Visage: "Fade To Grey "

"Fade to Grey" is the second single by the British pop group Visage, released on Polydor Records in November 1980. The song was the band's most successful single. It became a huge dance floor hit and entered the singles charts in early 1981, peaking at #8 in the UK Singles Chart and reaching #1 in both Germany and Switzerland.

The song's structure was primarily composed by Billy Currie and Christopher John Payne. While setting the track listing of the Visage album, Midge Ure composed the song's lyrics after Billy Currie suggested the use of the melody for the album. Steve Strange had singing lessons with Ure in order to maintain himself in tune and be recorded. Gary Numan commented in interview for the Numan Digest: "As far as I'm concerned Chris and Billy were the driving force behind writing 'Fade to Grey'. They used to work on it during the sound checks on my '79 tour. Cedric [Sharpley, who was the drummer of the Gary Numan's backing band] was also heavily involved. In those days it was called 'Toot City'". On the UK Channel 4 show "Top Ten New Romantics" in 1999, Steve Strange claimed to have been the one who came up with the idea for the French vocal in the track (a statement disputed by Midge Ure who claims this idea was his). However the original recording by Currie and Payne had featured a French vocal well before Ure and Strange were involved, and this was written by Payne who now lives in France. The French vocal was performed by Brigitte Arendt, a young student from Luxembourg who was Rusty Egan's girlfriend at the time.

A remix by Bassheads/Andy Stevenson was released in 1993 to promote the compilation album with the same title, becoming a modest Top 40 hit. Several other artists have made their own versions of this song. In 2008, Strange appeared on the BBC series Ashes to Ashes performing the song in the Blitz nightclub.


- Lyrics:

Devenir gris
Devenir gris

One man on a lonely platform
One case sitting by his side
Two eyes staring cold and silent
Show fear as he turns to hide

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)

Un homme dans une gare isolée
Une valise a ses cotés
Des yeux fixes et froids
Montre de la peur lorsqu'il
Se tourne pour se cacher

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)

Sent la pluie comme un été Anglais
Entends les notes d'une chanson lointaine
Sortant de derriere d'un poster
Espérant que la vie ne fut aussi longue

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)

Feel the rain like an English summer
Hear the notes from a distant song
Stepping out from a back shop poster
Wishing life wouldn't be so long

Devenir gris

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Devenir gris

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Devenir gris

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Devenir gris

Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)
Aaah, we fade to grey (fade to grey)