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Walking on the Milky Way (song)

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"Walking on the Milky Way"
Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
from the album Universal
B-side
  • "Mathew Street"
  • "The New Dark Age"
Released5 August 1996 (1996-08-05)[1]
StudioTownhouse (London, England)
Length
  • 4:38 (album version)
  • 4:04 (single edit)
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Andy McCluskey
  • Matthew Vaughan
  • David Nicholas
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology
"Everyday"
(1993) 		"Walking on the Milky Way"
(1996) 		"Universal"
(1996)
Music video
"Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Walking On The Milky Way" on YouTube

"Walking on the Milky Way" is a song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was released as a single on 5 August 1996 and appeared on their Universal album a month later. The song reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's first UK top-20 hit in over five years, and their last UK top-40 single. The band were flanked by a full string orchestra for their Top of the Pops performance of the song broadcast on 16 August 1996.

Reception

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Simon Williams of NME called the song "seethingly splendid" and "euphorically daft".[2] In a retrospective article, AllMusic critic Dave Thompson praised Andy McCluskey's "rousing" vocal, and wrote, "With its sublime melody and a suitably anthemic chorus, this stellar single, released in August 1996, was a deserving Top 20 British hit."[3] Jack Watkins of Record Collector described the track as a "powerful song" that "went largely unnoticed by radio stations".[4]

Band response

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McCluskey commented on the track in a November 2001 interview with The Guardian:

"I sweated blood over... 'Walking on the Milky Way', which I thought was about as good a song as I could write. [BBC] Radio 1 wouldn't play it, because it wasn't perceived as trendy by their target audience. Because Radio 1 wouldn't play it, Woolworths wouldn't stock it. The upshot of it was that one of the best songs I'd ever written struggled to get to number 17 in the [UK] charts. I just thought: 'Screw this, I'm not going to bang my head against a brick wall'."[5]

This frustration led McCluskey to abandon OMD, and form and write songs for Liverpool girl group Atomic Kitten (alongside erstwhile OMD member Stuart Kershaw).[5]

Versions and B-sides

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The same version of the song was used for the single and album release. A single edit was made for the promotional single, and appeared on the compilations The OMD Singles (1998) and Messages: Greatest Hits (2008). The B-side "Mathew Street", co-written with former Kraftwerk member Karl Bartos, references the location of Eric's Club (where OMD gave their first public performance) and The Cavern Club in Liverpool. The track is written in the style of a Sgt. Pepper's-period Beatles song. The CD single also features "The New Dark Age", a slower electronic ballad whose title references the band's 1981 song "The New Stone Age" from their Architecture & Morality album. It was written and performed by McCluskey alone.

Promotional video

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A promo video was made for the song mostly featuring Andy McCluskey singing the song in various locations. The video makes use of slow motion and other special visual effects reflecting the tempo and grandiose style of the song. It was directed by Howard Greenhalgh.

Track listings

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UK CD and cassette single[6][7]

  1. "Walking on the Milky Way" (Andy McCluskey, Nigel Ipinson, Keith Small)
  2. "Mathew Street" (McCluskey, Karl Bartos)
  3. "The New Dark Age" (McCluskey)

UK limited-edition CD single[8]

  1. "Walking on the Milky Way" (McCluskey, Ipinson, Small)
  2. "Joan of Arc" (live) (McCluskey)
  3. "Maid of Orleans" (live) (McCluskey)
  4. "Walking on Air" (live) (OMD, Kershaw, Massett)
  • All live tracks were recorded at Bonn Biskuithalle on 16 November 1993.

European CD single[9]

  1. "Walking on the Milky Way" (McCluskey, Ipinson, Small) – 4:38
  2. "Mathew Street" (McCluskey, Bartos) – 3:33

Charts

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Chart (1996) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 16
Czech Republic (IFPI CR)[11] 4
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[12] 19
Germany (GfK)[13] 53
Scotland (OCC)[14] 23
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[15] 49
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 17

References

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  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 3 August 1996. p. 27. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  2. ^ Williams, Simon (31 August 1996). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: Universal". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Walking on the Milky Way – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Song Info – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  4. ^ Watkins, Jack (21 April 2013). "Mute Record". Record Collector. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b Alexis Petridis. "The power behind pop". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  6. ^ Walking on the Milky Way (UK CD single liner notes). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Virgin Records. 1996. VSCDT1599, 7243 8 93717 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Walking on the Milky Way (UK cassette single sleeve). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Virgin Records. 1996. VSC1599, 7243 8 93717 4 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Walking on the Milky Way (UK limited CD single liner notes). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Virgin Records. 1996. VSCDG 1599, 7243 8 93733 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Walking on the Milky Way (European CD single liner notes). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Virgin Records. 1996. VSCDE 1599, 7243 8 93735 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Walking on the Milky Way" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 45. 9 November 1996. p. 28. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 35. 31 August 1996. p. 13. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  13. ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Walking on the Milky Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  15. ^ "OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – Walking on the Milky Way". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
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