KBPS Hall of Fame #1: The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way

Our regular column charting my favourite songs of all time.

#1: The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way

I can't say I've DJ'd live more than half-a-dozen times but whenever I have there are only a handful of songs that I can guarantee will fill the dancefloor, and one of these is this 1986 cover from the Communards. Literally as the first drum sound hits and the choir-esque humming opening kicks in you can see the feet of those sitting down starting to tap and by the time Jimmy Somerville's falsetto vocals begin at the 30-second mark they're up dancing and singing along, seemingly discovering the dance moves for the song from some deep recess of their memory bank.

The song was originally released back in November 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. With Teddy Pendergrass on vocals this is a slower, much more soulful and sexy version of the song, the vocals breathy and delivered in a much sultry manner, the dark shades of the brass lending it a cooler but ultimately less bombastic tone before it bursts two-minutes in to the larger sound that is familiar from the more famous cover.

Only a year later it was covered by Thelma Houston and given a more disco beat, edging it closer to the Communards take, but it was still a slower paced song than my favourite version, the vocals still a little ethereal and the production subdued.

It would be another ten years before we'd get to the definitive version with its stronger, more focused, production. It would later be covered by many people and even twisted into Bakermat's 'Baby' in 2017, but this rips up the joy of the original and tries to squeeze it into the typical electro-dance sound of the era, destroying the magic, even if the saxophone solo on it is a cool addition.

For me there is only one definitive version: the funky, disco take by the Communards with the video that features both Battersea Power Station and a pre-Strictly Come Dancing and pre-frocked Rev. Coles on the piano. Reaching number one in the UK and staying there for four weeks, this is one of the definitive hits of the decade.

There's just something so powerful about the song, whether it's the soaring vocals that lead into the chantable chorus, the brass line, the piano-solo and the sing-a-long vibe, and you can quite easily see how it has become such a favourite at wedding parties. Plus the dystopian theme that runs through the video ending on the creepy shot of the man in glasses is an intriguing juxtaposition to the more joyful performance.

So next time you're at a party and you think the dancefloor could do with a kick up the bum, then you could do much worse than requesting this. If I'm DJing there, I'll more than happily accept your suggestion!