(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang

August 2025 (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang Heaven17FascistGrooveThang.jpg single Heaven 17 Penthouse and Pavement The Decline of the West 13 March 1981https://www.discogs.com/release/911998-British-Electric-Foundation-Music-For-Stowaways/image/SW1hZ2U6MTI0OTUxOTM= BUILDING AN ELECTRIC FOUNDATION (British Electric Foundation press release) Discogs https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/81/Record-Mirror-1981-03-14-OCR.pdf Record Mirror, March 14, 1981 3 B.E.F.–Maison Rouge (Sheffield) * Synth-popPopular Music Genres: An Introduction https://books.google.com/books?id=aaMxEAAAQBAJ&q=heaven%2017&pg=PA129 Routledge Stuart Borthwick Ron Moy 2004 129 9780415973694 funk electro-funk Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983 Richard Evans August 6, 2024 1981.3 284–285 Omnibus Press 978-1-915841-45-2 https://books.google.com/books?id=EID8zgEACAAJ disco Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984 Simon Reynolds January 1, 2005 Play to Win: The Pioneers of New Pop 372 Faber & Faber 0-571-21570-X https://books.google.com/books?id=dK-F43T8V0wC 18 December 2024 new wavealbum mw0000184272 Various Artists - Best of 80s Rock, Vol. 2 (1994) Review Erlewine Stephen Thomas February 15, 2026 4:20 Virgin * Glenn Gregory Ian Craig Marsh Martyn Ware British Electric Foundation I'm Your Money 1981 Official audio ndP3RI-pLsM "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 13 March 1981 by Virgin Records, and the lead single from their debut studio album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981). It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US. It developed from an instrumental, "Groove Thang", that Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh created earlier that year for Music for Stowaways, an album they released as British Electric Foundation. Details and ban by the BBC "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was written by Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory and included on their debut studio album Penthouse and Pavement (1981).https://allmusic.com/album/penthouse-and-pavement-r40303 Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement Dan LeRoy allmusic 15 December 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20101210015706/http://allmusic.com/album/penthouse-and-pavement-r40303 10 December 2010 live It was the first single released by the band. https://allmusic.com/song/we-dont-need-this-fascistgroove-thang-t1941067 Heaven 17: (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang Stewart Mason allmusic 15 December 2010 AllMusic reviewer Stewart Mason describes the song as "clattering and jangled", with multiple electronic rhythm tracks played simultaneously making the song seem faster than its nominal tempo. In the lyrics fascism and racism are described in an ironic fashion, using the lexicon of funk music. The lyrics of the song also reference the recent election of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States. Stick this in your memory hole Tristan Clark aduki independent press 1 November 2007 978-0-9803351-2-5 https://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=9780980335125 38 15 December 2010 The song suffered reluctance from UK radio stations to play it and it was banned by the BBC due to concerns by Radio 1's legal department that it libelled Reagan by describing him as a "fascist god in motion". Banned: Censorship of Popular Music in Britain: 1967-1992 Martin Cloonan Ashgate Publishing 1996 1-85742-300-3 https://books.google.com/books?as_isbn=9781857423006 117 Radio 1 remained wary in the political arena and in 1981 its legal department advised Heaven 17 that their hit 'We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing' libeled American President Ronald Reagan by calling him a 'fascist'. So the BBC dropped it...Heaven 17 – (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang https://genius.com/Heaven-17-we-dont-need-this-fascist-groove-thang-lyrics 2023-05-25 The BBC also informed Heaven 17 that the Reagan reference would need to be changed if they wished to appear on Top of the Pops. To promote the single, Virgin commissioned radio advertisements at a cost of £3,000, but these were initially banned by the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) for breaching its guidelines that no advert "may show partiality regarding political, religious or industrial controversy". The band responded by recording an altered set of lyrics for it, which changed "Reagan, fascist guard" to "Stateside cowboy guard".Derek Johnson 'Fascist Groove' - IBA put the jackboot in New Musical Express 4 April 1981 3 0028-6362 Reception and chart performance Despite the BBC ban, "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" reached number 45 on the UK singles chart.http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18889/heaven-17/ Official Charts > Heaven 17 The Official UK Charts Company 27 January 2016 It debuted on that chart on 21 March 1981 and peaked one week later. The single peaked at number 72 in Australia,Kent David David Kent (historian) Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 Illustrated Australian Chart Book St Ives, N.S.W. 1993 137 0-646-11917-6 and was a minor dance hit in the US, reaching number 29 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1981. https://allmusic.com/artist/heaven-17-p4467/charts-awards/billboard-singles Heaven 17: Billboard singles AllMusic December 15, 2010 The song was ranked at number 4 among the top 10 "Tracks of the Year" for 1981 by NME.https://www.nme.com/bestalbumsandtracksoftheyear/1981-2-1045398 Albums and Tracks of the Year 2016 NME 13 February 2018 Personnel Heaven 17 Glenn Gregory – vocals Ian Craig Marsh – synthesisers Martyn Ware – synthesisers, Linn LM-1 and backing vocals Additional musicians Josie James – vocals John Wilson – bass guitar, rhythm guitarWe Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang https://www.songfacts.com/facts/heaven-17/we-dont-need-this-fascist-groove-thang Song facts 21 March 2019 Remix A Rapino Brothers remix of "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was released as a single in 1993, reaching number 40 on the UK singles chart.https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18889/heaven-17/ HEAVEN 17 | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company www.officialcharts.com The remix and original version of the song were included on the compilation album Higher and Higher: The Best of Heaven 17, released in the same year. Cover versions Scottish post-punk band the Fire Engines covered the song for a 23 February 1981 Peel Session on BBC Radio 1. German dark wave project Deine Lakaien featured a cover on the 1999 CD Maxi "Into My Arms" (as "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing").https://www.discogs.com/Deine-Lakaien-Into-My-Arms/master/91310 Deine Lakaien - Into My Arms Discogs 1999 American indie rock band Poster Children covered the song on their 2004 EP On the Offensive. American synth-pop band Information Society covered the song in 2016 for their album Orders of Magnitude. It was remixed by Inertia and the Crusher for the DEF CON 24 music compilation that same year, featuring multiple voice samples of American president elect Donald Trump. American post-punk band 100 Flowers covered the song in 2017 for release as a digital single and released a 7" vinyl in 2019. American rock band LCD Soundsystem released a cover of the song on 2 November 2018, with the lyrics altered to reference Donald Trump instead of Reagan, and included it on their live album Electric Lady Sessions (2019).https://pitchfork.com/news/lcd-soundsystem-detail-new-live-album-electric-lady-sessions/ LCD Soundsystem Detail New Live Album Electric Lady Sessions Yoo Noah January 11, 2019 Pitchfork January 11, 2019 Philadelphia punk rock band the Dead Milkmen released a cover 21 August 2020 on a limited-release 7", with proceeds to benefit the charity Girls Rock Philly.The Dead Milkmen Drop Punchy Cover of Heaven 17's '(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang' https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dead-milkmen-heaven-17-we-dont-need-this-fascist-groove-thang-1046884 August 20, 2020 Blistein Jon Rolling Stone December 25, 2020 See also Ronald Reagan in music References External links single 56637 Category:1981 debut singles Category:Songs written by Martyn Ware Category:Songs written by Glenn Gregory Category:Songs written by Ian Craig Marsh Category:Songs about racism and xenophobia Category:Heaven 17 songs Category:1981 songs Category:Virgin Records singles Category:Songs about dancing Category:British political songs Category:British protest songs Category:Songs about Ronald Reagan Category:Songs about Margaret Thatcher Category:Anti-fascist music Category:Songs banned by the BBC Category:1981 quotations Category:Quotations from music Category:British funk songs Category:British disco songs