Locomotion (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark song)

"Locomotion" was recorded in the last week during the sessions at Montserrat before the drums were overdubbed at ICP Studios in Brussels. The original song was combined with a steel drum rhythm that Paul Humphreys had written the previous week and a bass line and piano that Gordian Troeller (the band's manager) contributed. The track was mixed and the brass added at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands; the brass arrangements were made by Tony Visconti. The song marries downcast lyrics with upbeat melodies.[1]

Live recordings of "Locomotion" have been issued on the 12" releases of the singles "La Femme Accident" (1985) "If You Leave" (1986) and the second CD single of "Everyday" (1993), as well as on the Architecture & Morality & More and Live in Berlin albums.[2]

"Locomotion", which marked a move toward more pop-oriented material for OMD, faced initial criticism – notably on BBC Radio 1's Round Table show.[3] Conversely, Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits felt the single was a return to form after the commercially unsuccessful Dazzle Ships. He wrote: "Having failed to impress the world with songs about robots in Czechoslovakia, OMD return in a lighter vein [...] with no references whatsoever to genetic engineering. Pleasant."[4]

Critic Dave Thompson praised "Locomotion" in a retrospective review for AllMusic, writing: "[E]verything about this number spells lightness: the breezy melody, the tootling synths, the giddy keyboards, and — best of all — the band's effervescent harmonies."[1] Louder Than War journalist Paul Scott-Bates remarked: "In terms of a pop song, it borders classic – instantly recognisable from the first few seconds, a chorus that everyone knows and verses that were as memorable as choruses."[5]

All formats featured "Her Body in My Soul" on the B-side. There is an additional track on the 12" vinyl and 3" CD singles, "The Avenue". Both songs can be found on the B-sides compilation album, Navigation: The OMD B-Sides (2001). "The Avenue" was the first song recorded at Montserrat and deals with the repetition of mistakes that people have made before you. The sample used in the song is taken from the Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker, released in 1979.[6]

• Lyrics