"No One Is to Blame"
Single by Howard Jones
from the album Dream Into Action (original version)
Action Replay and One to One (re-recorded version)
Released3 March 1986 (UK)
24 March 1986 (US)
Recorded1985
GenreNew wave, soft rock[1]
Length3:29 (1985 version)
4:13 (1986 version)
LabelWEA (UK)
Elektra Records (US)
Songwriter(s)Howard Jones
Producer(s)Phil Collins & Hugh Padgham
Howard Jones singles chronology
"Life in One Day"
(1985)		 "No One Is to Blame"
(1986)		 "All I Want"
(1986)

"No One Is to Blame" is a song by British musician Howard Jones. Originally released on Jones's 1985 album, Dream into Action, "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded and released as a single in 1986. The single became Jones's biggest U.S. hit to date, peaking at #4.

History

"No One Is to Blame" was written by Jones. In its original version, it can be found on his second studio album, Dream into Action (1985). Following the success of the previous singles from that album, "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded to give the song a more radio-friendly sound. Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham produced the re-recording, with Collins adding his own drum work and mood.[2][3] The new version of the song was included on the 1986 US EP Action Replay as well as the CD version of Jones' 1986 studio album, One to One.[4]

"No One Is to Blame" was released as a single in March 1986. It became Jones' biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song also became the first of his two #1 songs on the U.S. adult contemporary chart ("Everlasting Love" would top this chart in 1989).[5] "No One Is to Blame" was also a top 10 hit in Australia and a #16 hit in the U.K.[6]

In 2018, Morgan Enos of Billboard described "No One Is to Blame" as a "dreamy, existential" ballad that "doesn’t quite deal with love, but with the lack thereof". Enos added that the song "had a message and melody that resonated".[7] The song is known for its "aching beauty"[8] and for Jones's "plaintive lead vocals and piano".[9]

Track list

7"

  1. "No One Is to Blame" – 4:14
  2. "The Chase" – 2:53

12"

  1. "No One Is to Blame (Extended Mix)" – 5:16
  2. "The Chase" – 2:53
  3. "No One Is to Blame (The Long Mix)" – 3:07

Chart positions

Weekly Charts

Chart (1986) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] 9
Canada (The Record)[11] 12
Italian Singles Chart 21
UK Singles Chart 16
US Adult Contemporary 1
US Mainstream Rock Tracks 20
Billboard Hot 100 4

Year end charts

Year-end chart (1986)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 63
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[13] 44

Personnel on 1986 version

  • Howard Jones – vocals, keyboards, percussion programming
  • Phil Collins – drums, backing vocals & co-producer
  • Phil Palmer – guitar
  • Mo Foster – bass guitar
  • Afrodiziak – backing vocals
  • Hugh Padgham – co-producer & engineer
  • Steve Chase & Paul Gomersall – assistant engineers

Other versions

Jones performed the song solo on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1985.[14] A previously unreleased version of "No One is to Blame" by Neilson Hubbard appears on the 2001 Parasol Records compilation, Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Volume 4.[15]

Rachael Sage recorded a version of "No One Is to Blame" in 2018.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Peake, Steve. "Top Soft Rock Songs of the 1980s". LiveAbout.
  2. 1 2 Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. pp. 180, 453. ISBN 0-87586-207-1.
  3. ↑ "Single Stories: Howard Jones, "No One Is To Blame"". rhino.com. April 12, 2017.
  4. ↑ One to One track listing Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  5. ↑ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 307.
  6. ↑ Official Charts Company info OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  7. 1 2 Enos, Morgan (March 29, 2018). "Rachael Sage Unveils Howard Jones-Approved Cover of 'No One Is to Blame': Exclusive Premiere". billboard.com.
  8. ↑ "Deluxe Edition of Howard Jones' 'One To One' Rolls Right Up From Cherry Red". theseconddisc.com. December 7, 2019.
  9. ↑ Mason, Stewart. "No One Is to Blame - Howard Jones". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 161. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
  11. ↑ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Mississauga, Ont.: Music Data Canada. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  12. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Imgur.
  13. ↑ "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 98 (52): Y-21. December 27, 1986.
  14. ↑ The Old Grey Whistle Test Vol. 3 (DVD). BBC Video. 2006.
  15. ↑ "Various Artists: Parasol's Sweet Sixteen Volume 4, PopMatters". PopMatters. November 27, 2001.
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