The 80s produced so many styles, it’s always possible to find something to fit your mood.
Lay Your Hands On Me
1985 Thompson Twins
Let’s get the band name out of the way. What would you call your group if it contained no twins and nobody named Thompson? Thompson Twins, exactly. This bit of cleverness is a pop culture reference to the two detectives, Thompson and Thompson in TinTin. Since this song emerged in the pre-internet days, I initially assumed it was performed by twins. Congratulations, Sheffield-based band with no twins, you got me.
Now, on to the song.
Lay Your Hands On Me, originally produced in 1984, but recast into its well-known form in 1985, sits at an interesting moment in 80s pop. The song possesses that clear, confident early-80s synth—can’t really argue with that. But it also has that gospel-light, antiphonal quality that appeared frequently in the late 80s and early 90s music. From their Culture Club clothes to the Howard Jones-style vocals and bass, this songs pulls from many sources and points to upcoming trends.
It’s not a musically complex song. And that’s the point.
What we have here is a secular exploration of the religious. The band’s intention is to invoke a mood, the feeling of singing to the rafters. And to achieve that mood, the music is stripped down to essentials. No McCartney-esque chromatic play here. No complex counterpoint. Just a story told in the verses and a big chorus.
It didn’t surprise me to learn that the band stopped making this kind of music a few years later. They did what I wish more bands would do…they changed their name and used that new freedom to explore different music.
A band’s name is its brand. Fans associate a certain kind of music with that brand. The problem is that most musicians will continue to develop, to fall in love with new styles of music. They want to explore and experiment (think about George Harrison and his passion for Indian music). But it often sounds to fans (and critics) like pretending to be hip or cashing in on the latest trends in music. Fans will be disappointed that the new songs don’t match brand expectations. Did the band sell out?
So changing the name is a good idea (and I don’t mean Jefferson Airplane to Jefferson Starship…sheesh). Changing the name means changing the brand, shedding those audience expectations. Thompson Twins became Babble—I had never heard of them. They released two more albums before calling it quits in 1996.
Babble’s music reflected the rhythmic focus of early-to-mid 90s music. Emerging interest in New Age and Gregorian Chant found its way into dance music. Babble followed these trends.
Then they did something most musicians don’t do. They stopped playing music.
Thompson Twins have generally refused to perform together or participate in nostalgia tours. I can sort of understand this mindset. To perform the same songs night after night after night so that fans can attempt to recapture emotions they felt in the mid-80s would get tiresome. But worse, it would remind you that your glory days were behind you. And who wants a constant reminder of that?
But…how could you stop playing music? Any music is better than no music, right?
Not all of us are pop stars. Most of us aren’t. But we still face similar decisions.
Should you stick with what you know? Your strengths? Should you learn/try some new things? It’s hard for me to type this as I have such a growth mindset (always learning, taking courses, …) that it’s difficult to imagine not living like this, but many people don’t. And that’s a legitimate choice.
The bigger question is how we are going to define our glory days. Again, if you are part of tiny subset of the population who had an obvious peak (like winning an olympic medal in your teens), this section won’t apply to you. But the vast majority of people aren’t in that situation. The rest of us must shape our own narrative. To a great extent, we decide what to call our high points.
Do we want the high points to exist in the past?
Some people do want that. Nothing wrong with well-earned rest and routines. That makes for comfortable life.
But, some people want to be working toward something, want to believe that greatness can occur at any moment. This is also a good way to live.
So I have sympathy for bands who decide to keep playing, for bands who decide to play something new, and even for bands who stop playing altogether.
I know this will alienate Thompson Twins’ fans, but I’m not convinced they ever had anything to say musically. They acted as mirrors during two different pop culture moments. But did they have artistic drive, enormous musical talent? I can’t be sure.
Much of what I like about this song came not from the band, but from Nile Rogers who produced the album. The big secular-gospel choir? That was Nile. It kind of makes the song.
This is not to take away from the band. They wrote the song and sing it beautifully. But, for whatever reason, they leave me less convinced than many other music groups.
So, what’s my takeaway from this?
It’s important for us to create new brands for ourselves to allow space to explore things.
It’s important to keep playing.
The narrative we construct for ourselves must decide whether we are comfortably resting on laurels or excitedly pursuing our craft.
And my last takeaway is that the 80s had a wide variety of music and listening to this music can make us happy. Let’s not overthink things. Turn the music up and have a little dance.