Rock Me Gently (Erasure song)

"Rock Me Gently" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure. It was written by group members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, and appears on their seventh studio album, Erasure (1995). Mute Records released it in February 1996 as a single in selected European countries, including Germany and Czech Republic. It was not released in the UK or the US. In its album form, the song is an extended, ten-plus minutes mid-tempo synth ballad with ambient elements and a free-form vocal performance by American singer Diamanda Galás, during the song's breakdown. Bell's lead vocals were accentuated by the London Community Gospel Choir, who sang background (as they did on previous Erasure single "Stay with Me"). "Rock Me Gently" was significantly altered for its single release, adding a radio-friendly drum track to the mix and editing out most of the Galás interlude. An extended version of this mix was included on the CD single, retaining the Galás section while keeping the new instrumentation.

"Rock Me Gently"
Single by Erasure
from the album Erasure
B-side"Chertsey Endlos"
Released12 February 1996
Recorded1995
GenreSynth-pop
Length
  • 4:04 (single version)
  • 10:02 (album version)
LabelMute (Germany, Czech Republic)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Erasure singles chronology
"Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)"
(1995)		 "Rock Me Gently"
(1996)		 "In My Arms"
(1997)
Music video
"Rock Me Gently" on YouTube

Critical reception

Ned Raggett from AllMusic noted the "gentle shimmer" of the song, adding that Diamanda Galas "delivers haunting solo turns".[1] In his review of Erasure, Steve Baltin from Cash Box felt that particularly the "soothing" ten-minute track, finds Erasure displaying its softer side."[2] Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian found that songs like the "adventurous" "Rock Me Gently" "are made interesting by the whale-noise vocals of Diamanda Galas, whose services should be retained for the next album."[3] Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly stated, "It's a perfect ballad, performed with incredible sweetness by Bell over Vince Clarke's gorgeous keyboard lines. It's one of the duo's most sublime recordings".[4]

Music Week wrote, "Full choral backing and ambient textures provide the album's most adventurous moments, which feature the unique vocals of Diamanda Galas."[5] A reviewer from People Magazine commented, "Thanks to an emphasis on gorgeous torch tunes like "Rock Me Gently" and "Stay with Me", lead singer Andy Bell's always operatic vocals take on a newfound luster".[6] Darren Lee from The Quietus felt it "remain [a] serviceable enough" ballad, "but lack the pizzazz and charm of earlier releases."[7] Troy J. Augusto from Variety declared it as "a sweet ballad".[8]

Music video

A black-and-white music video was produced to promote the single, features Bell singing a duet with a Marilyn Monroe look-alike. The video was later published on YouTube in September 2014, and had generated more than 234,000 views as of November 2020.[9]

Track listings

References
  1. Raggett, Ned. "Erasure – Erasure". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  2. Baltin, Steve (20 January 1996). "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 9. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  3. Sullivan, Caroline (27 October 1995). "Music: CD releases - Pop". The Guardian.
  4. Gerard, Chris (17 September 2014). "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. Gorman, Paul (30 September 1995). "Erasure -- Duo Moves In A New Direction" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. "Picks and Pans Review: Erasure". People. 13 November 1995. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  7. Lee, Darren (27 February 2009). "Erasure – Total Pop! Erasure's First 40 Hits". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  8. Augusto, Troy J. (20 May 1997). "Erasure". Variety. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  9. "Erasure - Rock Me Gently (Official HD Video)". YouTube. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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