Universal (song)

CD single (1)

CD single (2)

**Universal** is the title of a song recorded by OMD, released in its original form on the album of the same name in 1986, and released as the second and final single from the album in an edited and slightly different form on 21 October of the same year.

The song was written by Andy McCluskey alone although no less than three producers are credited: AM himself plus David Nicholas and Matthew Vaughan.

It was OMD's thirtieth single overall and final original track release of the 1990s. Its lack of success is said to have prompted McCluskey to give up on the band.

## Origin

The song was one of the first McCluskey had been working on in a Dublin rehearsal room in preparation for the new album and had been demoed by mid-1994. McCluskey had wanted a long intro, like the songs Sealand and Stanlow and had favoured a 'prog' type piece: “*I was having fun, basically, and trying to knock down some of my own personally-imposed boundaries with a prog-rock intro.*”

The song clearly expresses McCluskey's atheism as well as the 'universal' status of mankind ("*we all bleed the same blood*"). When questioned on the meaning of the song in 1998, McCluskey replied: "*I don’t believe in God so there is no purpose to life other than what each individual makes of it*."

## Single release

Universal is the first instance that OMD had released an album title track as a single. The single version excludes the long instrumental intro of the album version and adds the female vocal singing the title, as used in the chorus. The track was edited at The Townhouse Studios.

As with the previous single Walking On The Milky Way, it was released as two different CDs and as a cassette single. As well as the single edit of Universal, two live tracks from the Birmingham NEC concert in December 1993 are featured, plus the album version of Universal (not included on the cassette)

### Sleeve

The sleeve design is attributed to Arena. The 'bubble' effect reflects the album sleeve, although resembles more a 'liquid light' projection [4]. Different colour schemes are used for the two different issues.

### Tracklistings

CDS Virgin VSCDT1606

1. Universal
2. Heaven Is (live)
3. Messages (live)
4. Universal (album version)

CDS Virgin VSCDG 1606

1. Universal
2. King Of Stone (Live)
3. Talking Loud & Clear (Live)
4. Universal (album version)

Cassette VSC 1606

1. Universal
2. Heaven Is (live)
3. Messages (live)

## Reception and performance

The Universal single entered the UK singles chart at no.55 on 27 October, a week after its release, although got no further, making it OMD's third lowest chart placing (after Everyday and Red Frame/White Light.)

## Legacy

In the November 1996 OMD Newsletter, McCluskey stated that, "*Virgin chose 'Universal' as the next single and that has not done well*". He also reported that there would be no tour for the album but that he would have time to return to writing some new songs. Universal would, however, be OMD's last single release of the decade, save for the 1998 remixes.

Universal was not included on the successive singles compilation albums *The OMD Singles* (1998) and *Messages: Greatest Hits* (2008), but is included on the definitive *Souvenir* (2019).

## Availability

 Album version (5:41)
 Single version (3:30)
 Video

## Contemporaneous singles

* Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
* The Lightning Seeds - What If.. [5]
* The Braids - Bohemian Rhapsody [6]

## Footnotes

1. ↑ Paul Browne, *On A Ship To Nowhere – Universal Revisited*, 7 March 2018 [1]
2. ↑ Paul Browne, *OMD Q&A : SONGS*, 5 Feb. 2014 [2]
3. ↑ Compiled website newsletter scan [3]

## External links

* Discogs

* Muscibrainz