"Dear God" is a song by Midge Ure as the single from his album Answers to Nothing. It was his first and only song to reach the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 95.[2] Elsewhere, the song also charted in the Netherlands and the UK.
| "Dear God" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Midge Ure | ||||
| from the album Answers to Nothing | ||||
| B-side | "Music #1" | |||
| Released | 31 October 1988[1] | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Midge Ure | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Midge Ure singles chronology | ||||
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Background
editIn a 2015 interview with Songfacts, Ure said that he conceived the song soon after waking up. He subsequently rushed over to the recording studio located at the bottom of his garden to get these musical ideas on tape. For the song's lyrical content, Ure centered the central theme around the weaponization of religion for acts of violence, saying that he found it both "bizarre" and "obscene" that "staunch radical people will happily kill somebody else because they don't believe in the same God". He further added that the song was "like a child's prayer...It's a question and an explanation at the same time."[3] The song's lyrics contains a plea for a worldwide religion, although Ure said that this was unlikely to be fully realised.[4]
Ure recorded "Dear God" without knowing that XTC had released a song with the same title a few years prior. He only learned of the song's existence in early 1989 after his record company sent him a cassette containing the XTC track. When comparing the two songs, Ure labeled XTC's track as "a bit more cynical than mine, but a similar sort of sentiment, except mine was more questioning and theirs was a bit more sort of a statement."[4]
Critical reception
editTom Demalon of AllMusic thought that "Dear God" was Ure's best attempt at assessing the state of the world on his album Answers to Nothing.[5] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Mike Boehm felt that "Dear God" grew stale after repeated listens and was inferior to "Hymn", a prayer-oriented song co-written by Ure during his time with Ultravox.[6]
Track listing
edit- 7" single
- "Dear God" – 4:52
- "Music #1" – 4:41
- CD Maxi
- "Dear God" – 8:07
- "Music #1" – 4:41
- "Remembrance Day" – 4:25
Personnel
edit- Midge Ure – vocals, guitars, keyboards
- Robbie Kilgore – additional keyboards
- Steve Brzezicki – bass guitar
- Mark Brzezicki – drums
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1988–1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 29 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 55 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[9] | 95 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock[10] | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[11] | 4 |
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 50.
- ^ Wuenich, Kevin (31 March 2016). "Dear God, how could Midge Ure only hit the charts once in the U.S.?". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Prato, Greg. "Midge Ure: Songwriter Interview". Songfacts. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ a b Willman, Chris (12 February 1989). "Midge Ure writes a 'Dear God' letter; a song on the line from They Might Be Giants; Tracie Spencer, 13, a real teen". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Demalon, Tom. "Answers to Nothing". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (29 April 1989). "POP MUSIC REVIEW : Midge Ure Could Have Pumped Up His Concert With a Little Hot Air". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Dear God" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 11 March 1989. Archived from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Mainstream Rock Airplay". Billboard. 18 March 1989. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. 11 February 1989. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2024.