Don't Go (Yazoo song)

"Don't Go"
Single by Yazoo
from the album Upstairs at Eric's
A-side	Don't Go
B-side	Winter Kills
Released	5 July 1982
Format	7" 12"
Recorded	1982
Genre	Synthpop[1]
Length	3:08
Label	Mute Sire
Writer(s)	Vince Clarke
Producer(s)	Eric Radcliffe Daniel Miller Vince Clarke
Certification	Silver (BPI)
Yazoo singles chronology
"Only You" (1982) "Don't Go" (1982) "Situation" (1982)

"Don't Go" is a song by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released in July 1982 as the second single from their debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July 1982, the song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Yazoo's second top 5 hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their second big hit on the American dance chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in October 1982. Their first American dance chart hit was "Situation", which had also gone to number one on this chart earlier the same year. The music video for the song features band members Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke in a sort of haunted mansion.^[2] The song is featured in the 1989 film Tango & Cash, in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the radio station Wave 103, and appears in Dance Dance Revolution II. The song re-entered the UK Dance Chart on 13 December 2009 at number 30, peaking at number 15 on 2 January 2010.

Formats and track listings

UK 7" single (Mute 7 YAZ 001)

1. "Don't Go" – 2:53
2. "Winter Kills" – 4:02

US 12" single (Sire 29886-0)

1. "Don't Go (Re-mix)" – 4:08
2. "Don't Go (Re-re-mix)" – 4:20
3. "Winter Kills (album version)" – 4:03

• "Winter Kills," the B-side to this single, is explicitly listed as "Not re-mixed" and "Not extended" on the album sleeve
• The US 12" single mis-prints the track lengths on the record, listing the "Re-mix" as 5:08 and the "Re-re-mix" as 3:20

Chart performance

Weekly charts Year Chart Peak position 1982 Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 6 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[5] 1 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[6] 1 France (IFOP)[7] 3 Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 4 Ireland (IRMA)[9] 4 Italy (FIMI)[10] 29 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 2 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 6 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 22 Poland (LP3)[14] 12 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[15] 9 Spain (AFYVE)[16] 4 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 5 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 2 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 3 US Hot Dance/Disco[20] 1 1999^1 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[20] 16 US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[20] 8 2000 France (SNEP)[21] 91 2009 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[22] 30 2010 UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[23] 15 ^1Remixes

Year-end charts Chart (1982) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 70 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[25] 9 France (IFOP)[26] 32 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[27] 24 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[28] 46 Sales and certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments France 515,000[29] United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 250,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Other versions

The following artists produced a cover or sampled the song:

• 1990 – Latino Party sampled the music in their song "Latino Party"^[31]
• 1993 – Boobytrax (aka doop), using a sample from "Dance with the Devil" by Cozy Powell.^[32]
• 1994 – Italian Eurodance group Double You samples it on their song "Run to Me".^[33]
• 1995 – British actress Lizzy Mack had a UK no. 52 hit with a cover of it.^[34]
• 1997 – German death metal band Atrocity, on their album Werk 80.^[35]
• 1998 – Dutch dance singer Loona samples it on her song "Bailando".
• 2005 – Canadian Singer Shawn Desman sampled the melody of the song in his single "Let's Go".^[36]
• 2006 – Nouvelle Vague covered the song on their album "Bande à Part".^[37]
• 2006 – Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas.^[38]
• 2007 – Dutch band Bearforce1 covered the song with other disco hits in their first medley single "Bearforce1".
• 2009 – The Kid Sister song "Big N Bad" from the album Ultraviolet contains interpolations of "Don't Go".^[39]
• 2009 – Smoove & Turrell recorded a funk version of the song on the album Antique Soul.
• 2011 – Slow Moving Millie covered the song on her album Renditions.

Starting Rock featuring Diva Avari version

"Don't Go"
Single by Starting Rock featuring Diva Avari
Released	December 2006
Format	CD single
Genre	House
Length	3:27
Label	541
Writer(s)	Vince Clarke Alison Moyet
Producer(s)	Hédi Banon Stéphane Tedesco
Starting Rock featuring Diva Avari singles chronology
"Don't Go" (2006) "Movin' On" (2007)

The song was covered and remixed by French Eurodance project Starting Rock featuring Diva Avari. It was released in December 2006 as a single and had modest success in Europe. It reached the top 10 in Finland.

Music video

The music video depicts a male at a club dancing with women. He meets Diva Avari, who has her eyes set on him and he cannot escape her throughout their time at the club.

Chart performance

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[40]	10
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[41]	10
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[42]	3
France (SNEP)[43]	24
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[44]	34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[45]	42

References

1. "On Stage > Alison Moyet – Old Vic Theater, London". Billboard 114 (51): 37. 21 December 2002. ISSN 0006-2510. Situation," followed by "Don't Go," two synth-pop dance jams from the singer's Yazoo days that, sadly, sounded out of place
2. "Yaz* – Don't Go (Re-Mixes) (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
3. "Billboard – Hits Of The World". Billboard 94 (45): 64. 13 November 1982. ISSN 0006-2510.
4. "Austriancharts.at – Yazoo – Don't Go" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
5. "Ultratop.be – Yazoo – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
6. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 16 oktober 1982" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
7. "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "Yazoo" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
8. "Officialcharts.de – Yazoo – Don't Go". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Yazoo". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
10. "Indice per Interprete: Y" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Yazoo - Don't Go search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Yazoo – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
13. "Charts.org.nz – Yazoo – Don't Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
14. "DON'T GO – Yazoo" (in Polish). LP3. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
15. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (Y)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
16. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Yazoo – Don't Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Yazoo – Don't Go". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
19. "Archive Chart: 1982-07-31" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
20. "Yazoo – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
21. "Lescharts.com – Yazoo – Don't Go" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
22. "Archive Chart: 2009-12-19" UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
23. "Archive Chart: 2010-01-02" UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
24. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
25. "Jaaroverzichten 1982" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
26. "TOP – 1982" (in French). Top-france.fr. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
27. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
28. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1982" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
29. "Les Meilleures Ventes Tout Temps de 45 T. / Singles" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
30. "British single certifications – Yazoo – Don't Go". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Don't Go in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
31. "Latino Party's Latino Party sample of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
32. "Boobytrax – Don't Go". Discogs. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
33. "Double You's Run to Me sample of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
34. "Lizzy Mack". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
35. "Atrocity's Don't Go cover of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
36. "Shawn Desman's Let's Go sample of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
37. Phares, Heather. "Nouvelle Vague – Bande à Part". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
38. "Soraya Arnelas's Don't Go cover of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
39. "Kid Sister's Big N' Bad sample of Yazoo's Don't Go". WhoSampled. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
40. "Ultratop.be – Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
41. "Ultratop.be – Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari – Don't Go" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
42. "Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari: Don't Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
43. "Lescharts.com – Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari – Don't Go" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
44. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
45. "Dutchcharts.nl – Starting Rock feat. Diva Avari – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 20 July 2013.

See also

• List of number-one dance singles of 1982 (U.S.)