Rediscovering the Uncharted Impact of Anne Clark in '80s Dance Music

The Twelve Inch 121 : "Sleeper In Metropolis" (Anne Clark)

Welcome, I’m ben Pe Dupre and this is “The Twelve Inch”, a newsletter that tells the history of dance music between 1975 and 1995, one twelve inch at a time.

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The Uncharted Popularity of Anne Clark

Growing up in the '80s, "Sleeper in Metropolis" and "Our Darkness" by Anne Clark were staples in my music diet. These songs, though immensely popular at parties, never charted. It always puzzled me how "Sleeper in Metropolis" and "Our Darkness" became ingrained in the music memory of that era without making it onto the charts. This week, I dive into the story behind "Sleeper in Metropolis," the debut single of Anne Clark, a tale of young, inexperienced artists against the might of a big record company.

The Poetic Dance of Anne Clark

Anne Clark, played a crucial role in merging poetry with dance music in the '80s. Her work seamlessly combines spoken word poetry with electronic music, crafting a distinctive sound that has left a lasting impact on numerous artists and genres. Her unique style, marked by poetic recitations over synth-heavy tracks, distinguished her in the music scene of that time.

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Spoken word is a form of oral poetic performance art that emphasizes both the poem and the performer's aesthetic qualities. It continues an ancient oral tradition into the 20th century, focusing on the beauty of recitation and wordplay, including live intonation and voice inflection. This "catchall" term encompasses various forms of poetry recited aloud, such as poetry readings, poetry slams, jazz poetry, pianologues, musical readings, hip hop music, comedy routines, and prose monologues. Unlike written poetry, spoken word relies more on phonaesthetics—the aesthetics of sound—than on visual presentation on the page.

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Early Influences: From Turbulent Childhood to Poetic Expression

Clark was born in Croydon, South London, on May 14, 1960. Her childhood was marked by frequent clashes with a domineering mother and an absent father, fueling her writing. She recalls, "My parents were, and still, to some degree remain a bit of a mystery to me in a way. I don't think I'll ever know exactly who they were completely. My mother really was the core of the household. Her moods and her behavior really dictated how the day, the week, whatever, would proceed. There was a lot of violence in the house, really, physical and emotional violence, which was very difficult.”

There would be great fights, there would be wonderful fights in the house. It would start off with me and my brother, and then my brother and my mom, and then me, my mom and my brother, and then my dad would come in, and my brother and my dad and everyone, until the neighbors call the police. The police would come and break it up sometimes. It was complete madness.

An essential influence on her writing was her secondary school social studies class, which often visited Cane Hill psychiatric hospital. This experience opened her eyes to the fragility and vulnerability of people, shaping her understanding of humanity.

Emerging in the Punk Scene: The Birth of a Poetic Voice

Leaving school at 16, Clark worked various odd jobs before joining Bonaparte Records, an independent record shop. Immersed in the punk and new wave scene, she started booking events at the Warehouse Theater, presenting cutting-edge music, poetry, and comedy. The early '80s in the UK, marked by rampant homophobia, saw punk rock as a means for Clark to channel her emotions and engage with the music scene. “It’s thanks to punk rock and new wave really, because if it hadn't been for that, I think I wouldn't have had a chance”

The Breakthrough: "Sleeper in Metropolis"

Anne Clark began writing her songs and performing at London clubs, making her live debut at Richard Strange's Cabaret Futura. In 1982, she released her first album, The Sitting Room, in which she worked with Dominic Appleton of This Mortal Coil. She started collaborating with keyboard player David Harrow on her second LP, Changing Places (1983). His pulsating synthesizer work gave Clark's songs a compelling yet hard-edged electronic sheen that suited the often-alienated tone of her lyrics. "Sleeper in Metropolis" was the first release from this collaboration

David Harrow

The song explores themes of alienation, insignificance and the dehumanizing effects of modern, technologically-driven society. Inspired by the high-rise buildings in Croydon (one of which was standing at 10 meters from her bedroom window). “If there was one inspiration for Sleeper in Metropolis, people often ask me, what inspired these songs? I can't always give an exact answer, but really, I think this building played a big part in inspiring Sleeper in Metropolis. I remember sitting in my room and writing the text very clearly”

Anne Clark describes the creation process as organic, combining arpeggios on analog synths with drumbeats to produce a unique sound. The experimental and layered approach would be the reason the repertoire would stand out.

Struggles with Success and Industry Challenges

David Harrow's electronics dominated many of Clark's best-known releases. However, their relationship soured when success brought financial complications. “We made so much money. I've never seen so much money in my life. More money than I'd ever earned, ever. There's us two kids, we were 21 and 22, with this money, and of course, it's like a magnet. People said, "Oh, you need a manager to take care of this now. You need a tour manager to drive you and to make sure that you receive…" It's a big spider's web”

Despite an oral agreement with Red Flame Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, that there would be a 50/50 split, it turned out that the contract was different and the influx of money and lack of proper management led to significant issues.

Clark recounts, “Because we were doing a very big tour and it meant buying lots of new equipment. At the time, it was just the time when all these samplers, sampling equipment, and these huge keyboards called emulators, which were like big tanks, the big floppy disk things, and he's, "Yes, you need two of these to go on tour," and it really was very expensive. During the tour, the guy disappeared with all the money. The keyboards weren't paid for. The two of us wasn't paid for. At the end of the tour, nothing had been paid for. Of course, everybody-- "Oh, it's the Anne Clark tour." Everybody came to me”

Anne wanted to sue, David disagreed. The relationship with Virgin soured. It cost her the (promo) support of the record company which is the main reason why both songs never grew out of the underground succes. At the time of the problems she was scheduled to go on tour to the US. Those plans were cancelled as well. So when the album “Hopeless Cases” was released in 1987, it was all over.

A Brief Hiatus and a Strong Comeback

Following these setbacks, Clark moved to Norway for three years, focusing on simple living and temporarily stepping away from music. However, she returned in the '90s, signing a new deal with SVP and releasing new albums. I personally reconnected with Anne Clark’s music through the 1993 album “The Law Is An Anagram Of Wealth”, a significant piece in her discography. The album is almost New Age but the music is a perfect fit for her spoken word poetry. It is one of my favorite nineties albums. Many of her lyrics deal critically with the imperfections of humanity, everyday life, and politics. She created a gloomy, melancholy atmosphere bordering on weltschmerz.

Listen to the beautiful lyrics of “Lost To The World”

The European connection

Anne Clark always had a very strong connection with mainland Europe. She was strongly opposed to Brexit (made an anti Brexit song) and ditched her UK pasport for an Irish One. I started by explaining how “Sleeper In Metropolis” and “Our Darkness” are part of our (as in Belgian) common music memory of the eighties but the relationship works both ways : Yes, I have had a strong link to Belgium whole my life. Since I was a child. My parents had friends in Charleroi, who I have always regarded as family. One of my oldest friends is from Sint-Niklaas. My partner is from Nieuwkerken-Waas. My first ever concerts outside of the UK were in Gent. It’s a very special country for me. Such a tiny country yet with such a big cultural life and appreciation. The music scene is so wonderful in Belgium.

Anne Clark lives in Belgium and is still active today. She is working on new material after battling cancer during the covid period.

Anne Clark’s Enduring Influence

Anne Clark's innovative blend of poetry and electronic music in the '80s carved out a niche that continues to resonate. Her work influenced numerous artists in electronic, industrial, and alternative music. Her poetic electronic music stands as a testament to the genre's rich potential, offering a profound listening experience that transcends the beat. “Sleeper In Metropolis” has been remixed a number of times. When I was at Warner’s I had the honor to release the “Sleeper In Metropolis 3000” remix.

Guess where Rammstein got the inspiration from for “Deutschland”

A Call To Action :

Anne Clark enjoyed success mainly in Belgium, Germany, and the Nordics (as far as I know). Did you know her work before reading this week’s episode? If you grew up in the '80s, were you familiar with her music? Share your memories and join the conversation.

Further reading (or should I say watching)

There are a number of interesting video’s/links :

1. The video (I don’t think there was an “official” video, but this one comes close)

2. There are a lot of bad “live” videos of Anne Clark on YouTube. This is one from her own official site

3. The recent Steve Blame interview with Anne Clark

4. If you want to support the artist, you buy directly from Anne Clark on her Bandcamp page

So You Wanna Hear More ?

I thought you would !

It’s fun to write about music but let’s be honest. Music is made to listen to.

Every week, together with this newsletter, I release a 1 hour beatmix on Mixcloud and Soundcloud. I start with the discussed twelve inch and follow up with 10/15 songs from the same timeframe/genre. The ideal soundtrack for…. Well whatever you like to do when you listen to dance music.

Go To The Mixcloud Mix Of The Week

There is a Facebook & Instagram page. You can follow The Twelve Inch” to keep informed of what is happening with the blog, the mixes..etc..

So what’s in this week’s mix ?

I enjoyed making this week’s mix even more than usual, because it comes quite close to the sort of sets I would play when dj-ing a party at the start of the eighties. So it is a combination between New-Wave, Synth-Pop & Electro.

After “Sleeper In Metropolis” and SPK’s “Junk Funk”, there’s electro from Man Parrish, Hipnosis and Homecomputer from Kraftwerk.

Then we go on to the English New-Wave of B-Movie, Simple Minds and A Flock Of Seagulls. Synth-Pop of Tears For Fears (with the original twelve inch mix of “Pale Shelter”) and Human League and American new wave with Quando Quango, ESG & Konk

I end this week’s set with two of the most iconic dance records of that period : “Situation” '(Dub) (Yazoo) and “Dirty Talk” (Klein & M.B.O.)

Enjoy !

A few days ago I read in a bio of one of the creators over at Mixcloud “I Love dance, I hate Bruce Springsteen”. Quite the statement 😁. But as we say in French “des goûts et des couleurs, on ne discute pas” (or “to each his own”). They aren’t necessarily excluding opposites though. Something I will prove in next week’s episode.