Situation

Yazoo is the duo of synth virtuoso Vince Clarke and singer Alison Moyet (in America, they're known as Yaz because another group had Yazoo). "Situation" is one of their earliest songs; Clarke wrote the song and turned it over to Moyet, who changed the chorus (which she deemed too wordy and sing-song) and tweaked the verse melody. "I wrote it and she corrected it," Clarke quipped. The lyric is really interesting, with lines like: Now he's in control he is my lover Nations stand against him he's your brother Clarke and Moyet haven't discussed the meaning, which is open to interpretation. The song was written quickly, and it's likely the words were chosen for how they flow together.

"Situation" has one of the most famous laughs in music history - you'll hear it about 20 seconds in. That laugh is Alison Moyet reacting to a heavy reverb the producers put on her microphone. Known for her enthusiasm, Moyet has a memorable laugh, and her spontaneous, heavily reverbed chuckle made the song. That laugh ended up being sampled in about 100 songs, most famously the 1996 hit version of Los Del Rio's "Macarena," where it's used at the beginning of the song as character development. Other songs to use the laugh include: "I Wanna Have Some Fun" by Samantha Fox (1988) "Bass (How Low Can You Go)" by Simon Harris (1988) "Pump That Body" by Mr. Lee (1990)

Vince Clarke was an original member of Depeche Mode and a big part of their 1981 debut album, Speak And Spell. Frustrated with the pressure that came with being in a popular band, he left after that album. Clarke offered Depeche Mode the songs "Situation" and "Only You" as parting gifts when he left, but they declined, so he connected with Alison Moyet (through an ad she placed in Melody Maker) to record them. It was envisioned as a one-off project, but they ended up releasing two albums before breaking up in 1983. Moyet became a popular solo artist in the UK and Clarke went on to form Erasure. Their relationship was frosty, but they reunited in 2008 for a summer tour that was very well attended.