View source for Welcome to the Pleasuredome (song)

{{Short description|1985 single by Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Welcome to the Pleasuredome
| cover      = WTTP_-_single.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]
| album      = [[Welcome to the Pleasuredome]]
| B-side     =
* "Get It On"
* "Happy Hi!"
| released   = {{start date|1985|3|18|df=y}}
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| length     =
* 13:38 (album version)
* 4:20 (7-inch version)
| label      = [[ZTT Records|ZTT]]
| writer     =
* Peter Gill
* [[Holly Johnson]]
* Mark O'Toole
* Brian Nash
| producer   = [[Trevor Horn]]
| prev_title = [[The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|The Power of Love]]
| prev_year  = 1984
| next_title = [[Rage Hard]]
| next_year  = 1986
| misc       = {{External music video|{{YouTube|WzOGLKTmeuY|"Welcome to the Pleasuredome"}}}}
}}
"'''Welcome to the Pleasuredome'''" is the title track to the 1984 [[Welcome to the Pleasuredome|debut album]] by English [[pop music|pop]] band [[Frankie Goes to Hollywood]]. The lyrics of the song were inspired by the poem ''[[Kubla Khan]]'' by [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]].
In March 1985, the album track was abridged and remixed for release as the group's fourth UK single.
While criticised at the time of release and afterward for being a song that glorifies debauchery, the lyrics (and video), just as Coleridge's poem, were about the ''dangers'' of mindless indulgence. This song, along with "[[Relax (song)|Relax]]", made Frankie Goes to Hollywood even more controversial than they already were.
''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' compared it to "Relax", saying that "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" had "less hook, less controversy, more drama."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-03-30.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122020416/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-03-30.pdf |archive-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=live|title=Pop Picks|date=30 March 1985|accessdate=27 July 2022|page=73}}</ref>
==Original 1985 single==
Despite the group's record label ([[ZTT Records|ZTT]]) pre-emptively promoting the single as "their fourth number one", an achievement that would have set a new UK record for consecutive number one singles by a debuting artist, "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" peaked at number two on the [[UK Singles Chart]], being kept off the top spot by the [[Phil Collins]]/[[Philip Bailey]] duet "[[Easy Lover (Philip Bailey and Phil Collins song)|Easy Lover]]". The single spent a total of eleven weeks on the UK chart.
It was the first release by the group not to reach number one and, despite representing a creditable success in its own right, it symbolically confirmed the end of the chart invincibility that the group had enjoyed during 1984. Frankie Goes to Hollywood would not release another record for seventeen months, and they would fail to emulate their past chart success upon their return.
The spoken-word introductions to both [[12-inch single|12-inch]] mixes are adapted from [[Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)|Walter Kaufmann]]'s 1967 translation of [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s ''[[The Birth of Tragedy]]''. The recitation on the first 12-inch ("Real Altered") is by Gary Taylor, whilst that on the second 12-inch ("Fruitness") and the cassette is by actor [[Geoffrey Palmer (actor)|Geoffrey Palmer]]. It is unknown whether Palmer's concluding "Welcome to the Pleasured''r''ome" was a genuine mistake or a deliberately scripted one.
This is the only single from the group that was not released on a CD single at that time. "Relax", "[[Two Tribes]]", "The Power of Love" and "[[Rage Hard]]+" all saw a CD-maxi release in Germany at the end of the '80s. "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was not given such a release. However, the 7-inch vinyl single was released in two different mixes, and it was purely random as to which one you ended up with, as both mixes were in identical sleeve designs and carried the same catalogue number. Not only that, but the subtitle used to identify different mixes was identical on both record labels, with only the matrix number on the run out groove giving the game away. The first 7-inch (matrix 7 A 1 U) carried the normal 7-inch single mix, which was guitar driven. However, the "secret" alternative mix (matrix 7 A 7 U or 7 A 8 U) was quite different, and featured on the apple-shaped picture disc. The subtitle for that disc was 'alternative reel' but on the 7-inch single the subtitle remained unchanged as 'altered real'.
{{Listen|filename=Welcome to the Pleasuredome (The Alternative).ogg
|title="Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (The Alternative) excerpt|description=An excerpt from "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (The Alternative)}}
==B-sides==
All releases featured an edited version of "Get It On", originally recorded for a [[BBC Radio 1]] session in 1983 (a full-length version was included on the cassette release), plus a faded or full length version of "Happy Hi!", a non-album track.
Both "[[Relax (song)|Relax]] (International)" and "[[Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen song)|Born to Run]]" are live recordings (with some minor overdubs), based on an actual live appearance on ''[[The Tube (1982 TV series)|The Tube]]'s'' "Europe A-Go-Go" in [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] during early January 1985.
==Music video==
The music video for "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was directed by [[Bernard Rose (director)|Bernard Rose]]. It features the group stealing a car whilst Holly is flying in a helicopter chasing them, going to a carnival and encountering all manner of deceptively "pleasureable" activities. The audio soundtrack of the video was included as part of the [[cassette single]].
Three edits were made, the regular 4:55 version with the regular 7-inch mix, a 5:45 version matching what was included on the cassette single and a 7:52 version with a longer, different intro.
==Promotional releases==
In 1984, a few months prior to the album's release, an early instrumental version of the album track was issued as a promotional 12-inch single, entitled "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (Pleasure Fix)", along with a similar early instrumental of "The Only Star in Heaven" (subtitled "Star Fix"). These tracks were subsequently given wider release as part of the B-side to the second 12-inch of "[[The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood song)|The Power of Love]]" single.
"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" was also used on several promotional records in the USA during 1985, featuring the following tracks in various combinations:
*The second UK 7-inch mix of the track ("Alternative Reel"), labelled "[[Trevor Horn]] Re-mix Edit".
*An edited version of the album track created by the [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] radio station [[KRXQ|KZAP]], and known as "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (KZAP Edit)" (6:22)
*A version of the second UK 7-inch mix ("Alternative Reel") with a new introduction added, and known as "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (Urban Mix)" (8:08).  This is on the [[Bang! (1985 Frankie Goes to Hollywood album)|Bang!]] Japanese album and CD, alongside the digital "Fruitness" single.
*A slightly edited (spoken introduction removed) version of "Relax (International)" (4:26)
==Track listings==
* All discographical information pertains to the original UK single release only.
* All songs written by Peter Gill/[[Holly Johnson]]/Brian Nash/Mark O'Toole, unless otherwise noted.
[[File:WTTP - picturediscsingle.jpg|thumb|200px|right|PZTAS 7 picture disc.]]
'''7-inch: ZTT / ZTAS 7 (UK)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Altered Real) – 4:20
# "Get It On" <small>([[Marc Bolan]])</small> – 3:28
# "Happy Hi!" <small>[fade]</small> <small>(Gill/Johnson/O'Toole)</small> – 3:47
*[[Matrix numbers]] on A-side: 1U/2U
*"Get It On" has the third verse edited out, going from the second chorus to the fourth verse.
*The "Altered Real" mix is also known as "Alternative to Reality".
'''7-inch: ZTT / ZTAS 7 (UK)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Alternative Reel) <small>[a.k.a. Escape Act Video Mix or A Remade World]</small> – 5:05
# "Get It On" – 3:28
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:04
*Matrix numbers on A-side: 7U/8U
*Also issued in Ireland and Canada.
'''7-inch: ZTT / PZTAS 7 (UK)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Alternative Reel) – 5:05
# "Get It On" – 2:32
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:04
*Apple-shaped picture disc single
*"Get It On" has the third and fourth verses edited out, going from the second verse to the fourth chorus.
'''7-inch: Island / 7-99653 (US)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 4:20
# "Relax" (International Live) – 4:26
*A-side is actually the "Altered Real" mix.
'''7-inch: Island / 107 199 EP (Germany)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Altered Real) - 4:22
# "Get It On" – 2:32
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:04
*"Get It On" has the third and fourth verses edited out, going from the second verse to the fourth chorus. Also issued in Australia without "Get It On".
'''12-inch: ZTT / 12 ZTAS 7 (UK)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Real Altered) – 9:42
# "Get It On" – 3:28
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:04
# "Relax" (International) <small>(Gill/Johnson/O'Toole)</small> – 4:51
*"Get It On" is the same as the UK 7-inch edit.
*"Relax" (International) was re-released in 2012 on the ''[[Sexmix]]'' compilation in a very slightly edited (first words of spoken introduction removed) version.
*"Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Real Altered) also known as "Welcome to the Pleasuredome (How to Remake the World)".
'''12-inch: ZTT / 12 XZTAS 7 (UK)'''
[[File:WTTP - fruitness.jpg|thumb|200px|right|12 XZTAS 7 cover art.]]
; A: 'Fruitness'
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Fruitness) – 12:15
; B: 'Fruitness and light'
# "Get It On" – 2:32
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:04
# "Born to Run" ("live") – 4:49
*"Fruitness" (usually portrayed without the 1:25 outro) is commonly referred as "The Alternative" by fans.
*"Born to Run" was recorded live in Newcastle in January 1985 during the "Europe A-Go-Go" tour. On other releases this version is labelled as "Born to Run (Live on the Tube)"
'''12-inch: Island / 0-96889 (US)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Trevor Horn Remix) – 9:47
# "Get It On" – 2:32
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:02
# "Relax" (International/Live) – 4:51
*A-side is actually the "Real Altered" mix. Also issued in Germany, and in Australia without "Get It On".
'''Cassette: ZTT / CTIS 107 (UK)'''
# "Happy Hi!" (All in the Body) – 1:18
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (The Soundtrack from Bernard Rose's Video)" – 5:37
# "Get It On" – 4:06
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Real Altered) – 9:23
# "Happy Hi!" (All in the Mind) – 1:05
*"Real Altered" plays at a slightly faster speed here. A 11:40 version of the regular "Real Altered" appears on the digital release and the ''Sexmix'' compilation.
*The complete cassette was slightly edited and re-released in 2012 on ''Sexmix''. By mistake, the re-release was originally pressed in [[Monaural|mono]] and was corrected via a mail-in replacement campaign.
==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
===Weekly charts===
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1985)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=118}}</ref>
| 46
|-
{{single chart|Austria|20|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Belgium (Flanders)|13|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Canadatopsingles|41|chartid=0524|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|France ([[Institut français d'opinion publique|IFOP]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Tubes_Artistes_F.php |title=InfoDisc : Les Tubes de chaque artiste commençant par F|publisher=Infodisc.fr |access-date=17 July 2020}}</ref>
| 65
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland ([[RÚV]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2501681|title=Topp 10 vinsælustu lögin|newspaper=[[DV (newspaper)|DV]]|language=is|page=45|date=26 April 1985|access-date=20 July 2020 |issn=1021-8254|via=[[Timarit.is]]}}</ref>
| 5
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|2|song=Welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|12|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|14|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|9|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Switzerland|20|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=welcome to the Pleasuredome|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|2|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboardhot100|48|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|31|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|West Germany|9|artist=Frankie Goes to Hollywood|song=Welcome to the Pleasuredome|songid=1249|rowheader=true}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1993)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1993/MM-1993-12-11.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=10|issue=50|date=11 December 1993|page=23|access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>
| 40
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])
| 18
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Dance Singles Chart|UK Dance]] (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-11-20.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410160747/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-11-20.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2021 |url-status=live |title= Dance Singles |magazine= [[Music Week]] |date= 20 November 1993 |page= 24 |accessdate= 9 April 2021}}</ref>
| 3
|-
!scope="row"|[[Record Mirror Club Chart|UK Club Chart]] (''[[Music Week]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The ''RM'' Club Chart|magazine=[[Music Week]], in [[Record Mirror]] (Dance Update Supplemental Insert)|date=13 November 1993|page=4|accessdate=12 May 2023|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1993/Music-Week-1993-11-13.pdf}}</ref>
| 20
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (2000)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])
| 45
|}
{{col-2}}
===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Chart (1985)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Top 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=10|date=18 January 1986}}</ref>
| 48
|}
{{col-end}}
==Reissues==
The track has periodically been reissued as a single, including during 1993 and 2000. Although these releases have some admirers, and have usefully made available various original mixes on CD for the first time, the accompanying A-side remixes by contemporary DJs have tended on the whole to bear little or no comparison to the spirit of the originals.{{Vague|date=January 2022}}
Reissues in the group's name have also tended to shun any overt reference to the identity of the original artists, and the reissue artwork has notably featured no images of the group. It has been suggested{{By whom|date=January 2022}} that this situation may relate to Johnson's successful but acrimonious court case against ZTT in 1989, which freed him (and effectively the other group members) from their contract with the label.
===1993 reissues===
* '''CD: ZTT / FGTH2CD United Kingdom'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Original 7-inch) – 4:22
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Brothers in Rhythm Rollercoaster Mix) – 14:36
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Non-stop Top Floor Club Mix) – 6:06
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Pleasurefix Original 12-inch Mix) – 9:41
(Track 4 is mislabelled. It's the "Real Altered" version from 12 ZTAS 7.)
* '''12-inch: ZTT / FGTH2T United Kingdom'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Brothers in Rhythm Rollercoaster Mix) – 14:36
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Non-stop Top Floor Club Mix) – 6:06
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Elevatorman's Deep Down Bass-Ment Dub) – 6:02
===2000 reissues===
* '''CD: ZTT / ZTT 166CD United Kingdom'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Album Mix Edit) – 3:35
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Remix Edit) – 8:00
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Anthem Mix) – 7:32
* '''CD: Avex / AVTCDS-296 Japan'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Full Length Mix) – 11:23
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sander's Coming Home Mix) – 10:18
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Paralyzer Remix) – 5:17
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Dub) – 11:22
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Edit) – 3:53
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sleazesister Full Length Club) – 7:32
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Pleasurefix Mix) – 9:40
* '''12-inch: ZTT / ZTT 166 T United Kingdom'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Nalin & Kane Remix) – 11:23
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Sander's Coming Home Remix) – 10:18
===2014 reissues===
* '''Digital download (regular)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Altered Real) – 4:23
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Real Altered) – 9:40
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Alternative Reel) <small>[''reel'' misspelt as ''real'']</small> – 5:08
# "Get It On" (short version) – 2:36
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:06
# "Relax" (International) – 4:43
* '''Digital download (Fruitness)'''
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Fruitness) – 12:15
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Urban) – 8:05
# "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" (Pleasurefix) – 9:44
# "The Only Star in Heaven" (Starfix) – 3:54
# "Get It On" (short version) – 2:36
# "Happy Hi!" – 4:06
# "Born to Run" (International) – 4:54
==Other versions==
The instrumental "Into Battle Mix" appears on the soundtrack to the film ''[[Toys (film)|Toys]]'', specifically utilised whenever the Tommy Tanks appeared.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Frankie Goes to Hollywood}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1985 singles]]
[[Category:Frankie Goes to Hollywood songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Holly Johnson]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Trevor Horn]]
[[Category:ZTT Records singles]]
[[Category:1985 songs]]