Fade to Grey

Recorded at Genetic Sound Studios in Reading, Berkshire, from material that Billy Currie and Chris Payne developed during Gary Numan tour soundchecks in 1979. Midge Ure later shaped the song for Visage and added the lyrics, with the finished single featuring the band’s polished New Romantic studio sound. It was Visage’s breakthrough single and their first release on a major label, Polydor. The track became a top ten UK hit and a major European success, helping define the early New Romantic era. The song remains Visage’s best-known recording and a signature document of the New Romantic movement. Its bassline and melodic shape have been cited as an influence by later artists, and it has been remixed and reissued repeatedly.