This 80s No. 1 Hit Survived a Severe Disagreement Between Band and Producers

Whoever said that everybody has to get along to create a hit record? Occasionally, musical magic can ensue even when the principals behind the recording are at odds over one thing or another. In 1986, British group Human League soared back to the top of the US charts with “Human”, a song written and produced by Americans Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Not even a serious dustup about the nature of the recording could derail its success.

League Business

Human League emerged from England in the early 80s as one of the first synth-heavy bands from the country to make it big in America. Their 1981 single “Don’t You Want Me” introduced their austere sonics and he said/she said vocal stylings. The song hit No. 1 and helped pave the way for a wave of similar artists to storm the US.

A few more hit singles followed. But their 1984 album Hysteria struggled to reach the band’s previous heights in England and did little to no business in America. When they tried to rev it up again for their next LP, they found themselves artistically blocked.

Their label, Virgin Records, stepped in with an idea. Would the band be willing to try recording with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, former members of The Time who were just beginning their era of dominance as writers/producers-for-hire? Human League accepted and headed to the pair’s home base of Minnesota to record the 1986 album Crash.

The “Human” Touch

In addition to producing the entire album, Jam and Lewis wrote three of the album’s ten tracks. With the song “Human”, they purposely created something that would force Human League lead singer Phil Oakey to emote in contrast to his usual detached style.

Unfortunately, a disagreement arose when Jam and Lewis used Lisa Keith on backing vocals. Since the band already had two female vocalists, they wondered why they weren’t being used in that manner. Instead, Jam and Lewis only included Human League’s Joanne Catherall in a spoken-word section of “Human”.

Eventually, the record company was left to decide. When they heard “Human”, they heard a hit, regardless of who was singing on it. Frustrated, Human League headed back to England, leaving Jam and Lewis to complete the recording process. But it all worked out in the end when the song shot to No. 1, and the album helped revitalize the group’s status in the US.

Behind the Lyrics of “Human”

In “Human”, the narrator relates his regret over having cheated on the woman he loves. “I wouldn’t ever try to hurt you,” Oakey moans. “I just needed someone to hold me.” In the refrain, he explains the reason for his frailty: “Of flesh and blood I’m made/Human/Born to make mistakes.”

“No one else could ever take your place,” he promises. The twist comes when Catherall comes on the mic. “I forgive you, now I ask the same of you,” she pleads. “While we were apart, I was human too.” In other words, the infidelity was mutual.

The tortured process of making “Human” isn’t evident on the recording, smooth as silk and yet full of genuine emotion. Maybe Human League and Jam/Lewis didn’t walk away the best of friends by the time it all played out. But they brought out the musical best in each other on this 80s classic.

(Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)

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