For a Friend

"For a Friend"
Single by The Communards
from the album Red
B-side	"Victims (Live)" (7")
Released	1988 (International release)
Format	Vinyl record (7" 45) (12" single) CD Maxi Single
Genre	Pop, ballad
Length	4:39 (CD single)
Label	London Records (UK) / Metronome (Germany)
Writer(s)	Richard Coles, Jimmy Somerville
Producer(s)	Stephen Hague
The Communards singles chronology
"Never Can Say Goodbye" (1987) "For a Friend" (1988) "There's More to Love" (1988)

"For a Friend" is a single from the British pop duo The Communards and appeared on their 1987 album Red.

The song is an emotional ballad and was written in the memory of Mark Ashton,^[1] a friend of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles.^[2] Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock writes that this cut may be Somerville's "most impassioned moment".^[1] "For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts.^[3]

In media

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.^[4] In 2014, the song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Pride.^[5]

Track and format listing

7" Vinyl - LON 166 (UK)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"For a Friend"	4:35
2.	"Victims (Live)"	5:08

For a Friend 12" Vinyl - London LONX 166 (UK)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"For a Friend"
2.	"Victims (Live)"
3.	"Don't Leave Me This Way (Live)"
4.	"Heavens Above"

For a Friend 12" Vinyl - London LONY 166 (UK)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"For a Friend (Remix)"
2.	"You Are My World (Live)"
3.	"So Cold The Night (Live)"
4.	"Victims (Live)"

For a Friend 12" Vinyl Promo - London LOXDJ 166 (UK)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"For a Friend"
2.	"Megamix"
3.	"Never Can Say Goodbye"
4.	"Don't Leave Me This Way"
5.	"Disenchanted"
6.	"You Are My World"
7.	"Heaven Above"
8.	"You Are My World"

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart	Peak position
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[6]	29
Germany (Official German Charts)[7]	35
Ireland (IRMA)[8]	12
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9]	28

Notes

1. Hooper 2003, pp. 221–222.
2. Kellman, Andy. "Review: Red". Allmusic.
3. Warwick, Kutner & Brown 2004, p. 256.
4. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - the Communards - "For a friend"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
5. Brightmore, Dan (12 September 2014). "The Story Behind the Making of Pride – Producer and Cast Q&A". NME. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
6. "The Communards - For A Friend" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
7. "Offiziellecharts.de – The Communards – For A Friend". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
8. "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
9. "Archive Chart: 1988-03-12" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 November 2014.

References

• Hooper, Mark (2003). Buckley, Peter, ed. The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0. OL 9016361W.
• Kutner, Jon (28 October 2012). "For A Friend (Communards)".
• Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British charts: Singles & Albums. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84449-058-5.

External links

• For a Friend at AllMusic
• "For a Friend" at MusicBrainz
• "For a Friend" at Discogs
• "Jimmy Somerville on TV-am in 1988" on YouTube