“Warm Leatherette”, The Normal

This way: Warm Leatherette

The lyrics of "Warm Leatherette" reference J.G. Ballard's controversial 1973 novel Crash, which had heavily influenced Daniel Miller. The song was recorded in Miller's apartment using two Revox B-77 tape machines. A series of sawtooth waves were recorded on a $150 Korg 700S synthesizer.

Miller took the record to a few independent music shops, including Rough Trade in London, where it would be played to customers.[2] "Warm Leatherette" was released as the B-side to "T.V.O.D.", the only single by Miller's musical project The Normal, and the very first release on his Mute Records label. 

The single was an early example of the then-burgeoning industrial music genre, emerging on a wave of numerous electronic pop experiments of the late 1970s in the UK. It has since been described as having "revolutionized electronic music with its punk aesthetic, stark sound and dark subject matter".

[Spotify] Warm Leatherette


[Bonus] Warm Leatherette (Grace Jones)