Weak in the Presence of Beauty (song)

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" marked a new beginning for Floy Joy as the band had undergone line-up changes since the release of their 1984 debut album Into the Hot. Both lead vocalist Carroll Thompson and founding member Shaun Ward left the group in 1985. Michael Ward decided to continue as Floy Joy, with the band's percussionist and backing vocalist Desy Campbell becoming the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Clarke joining the group.{{cite magazine|date=25 January 1986|title=Talent: Bringing new tidings of joy|magazine=Music Week|last=White|first=Chris|page=8|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-01-25.pdf|via=World Radio History|access-date=10 June 2021}}

"Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was released in January 1986 as the lead single from their upcoming album of the same name. The song reached No. 85 on the UK Singles Chart, but was a bigger success in Australia, reaching No. 29 on the Kent Music Report chart. In Canada, it reached No. 68 on the RPM 100 Singles chart and No. 14 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart.

Speaking to The Face in 1986, Michael Ward revealed the song's title was inspired by a conversation he had with a girl. He said, "This girl was saying that she didn't trust me and I said, just off the cuff, 'What can I do, I'm weak in the presence of beauty'. I still don't know where it came from."{{cite web|url=http://desicampbell.com/floy-joy-the-face-interview/ |title=Floy Joy, The Face Interview | Desi Campbell Singer, Songwriter |publisher=Desi Campbell |access-date=8 May 2014}} In a later interview with The Times, Campbell was asked if he felt cheated that the song was a hit for Moyet, but not for Floy Joy. He said, "On the contrary, my association with that song has and continues to open many doors for me and I'm very proud to have been part of a little piece of pop history."{{cite web|url=http://desicampbell.com/desi-campbell-the-timesmalta/ |title=The Times-Malta - Desi Campbell Singer, Songwriter | Desi Campbell Singer, Songwriter |publisher=Desicampbell.com |date=7 July 2013 |access-date=8 May 2014}}

On its release, Billboard wrote, "Floy Joy, much praised but barely charted (like Working Week), sound like they have the key to both the U.S. and U.K. charts with 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty', a Don Was production that's sort of Shannon-meets-"Every Breath You Take". Addictive."{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XCQEAAAAMBAJ&q=floy+joy+weak+presence+beauty&pg=PT46 |title=Billboard - Google Books |date=18 January 1986 |access-date=8 May 2014|publisher=Nielsen Business Media }} Anna Martin of Number One commented, "The reslease of 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' sees Floy Joy adopting a slightly more melodious sound. Less thrash and more dash. One to watch."{{cite magazine|last=Martin|first=Anna|date=18 January 1986|title=Singles|magazine=Number One|issue=135|pages=36}} Jim Whiteford of the Kilmarnock Standard described the song as "a hummable, commercial ditty" and a "sweet mid-paced dancer" which he believed would gain chart success if it received some attention from radio.{{cite news|last=Whiteford|first=Jim|date=24 January 1986|title=Records|newspaper=Kilmarnock Standard|page=10}}

; 7" single

1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" – 3:24
2. "You and Me" – 3:07

; 12" single

1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (Extended Version) – 5:12
2. "You and Me" – 3:07

{{Infobox song

| name = Weak in the Presence of Beauty

| cover = Alisonmoyetweakinthepresenceofbeautysingle.jpeg

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Alison Moyet

| album = Raindancing

| B-side = To Work on You

| released = February 1987

| recorded = 1986

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 3:37

| label = CBS, Columbia

| writer =

• Michael Ward
• Rob Clarke

| producer = Jimmy Iovine

| prev_title = Is This Love?

| prev_year = 1986

| next_title = Ordinary Girl

| next_year = 1987

}}

In 1987, "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" was released by English singer Alison Moyet as the second single from her second studio album Raindancing. Her version became a hit in the UK and throughout Europe.

Following the release of her successful debut album Alf, Moyet decided to move to Los Angeles where she remained for almost a year. Once settled, Moyet's manager hired Jimmy Iovine to produce her second studio album. Aware of Floy Joy's "Weak in the Presence of Beauty", Moyet chose to record the song for the album.Raindancing – 2016 deluxe edition CD booklet liner notes It was released as the second single from Raindancing in February 1987,{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/moyet2 |title=Alison Moyet - Weak In The Presence Of Beauty / To Work On You - CBS - UK - MOYET 2 |publisher=45cat |access-date=2017-11-03}} and was also the second and final single from the album in the States, where it was released in August that year.{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/3807365us |title=Alison Moyet - Weak In The Presence Of Beauty / To Work On You - Columbia - USA - 38 07365 |publisher=45cat |date=2013-11-30 |access-date=2017-11-03}}

Moyet later revealed in 2004 that she only recorded the song as she knew it would be a hit single. Appearing on the This Morning show, Phillip Schofield asked Moyet why she disliked the song, to which she replied: "Oh, because I know how cynical I was being when I recorded it. I recorded it 'cause I knew it was a hit rather than the fact that I loved it, and that will teach me, you know? You have a massive hit with something you're not particularly fond of, and it's not a good feeling."{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXioZm8JQlk |title=Alison Moyet - Voice interview |publisher=YouTube |date=10 June 2007 |access-date=8 January 2012}}

Later speaking to The Quietus in 2013, Moyet elaborated: "What I must say is that it's sometimes very easy to sit there and rescind responsibility, but sometimes I couldn't be arsed. That's the truth of it. We can all make the right choices, but sometimes we're just too lazy to. And sometimes I was just too lazy to do it myself. "Love Letters" and "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" – neither song I enjoy now – they're both my fault. I found them. That was when I was feeling smart, thinking that I knew what a hit was - I don't know what's a fucking hit! But they were hits, and now I'm forever to fucking sing them years later!"{{cite web|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/12247-alison-moyet-interview |title=Features | A Quietus Interview | Changeling: Alison Moyet Interviewed |publisher=The Quietus |access-date=8 May 2014}} Speaking of both songs again in an interview with The Electricity Club, Moyet said: ""Love Letters" was me shooting myself in the foot! That was me being a show-off! That was me showing I had an A&R thing... "oh, I know what a hit is"! I did that twice, I did it with that and with "Weak in the Presence of Beauty"! Two times that I recorded songs knowing they were hits as opposed to the fact I loved them! I say that honestly, that's the only time I've ever recorded anything cynically!"{{cite web|url=http://www.electricity-club.co.uk/alison-moyet-interview-2/ |title=ALISON MOYET Interview |publisher=The Electricity Club |date=10 June 2013 |access-date=8 May 2014}}

A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Pete Cornish and produced by Front Row Films.Billboard magazine - Video music: new videoclips - August 29, 1987 - page 74

On its release, Paul Simper of Number One noted the "pleasant production and leisurely chorus" and Moyet's voice "blossoming in a discreetly unexpected way".{{cite magazine |last=Simper |first=Paul |date=7 March 1987 |title=Single reviews |magazine=Number One}} Pete Clarke of Smash Hits praised Moyet's "superb voice" but added that "somebody's forgotten to give her a decent song this time around and there's nothing quite as sad as a voice in search of a tune."{{cite magazine |last=Clark |first=Pete |date=25 February 1987 |title=Single reviews |magazine=Smash Hits}} Barney Hoskyns of New Musical Express considered the song to be a "veritable hit" from the "Jimmy Iovine conveyor-belt". He felt it was "almost as bland and obvious" as "Is This Love?"{{cite magazine |last=Hoskyns |first=Barney |date=28 February 1987 |title=45 |magazine=New Musical Express |page=15}}

Lesley O'Toole of Record Mirror praised "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" as Floyjoy's "second finest song" behind "Until You Come Back to Me", but added that Moyet's version was a "lacklustre offering without the luscious tones of Desy Campbell". She felt the song had a "shimmer of class", but considered the "dodgy brass interlude" and "nauseating 'darling, I love you' ad libs" to make for a "dubious arrangement".{{cite magazine |last=O'Toole |first=Lesley |date=28 February 1987 |title=Singles |magazine=Record Mirror |page=10 |issn=0144-5804}} Bobby Lynch of The Kerryman, who stated that Floy Joy's "brilliant" original should have been a hit, commented, "Not an obvious single for Moyet to record but the production is pleasant and its different."{{cite news|last=Lynch|first=Bobby|date=20 March 1987|title=Single preview|newspaper=The Kerryman}} US magazine Billboard considered it to be a "potential hit" and commented on the "loping melody and feel" which "shouldn't be overlooked".{{cite web|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-08-22.pdf|format=PDF|title=Billboard|date=1987-08-22|website=Americanradiohistory.com|access-date=14 March 2022}} Cash Box praised Moyet's "powerhouse performance" on the track.Cash Box newspaper - 15 August 1987 - Reviews: Singles - page 9

In a review of Raindancing, Spin singled out the song as a "tangible effort to push Moyet into the 'til tuesday camp of semisweet pop".{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sc9ijqDIbEgC&q=alison+moyet+raindancing&pg=PA25 |title=SPIN - Google Books |date= July 1987|access-date=2017-11-12|last1=Media |first1=Spin L. L. C. }} Musician wrote, "Moyet's interpretive gifts have grown, and Iovine's understated production takes pains not to get in the way, which is why the likes of 'Sleep Like Breathing' or 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty' hold such lasting allure."{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HzxLAAAAYAAJ&q=alison+moyet+raindancing |title=Musician - Google Books |date=2010-01-15 |access-date=2017-11-12}} Josh Lee of Attitude retrospectively commented, "Big choruses that demand to be sung along to don't come more insistent than 'Is This Love?' and 'Weak in the Presence of Beauty'."{{cite web|url=http://attitude.co.uk/album-review-alison-moyet-alf-raindancing-hoodoo-essex-deluxe-editions/ |title=Album review | Alison Moyet: 'Alf', 'Raindancing', 'Hoodoo' & 'Essex' Deluxe Editions | Attitude Magazine |website=Attitude.co.uk |date=2016-11-25 |access-date=2017-11-12}} In a 2015 retrospective on Moyet's career, Classic Pop included the song as one of their twenty favourite Alison Moyet tracks and stated, "She disowned it; we loved it."Classic Pop - Alison Moyet by Paul Lester - November 2015 - page 45

; 7" single

1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" - 3:37
2. "To Work on You" - 4:13

; 12" single #1

1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (Extended Remix) – 6:04
2. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (Single Version) - 3:37
3. "To Work on You" - 4:13

; 12" single #2

1. "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" (Extended Remix) – 6:04
2. "To Work on You" - 4:13
3. "Take My Imagination To Bed" - 3:41

In 1987, American band Eddie & the Tide released a Keith Olsen-produced version as the lead single from their third studio album Looking for Adventure.{{cite web|url=http://eddieandthetide.com/discography/discography/looking.html |title=Looking For Adventure |publisher=Eddie and The Tide |access-date=8 January 2012}} The song's music video was directed by John Jopson and produced by Michael Segel.{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-04-25.pdf |title=Video Music: New Videoclips |magazine=Billboard |volume=99 |issue=17 |page=64|date=25 April 1987 |via=World Radio History |access-date=26 January 2022}} It achieved breakout rotation on MTV.{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-05-16.pdf |title=Video Music: MTV Programming |magazine=Billboard |volume=99 |issue=20 |page=58 |date=16 May 1987 |via=World Radio History |access-date=26 January 2022}} In a review of the band's version, Cash Box described it as "a classic-sounding pop/rocker with hooks and a clean, commercial sheen that sparkles".{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1987/CB-1987-02-21.pdf |title=Single Releases |magazine=Cash Box |volume=50 |issue=34 |page=11 |date=21 February 1987 |via=World Radio History |access-date=26 January 2022}} Billboard considered it to be "mainstream, midtempo album rock".{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1987/Billboard-1987-02-21.pdf |title=Reviews: Singles |magazine=Billboard |volume=99 |issue=8 |page=81 |date=21 February 1987 |via=World Radio History |access-date=26 January 2022}} The Hard Report noted the "straight on assault at the hit single" with the track and added, "We rate it safe but soulful, a la Huey Lewis meets Eddie Money."{{cite magazine |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Hard-Report/1987/Hard-1987-02-13.pdf |title=More on the picks... also new this week |magazine=The Hard Report |issue=15 |page=3 |date=13 February 1987 |via=World Radio History |access-date=26 January 2022}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Floy Joy (band)}}

{{Alison Moyet}}

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Category:1986 singles

Category:1986 songs

Category:Floy Joy (band) songs

Category:1987 singles

Category:Alison Moyet songs

Category:Song recordings produced by Don Was

Category:Song recordings produced by Jimmy Iovine