Secret (OMD song)

"Secret"
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Crush
B-side	"Drift" (UK) "Firegun" (US)
Released	8 July 1985
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	The Manor, 1984
Genre	New wave
Length	3:56
Label	Virgin Records (UK) A&M Records (US)
Writer(s)	Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys
Producer(s)	Stephen Hague, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"So in Love" (1985) "Secret" (1985) "La Femme Accident" (1985)

"Secret" is a song by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released as a single from their 1985 album Crush. Paul Humphreys sings lead vocals on the track. It became their second US Billboard Hot 100 entry, peaking at number 63, and also made number 34 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was featured in the movie Arthur 2: On the Rocks and on its soundtrack album.

Critic Dave Thompson in AllMusic called the track an "emotive love song", while criticising its "over-produced behemoth of a backing".^[1]

B-sides

The UK B-side "Drift" was an instrumental song written by Paul Humphreys and Martin Cooper. "Drift" has never been released on CD. The US B-Side "Firegun" is a vocal song credited to the whole band that was later released on their 2001 CD compilation Navigation: The OMD B-Sides. "Firegun" was released in the UK as the B-side to the band's successive single La Femme Accident.

Music video

The video for "Secret", directed by Andy Morahan,^[2] shows black and white scenes and usually cuts out to colour scenes of Humphreys singing the song. The theme is that a woman deserts her current love interest (McCluskey) to return to the arms of her true love (Humphreys). McCluskey's character observes the two lovers together and, though despondent, gallantly accepts that his love interest should instead be with Humphreys' character, before walking into the distance along the shore. The clip was filmed at Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex.

Live performances

The song was part of the setlist during the Crush tour in 1985 and 1986, although more recently has only been performed at gigs in the US.^[3] A video recording of a short concert held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands in aid of Greenpeace on 26 October 1985 shows that Humphreys shared the lead vocal with Andy McCluskey.^[4]

Track listing

7": Virgin / VS 796 (UK)

1. "Secret" – 3:54
2. "Drift" – 4:14

12": Virgin / VS 796-12 (UK)

1. "Secret" (extended mix) – 6:14
2. "Drift" – 4:14

7" A&M/Virgin / AM-2794 (US)

1. "Secret" – 3:54
2. "Firegun" – 4:36

Initial releases had a bonus disc with:

1. "Red Frame/White Light"
2. "I Betray My Friends"

Chart positions

Chart (1985)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	34
US Billboard Hot 100	63

Cover versions

A cover of the song by Laura Watling appeared on the 2001 compilation Pretending to See the Future: A Tribute to OMD.

References in other media

The hit Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which was known for naming episodes in its early seasons after '80s hit songs, named a two-part episode after this song. It was also featured in the 2014 film Skeleton Twins.

References

1. "Secret" review at AllMusic
2. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "Secret"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
3. "Secret by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2016-08-30.
4. "OMD - Live 1985 Full Concert" (YouTube). October 30, 2013. Retrieved 2016-08-30.