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Lyrically, "Empire State Human" is a song about becoming powerful using the analogy of size, with Oakey declaring that he wants to be "tall" 60 times in 3 minutes. Uncut magazine drew a comparison with Oakey's own personal ambition:
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The B-side, "Introducing", is an instrumental produced by The Human League. Oakey sang on the original recording but the vocals were not used on the released version.
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316:. Upon its first release in October 1979, the single failed to chart. However, it was re-released in June 1980 and fared slightly better, reaching number 62 in the
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332:"I wanna be tall, tall, tall, as big as a wall, wall, wall". Oakey's Nietzschian pop fantasy reflected his own burgeoning full-on pop ambitions...
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The song was the third single to be released by the original line-up of the Human League, and the only single from the band's 1979 debut album
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included a free copy of the single "Only After Dark" with the first 15,000 copies as a sweetener.
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In 2022 the song was used as the intro music on the "Surrender" book tour by U2 front man
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in a minigame for the retro stage, and also featured on the game's original soundtrack.
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The open shirted man on the cover artwork is band member Ian Craig Marsh's father.
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483:"THE HUMAN LEAGUE Blind Youth - the complete guide to The Human League 1977-1980"
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The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the
History of Pop Music
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Listening to the Music the
Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983
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416:
Wide, Steve (22 September 2020). "Honourable
Mentions: The Human League".
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Breihan, Tom (15 November 2022). "The Human League - "Don't You Want Me".
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514:(19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 262.
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66:"Introducing" "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" (Dutch Release)
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373:"The Human League - Empire State Human (Vinyl)"
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303:. It was co-produced by The Human League and
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446:Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1979.3".
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419:A Field Guide to Post-Punk and New Wave
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342:It was used in the 2012 video game
1131:Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
1045:The Things That Dreams Are Made Of
422:. Smith Street Books. p. 71.
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1084:The Very Best of The Human League
798:The Very Best of The Human League
783:The Very Best of The Human League
243:
1190:Songs written by Ian Craig Marsh
511:British Hit Singles & Albums
919:Love Action (I Believe in Love)
813:Original Remixes & Rarities
18:1979 single by The Human League
1077:The Human League Greatest Hits
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1185:Songs written by Philip Oakey
791:The Golden Hour of the Future
1180:Songs written by Martyn Ware
1138:YMO Versus The Human League
1118:British Electric Foundation
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1003:Soundtrack to a Generation
947:(Keep Feeling) Fascination
776:Soundtrack to a Generation
291:. The song was written by
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540:The-black-hit-of-space.dk
283:is a song by the British
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989:Love Is All That Matters
508:Roberts, David (2006).
1200:Virgin Records singles
1160:The Human League songs
1024:Filling Up with Heaven
912:The Sound of the Crowd
845:The Sound of the Crowd
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320:. For the re-release,
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884:I Don't Depend on You
831:The Dignity of Labour
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205:I Don't Depend on You
1031:Stay with Me Tonight
658:Philip Adrian Wright
281:"Empire State Human"
87:Monumental Studios,
24:"Empire State Human"
1070:Video Single (1983)
1017:One Man in My Heart
536:"Made In Sheffield"
403:Hachette Book Group
996:Heart Like a Wheel
982:I Need Your Loving
891:Empire State Human
761:Compilation albums
565:"The Human League"
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214:Empire State Human
194:singles chronology
183:The Human League,
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1038:All I Ever Wanted
933:Don't You Want Me
859:Dance Like a Star
463:978-1-915841-45-2
429:978-1-925811-76-6
345:Lollipop Chainsaw
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961:Life on Your Own
806:Live at the Dome
709:Love and Dancing
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633:Joanne Catherall
614:The Human League
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108:electro-punk
78:(re-release)
52:Reproduction
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1108:Discography
954:The Lebanon
886:" (The Men)
838:Holiday '80
672:Jim Russell
653:Martyn Ware
377:Discogs.com
297:Martyn Ware
178:Producer(s)
166:Martyn Ware
1170:1979 songs
1154:Categories
940:Mirror Man
695:Travelogue
663:Ian Burden
574:15 October
545:15 October
493:15 October
382:15 October
359:References
76:June 1980
1113:Heaven 17
730:Romantic?
668:Jo Callis
285:synth-pop
118:glam rock
89:Sheffield
716:Hysteria
84:Recorded
71:Released
869:Singles
744:Secrets
737:Octopus
227:(1980)
218:(1979)
103:Art pop
968:Louise
801:(2003)
786:(1998)
680:Albums
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287:group
148:Virgin
126:Length
61:B-side
39:Single
975:Human
751:Credo
723:Crash
143:Label
96:Genre
702:Dare
576:2016
547:2016
516:ISBN
495:2016
458:ISBN
424:ISBN
384:2016
353:Bono
299:and
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261:file
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41:by
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