Behind the Songs: Heartbreak Beat

A selection of quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on the song "Heartbreak Beat".

Richard Butler: "We're still trying to decide which track [from Midnight To Midnight] will be the next single, there's one called 'Heartbreak Beat', one called 'Angels Don't Cry' and one called 'Shock' and we'll decide when they've been mixed." (Record Mirror 1986)

Richard Butler: "There's a song called 'Heartbreak Beat', and it's about that feeling when you walk through Washington Square Park and you've got all the boxes going and it sounds like this huge phase-shifter. New York has definitely affected the feel of the songs [on Midnight To Midnight]. I very much pick up on what's around me, steal things, phrases, the feeling of being out at night in New York." (Winner Magazine 1986)

John Ashton (on Midnight To Midnight): "It's a pleasant surprise, a very tough sound with more of a guitar edge — I finally got my own way! The singles 'Heartbreak Beat' and 'Angels Don't Cry' are the easier side of the band, more toned down in energy. Some of the other stuff gets pretty wild, though!" (Evening Post 1987)

Richard Butler: "It's just coming out in America at the moment which is a bit better timing. And we have a video for it and everything." (Radio Luxembourg 1987)

Richard Butler: "I think the actual arrangement of what's going on with the guitars and the saxophone underneath the verses is really unusual. It's not something I would call mainstream it's got an unusual kind of texture in it, and we've done quite a lot of that on [Midnight To Midnight]." (Rock Express 1987)

Richard Butler: "'Shock' sounds great live, and 'Heartbreak Beat' and 'Shadow In My Heart' are going over great on tour." (Rock Express 1987)

Richard Butler: "With [Midnight To Midnight], it was more like playing as a band, though afterwards I'd still want to change things round. I was constantly changing lyrics and melodies..it was driving Chris Kimsey mad! I'd nick a bit out of one song and stick it into another one and by the end, I had about three different ways of singing 'Angels Don't Cry' and at least two versions of 'Heartbreak Beat'. Finally Chris said 'OK, you've got to settle on just one version of each song, you're driving me crazy.'" (Rock Express 1987)

Richard Butler: "I think, lyrically, it's very simplistic. And I would have to say it's not one of my favorites, lyrically. Musically, I think it's great. I mean, I know John was saying, 'I love the guitar sound [inaudible].' I think musically and textually it's great. But lyrically it's simple for me." (Interchords 1988)

Richard Butler (on Midnight To Midnight): "Musically, I think things like 'Heartbreak Beat' are great, but lyrically it is not that brilliant." (L.A. Life 1988)

Richard Butler: "Lyrically I think this is weak. I can sit and listen to it and see why the band like it, but it's very one-dimensional. There's no mystery. It's not so bad that I cringe when I hear it." (Melody Maker 1988)

John Ashton: "A lot of the 'Heartbreak Beat' crowd has shown up, and they're none too pleased that we don't play that song live." (Fort Worth Star Telegram 1990)

John Ashton (on being asked what's the point of not playing "Heartbreak Beat" live): "I'd like to do it, but it comes down to a band vote. This is a democratic band! I don't care much for ['Here Come Cowboys'] but I wouldn't mind doing 'Heartbreak Beat', so there you go." (Fort Worth Star Telegram 1990)

John Ashton: "Big budget, big hair, big production, big disappointment to our original fans. We couldn't care less, we were pop stars! Big mistake. Time to get back to our roots. Unfortunately, this was probably our most popular song, at the time. Audiences would complain bitterly if this was omitted from our set, as it was throughout the Book Of Days and World Outside tours. Sometimes you just can't win!" (Should God Forget liner notes, 1997)

Mars Williams: "The opening sax line on ['Heartbreak Beat']? I played it, then wrote it out. I arranged the horn lines." (Penny Black Music 2009)

Tim Butler (on the Midnight To Midnight songs The Furs had when they first worked with Daniel Lanois): "We had the track 'Midnight To Midnight', I think we had 'Heartbreak Beat'… and a couple of other ones, I can't remember which ones now!" (This Is Not Retro 2010)

Tim Butler (on "The Ghost In You" and "Heaven" getting the most reaction live): "I would have thought 'Heartbreak Beat' would because that's our biggest single, but it doesn't. I don't know how these things work." (Cleveland Scene 2014)

John Ashton: "[Midnight To Midnight] had some great songs. 'Heartbreak Beat' is really my favorite on that album." (Veer Magazine 2015)

Tim Butler (on the songs they play on tours): "We were avoiding songs from the album Midnight To Midnight except of course the 'Heartbreak Beat' for quite some time." (Equality 365 2016)

Tim Butler: "The songs we can't get out of not playing are 'Love My Way,' 'Ghost In You,' 'Heaven,' and 'Heartbreak Beat.' Those are the ones that, if you take out of the set, you'll get lynched." (Nuvo 2023)

Photo: Nick Knight