd grown up listening to and absorbed. Though we liked it, we came to realize that maybe it was a bit too personal. So that's why the second album is more direct and commercial. Unfortunately when we did that no one wanted to know."^[6]

Release

The single was released on 7" and 12" vinyl in the UK. Additionally it was issued on 12" vinyl in both Germany and Canada. All versions of the single were issued via Virgin Records.^[7] Although the song's official title is "Operator", the universal sleeve for the single would title the song "Operator Operator", however the vinyl itself would use the official title again.^[8] All issues of the single featured the B-Side "Mission" which was taken from the Into the Hot album, and was also written by Shaun and Michael Ward. Additionally all versions of the single featured a full colour sleeve an image of an operator.^[9]

In the UK, a limited edition release of the single featured a free copy of the "Until You Come Back to Me" single as it appeared when it was originally released in 1984. A sticker on the front cover of the "Operator" single noted this.^[10] The "Until You Come Back to Me" single included the Into the Hot album track "Theme from the Age of Reason" as the B-Side.^[11] The 12" vinyl releases in the UK, Germany and Canada would feature an extended version of "Operator".^[9]

Promotion

A music video was created to promote the single. The video largely showed the group performing the song in a bar-like venue. The music video, aside from the band themselves, would feature two additional performers; Desi Campbell on backing vocals (the band's unofficial backing vocalist and bongo player, who also appeared in the music video for the 1984 single "Until You Come Back to Me") and Kenny Crawley on drums.^[12] Campbell would later become the lead vocalist for the group following Thompson's departure.^[13] He would record the Weak in the Presence of Beauty as the lead vocalist.^[3]

Track listing

7" Single

1. "Operator" - 3:53
2. "Mission" - 3:04

7" Single (UK limited edition release with "Until You Come Back to Me" single)

1. "Operator" - 3:53
2. "Mission" - 3:04

1. "Until You Come Back to Me" - 4:12
2. "Theme from the Age of Reason" - 1:22

12" Single

1. "Operator (Extended Version)" - 5:40
2. "Mission" - 3:50

Chart performance

Personnel

• Lead Vocals - Carroll Thompson
• Backing Vocals - Bernita Turner, Buster Marbury, Carol Hall, Donny Ray Mitchel, Harry Bowens, Kathy Kosins, Sweet Pea Atkinson
• Operator Voice, Studio Coordinator – Gemma Corfield
• Horns - Michael Ward
• Bass, Keyboards, Guitar - Shaun Ward
• Keyboards, Electronic Linn Drums – Don Was
• Keyboards – Luis Resto
• Drums - Yogi Horton
• Percussion – Kevin Tschirhart, Larry Fratangelo
• Synthesized Strings and Horns Arrangement - Paul Riser
• Backing Vocals Arrangement – Harry Bowens
• Alto Saxophone on "Mission" – David McMurray
• Producer, Engineer - Don Was for Tann Lewis Productions
• Arrangement - Don Was, Floy Joy
• Mixer - John "Tokes" Potoker
• Assistant Engineer - Steve "Doc Ching" King
• Drum Sound Engineer - Michael Brauer
• Sleeve - Simon Crump
• Writers - Shaun Ward, Michael Ward

References