"Genetic Engineering" is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Dazzle Ships. The synthesized speech featured on the track is taken from a Speak & Spell, an educational electronic toy developed by Texas Instruments in the 1970s intended to teach children spelling. Charting at number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, "Genetic Engineering" ended the band's run of four consecutive Top 10 hits in the UK. It was also a Top 20 hit in several European territories, and peaked at number 5 in Spain. It missed the United States Billboard Hot 100 but made number 32 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Reception and legacy
Jim Reid in Record Mirror wrote: "Madly infectious hook-line propels a song absolutely dripping with 'moderne' references. A cold record, whose raison d'être lies in the application of studio technology and the manipulation of hackneyed gobbledegook. Should be massive – won't touch my turntable again." In Melody Maker, Paul Simper dismissed the track as "a load of old tosh". US critic Ned Raggett praised the "soaring", "enjoyable" single in a retrospective piece for AllMusic, asserting: "Why it wasn't a hit remains a mystery." Frontman Andy McCluskey has noted that the song is not an attack on genetic engineering, as many assumed at the time, including radio presenter Dave Lee Travis upon playing the song on BBC Radio 1. McCluskey stated: "I was very positive about the subject." "People didn't listen to the lyrics... I think they automatically assumed it would be anti." Music journalists have suggested that the first 45 seconds of the song were a direct influence on Radiohead's "Fitter Happier", which appears on that band's 1997 album OK Computer. Thoem Weber in Stylus argued that the Radiohead track is "deeply indebted" to "Genetic Engineering".
B-side
The new song "4-Neu" was featured on the B-side of both the 7" and 12" versions. The song was not included on the Dazzle Ships album and remained exclusive to this release until its inclusion in the album in 2001 and then on the remastered special edition of Dazzle Ships in 2008. The song continues the band's tradition of including more experimental tracks as B sides to singles. The song title is a tribute to 70's German band Neu!, a Krautrock band that were an important influence on Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys prior to OMD. "4-Neu" was never performed live until the special performance of Dazzle Ships at The Museum of Liverpool in November 2014 and at the Dazzle Ships / Architecture & Moralitylive performances in London and Germany in May 2016.
A promotional video for Genetic Engineering was made and is included on the Messages - Greatest Hits CD/DVD release.
Alternative versions and live performances
Apart from the extended '312 mm version' the band also recorded the song for a John Peel radio session in 1983. This version was made available on the Peel Sessions 1979-1983 album release. OMD played the song live on The Tube during its first series in February 1983. The song was performed live during the Dazzle Ships promotional tour but rarely since then, until more recent live performances shows in 2014 and 2016.
Cover versions
"Genetic Engineering" was covered by indie rock band Eggs and released as a single in 1994. It was also covered by Another Sunny Day as a limited edition single in 1989 and as an extra track on the re-release of on their 'London Weekend' album. Optiganally Yours recorded a cover for a "very low-key tribute compilation". More recently, it has been covered by the indie rock band Oxford Collapse as part of the Hann-Byrd EP released in 2008.
