Vienna (Ultravox song)

Written in January 1980, "Vienna" has a dramatic grand piano in the verses and chorus, and a viola solo in the middle of the song. Other sounds include a solid synth bass line played on a MiniMoog, an Elka string synthesiser and a Roland CR-78 drum machine. The drum machine pattern created by Warren Cann was the basis of the song. Cann and the classically trained Billy Currie together wanted to create something that might sound like it had been written by a late-19th-century romantic composer, so they started creating the basic chords and sounds of the song, and the romantic viola solo was influenced by German composer Max Reger. Ure said of the track: "We wanted to take the song and make it incredibly pompous in the middle, leaving it very sparse before and after, but finishing with a typically over-the top classical ending." The band's record company Chrysalis Records was reluctant to release "Vienna" as a single, thinking the song too slow and too long to be successful, but relented after the band persisted. ==Release and chart performance==

The single spent four consecutive weeks at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and then by Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" for a further three weeks. It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in February 1981, denoting sales of over 500,000 copies in the UK, In 2017, Ure declined an opportunity to meet Dolce, saying: "I've had 40 years of people talking about Joe 'Bloody' Dolce and I don't want to spend what I've got left talking about when I met him." ==Music video==

The music video, directed by Russell Mulcahy, is particularly evocative of The Third Man. It was Ultravox's second video, after "Passing Strangers" (also with Mulcahy), and cost £6,000–£7,000, footed by the band after Chrysalis refused to fund it. The gravestone that is shown in the video and on the single cover is part of the grave of the Austrian piano manufacturer Carl Schweighofer, and is located in the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna. The city's cathedral and Michaelerplatz square also feature, although the video was mostly filmed in London's Covent Garden. ==B-sides==

The B-side to the single is "Passionate Reply". It was recorded in August 1980 at Criteria Studios in Miami, on their American tour. The 12-inch single includes "Herr X", a version of the Kraftwerk-esque album track "Mr. X" sung entirely in German by Warren Cann with the aid of native German producer Conny Plank. Both tracks were included on the remastered CD version of the Vienna album as bonus tracks. ==Reissue==

On 25 January 1993 "Vienna" was re-released by Chrysalis, to promote the Midge Ure/Ultravox greatest hits compilation If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox. This reissue peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. Like the compilation album, the single also included songs by Midge Ure (as B-sides). ==Track listings==

All songs written and composed by Warren Cann, Chris Cross, Billy Currie, and Midge Ure, except where noted. 1981 7-inch vinyl • UK, Australia: Chrysalis / CHS 2481 • Germany, Netherlands: Chrysalis / 102 905 12-inch vinyl • UK, France: Chrysalis / CHS 12 2481 • Germany: Chrysalis / 600 352-213 • Netherlands: Chrysalis / 12.2481 1993 CD • UK: Chrysalis / CDCHS 3936 • UK: Chrysalis / CDCHSS 3936 ("Limited edition collectors pack CD1 of a 2CD set", with space for the second CD) UK: Chrysalis / CDCHS 3937 ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

In March 1992, a re-recorded version of "Vienna", by a new Ultravox line-up, was released as a single in Germany. This line-up consisted of original Ultravox member Billy Currie on keyboards, violin and percussion, and Tony Fenelle on vocals, guitar and percussion. The backing vocals on B-side "Systems of Love" were performed by Alison Limerick and Jackie Williams. The single did not chart. It was not included in the album Revelation. Track listings 12-inch vinyl Germany: ZYX / 6767-12 CD Germany: ZYX / 6767-8 ==Cover versions==

Vic Reeves In 1992, comedian Vic Reeves (Jim Moir) appeared on the album ''Ruby Trax – The NME's Roaring Forty, singing a version of the song with different lyrics in the verses. The compilation was released by NME, a magazine that had been publishing single charts since 1952, with all records covered having reached the number-one slot in their own charts during 40 years of publication. As "Vienna" by Ultravox reached number one on the NME charts on 21 February 1981 (staying at the top for one week) it was eligible for inclusion within the concept of the project, where it would not have been allowed if NME'' had been following the British Market Research Bureau/Gallup chart (now branded as the Official Chart). Take That notably sampled a section of "Vienna" on their track "Eight Letters" in 2010. ==References==