Disappointed


"Disappointed" was the fourth single by the English band Electronic. Like their first single "Getting Away with It" it featured Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys as well as founding members Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner. It was released in June 1992 on Parlophone soon after the demise of Factory Records. The single was assigned the Factory catalogue number FAC 348, and the logo of the label remained on the artwork.
Upon the song's release, it reached the top 20 in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and it peaked within the top 10 on three US Billboard charts. In July 1992 the song was featured in the soundtrack of the live-action/animation hybrid mystery movie Cool World.

Composition

The song was based on a piano riff by Marr's brother Ian; and worked up into a full backing-track by Johnny Marr and Bernard Sumner. They decided to ask Neil Tennant to complete the song and he wrote the lyrics and vocal melody. Some of the words were partly inspired by Mylène Farmer's 1991 hit "Désenchantée". Tennant travelled to Manchester to record the lead vocal and a few weeks later went to Paris to attend the final mix of the song by Stephen Hague.
"Disappointed" was conceived just before the recording of New Order's sixth studio album Republic, and was performed live in December 1991 on Electronic's European tour: in Glasgow and in London.

Single

"Disappointed" was the last Electronic single to be released on all four major formats. The content of the single was more dynamic than its predecessors, however; it had only one remix of the A-side, an additional treatment of a 1991 album track, and an earlier mix of "Disappointed". The A-side of the single is itself a remix since producer Stephen Hague reworked the "Original Mix" for single release.
Although Electronic would enjoy three more top-twenty singles in the United Kingdom, "Disappointed" was the last major commercial success for the band on an international level, becoming a dance chart hit in the United States and reaching the top 20 in Germany as well as number six in the UK, their highest-charting effort there.
Until the release of Get the Message - The Best of Electronic in 2006, the track was not available on an Electronic album release. However, since "Disappointed" was featured in the 1992 film Cool World, the song was available on the soundtrack album Songs from the Cool World.

Track listing

UK 7" and MC
  1. "Disappointed" – 4:22
  2. "Idiot Country Two" – 4:44
UK 12"
  1. "Disappointed" – 4:31
  2. "Disappointed" – 5:41
  3. "Idiot Country Two" – 6:24
UK/EU CD
  1. "Disappointed" – 4:22
  2. "Disappointed" – 4:31
  3. "Idiot Country Two" – 6:24
  4. "Disappointed" – 5:41
US 12" maxi single
  1. "Disappointed" – 5:40
  2. "Disappointed" – 4:31
  3. "Gangster" – 8:00
  4. "Disappointed" – 4:22
US CD maxi single
  1. "Disappointed" – 4:22
  2. "Disappointed" – 5:40
  3. "Gangster" – 8:00
  4. "Disappointed" – 4:31

    Charts

Cover versions

American singer-songwriter State Shirt recorded a cover version of the song in 2009. The band Austin Apologue released a cover version of the song in 2019.