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OMD a.k.a. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Telegraph

Music Video
ArtistOMD a.k.a. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
SongTelegraph
DirectorPeter Sinclair
IntroNo
OutroNo
Sound MixStereo
Technical Specificationscolour - format unknown

Wiki

Synopsis

OMD perform "Telegraph" in a stark, surreal setting built from darkness, drifting fog, television screens and electronic visual effects. The band appears through imagery resembling a cathode-ray tube, while women wave illuminated wands and an oversized telegraph key becomes a central prop. The deliberately abstract presentation mirrors the song's distrust of communication, authority and institutional power, creating a cold, technology-driven atmosphere rather than a conventional narrative.

Factoids & Trivia

  • "Telegraph" was released in 1983 as the second single from OMD's fourth studio album, "Dazzle Ships."
  • The song was initially considered as the album's first single, but OMD were unhappy with the mix and ultimately released "Genetic Engineering" first.
  • The video uses television imagery, fog, light wands and an enlarged telegraph key to extend the song's themes of communication and technology into a theatrical visual language.
  • The single reached No. 42 on the UK Singles Chart, making it one of OMD's comparatively modest chart performers from the period.
  • Because it was not a major hit, "Telegraph" was omitted from the original video edition of "The Best of OMD" and from "The OMD Singles" compilation.
  • The promo was later restored to the band's visual archive and appeared on the DVD accompanying "Messages: Greatest Hits" in 2003.

Lyrics

CHORUS:
I've got a telegraph in my hand.
Words on paper, written in sand.

We've got telegraph, right across this land.
It doesn't mean a damn thing.
We don't understand.
But who needs telegraph anyway?

REPEAT CHORUS

We've got telegraph, right across this land.
It doesn't mean a damn thing.
...
© OMD a.k.a. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Telegraph. This is an excerpt, provided as citation under fair-use.
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