Get the Balance Right!

"Get the Balance Right!" is the seventh single by British electronic band Depeche Mode, released on 31 January 1983.[2] Recorded at Blackwing Studios in December 1982, it is the first Depeche Mode single with Alan Wilder as an official band member; Wilder also co-wrote the B-side track "The Great Outdoors!" with Martin Gore. It is also one of the first Depeche Mode songs to feature guitar; according to Andy Fletcher, the guitar was processed through a synth and phased out of time to make it sound more interesting.[3]

"Get the Balance Right!"
Single by Depeche Mode
B-side"The Great Outdoors!"
Released31 January 1983 (1983-01-31)[1]
RecordedDecember 1982
StudioBlackwing (London)
Genre
Length3:12 (7"/single version)
7:56 (12" version)
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)Martin Gore
Producer(s)
Depeche Mode singles chronology
"Leave in Silence"
(1982)		 "Get the Balance Right!"
(1983)		 "Everything Counts"
(1983)

"Get the Balance Right!" was not included on the following album Construction Time Again (although it appears on the deluxe edition of the album), but does appear on the American compilation People Are People and the compilation The Singles 81→85.

B-sides

The B-side is "The Great Outdoors!", an instrumental written by Gore and Wilder. It was featured on the Broken Frame Tour as the introduction theme for selected shows, after an incident with their Revox machine that destroyed almost all their previous intro, "Oberkorn (It's a Small Town)".

Included on the 12" releases is "Tora! Tora! Tora! (Live)", the first live song released on a Depeche Mode single. A limited edition 12" of the single was released, which features more live tracks: "My Secret Garden", "See You", and "Satellite". It was the first Depeche Mode single to have a limited edition.

Music video

In the music video, Wilder lip-syncs the first lines of the song, even though Dave Gahan is the lead singer. The director Kevin Hewitt made the assumption that Wilder was the singer and the band was too embarrassed to point out his mistake.[4]

Track listings

All songs written by Martin Gore, except "The Great Outdoors!" which was written by Gore and Alan Wilder.

7" vinyl single

UK: Mute / 7Bong2

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Get the Balance Right!"3:12
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Great Outdoors!"5:01

12" vinyl single

UK: Mute / 12Bong2

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Get the Balance Right!" (Combination Mix)7:56
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Great Outdoors!"5:01
2."Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:00

UK: Mute / L12Bong2 (Limited edition)

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Get the Balance Right!"3:12
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."My Secret Garden" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)7:28
2."See You" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:11
3."Satellite" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:28
4."Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:00

US: Sire / 0-29704
Released 7 September 1983. The first two tracks on side two are listed as one track on the sleeve, when they are actually two separate tracks.[1]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Get the Balance Right!" (Combination Mix)7:56
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."The Great Outdoors!"5:01
2."Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:00
3."Get the Balance Right!" (Edited Mix (same as the Original Version))3:12

CD single

UK: Mute / CDBong2
Released 25 November 1991, from the Singles Box Set #2.[1]
US: Sire/Reprise 40295-2
Released 26 November 1991, from the Singles Box Set #2.[1]
US: Reprise CD BONG 2 (R2 78890A)
Released 30 March 2004, from the Singles Box Set #1 reissue.[1]

No.TitleLength
1."Get the Balance Right!"3:12
2."The Great Outdoors!"5:01
3."Get the Balance Right!" (Combination Mix)7:56
4."Tora! Tora! Tora!" (Live, recorded 25 October 1982 at Hammersmith Odeon in London)4:00

Charts
Chart performance for "Get the Balance Right!"
Chart (1983) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[5] 16
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 13
UK Indie (OCC)[7] 1
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 31
West Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 38

References
  1. "Official Depeche Mode web site single information". Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  2. Christopher, Michael (28 December 2020). Depeche Mode FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Finest Synth-Pop Band. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-4930-5400-8. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. Miller, Jonathan (2004). Stripped: The True Story of Depeche Mode. Omnibus Press. p. 245. ISBN 1-84449-415-2.
  4. Miller, Jonathan (2008). Stripped: Depeche Mode. London: Omnibus Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-84772-444-1.
  5. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Get the Balance Right". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  6. "Depeche Mode: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  7. Lazell, Barry (1997). "Depeche Mode". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN 0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  8. "Depeche Mode Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – Depeche Mode – Get the Balance Right!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
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