Cue
Side two, track 1 of BGM, issued as a single with "U-T" on April 21, 1981.
Yellow Magic Orchestra, from BGM (1981)
Takahashi and Hosono wrote the music, and the lyrics are credited to Takahashi, Hosono and Peter Barakan. Wikipedia says Sakamoto refused to play on the track and refused to perform its keyboard parts live, so Takahashi played keyboards while Sakamoto played drums. The single had "U-T" on the B-side and listed no chart peak. Analog Planet's Lui praised its exuberant synth-bass and beautifully cold synth melodies, hhv-mag called it a synth-pop hit with a straightforward beat, and Resident Advisor's Gabriel Szatan said "Cue" and "Chaos Panic" influenced mid-1980s Talking Heads. Afrika Bambaataa cited "Music Plans", "Ballet" and "Cue" as influences.
Live versions on MusicBrainz include Osaka's Festival Hall on November 30, 1981, Winter Live 1981 (recorded December 22-24, 1981 at the Shinjuku Koma Theater, released November 22, 1995), LONDONYMO on June 15, 2008 and GijonYMO on June 19, 2008. We found no statement from the band on its meaning, and setlist.fm had no data for it.
On stage
- 1981-11-30, Festival Hall, Osaka On a live album titled Cue.
- 2008-06-15, Royal Festival Hall, London Released as LONDONYMO.
Sources
- BGM (album), Wikipedia
- Yellow Magic Orchestra discography, Wikipedia
- Rewind: Solid State Survivor, Resident Advisor (2019)
- Winter Live 1981, Wikipedia