OMD: If You Leave

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (often abbreviated to OMD) is a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral, United Kingdom.

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the British synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as the band's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single in the United States, where it reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A distinguishing track of the 1980s, it has had an enduring presence on radio.

The band wrote "If You Leave" after John Hughes decided to change the ending to Pretty in Pink after poor test audience reactions. Hughes had asked the band for a song for the new ending two days before they were due to begin a tour, and "If You Leave" was written and recorded in under 24 hours as a result. The song was deliberately written at a tempo of 120 BPM, to match the speed of "Don't You (Forget About Me)", which the dancers in the scene had initially danced to. Despite this songwriter Andy McClusky later noted that an editing error meant that the dancing appears out of sync regardless. The original ending featured another OMD song, "Goddess of Love", which was released on The Pacific Age later in 1986.

OMD disbanded in 1996, but reformed in 2006. After collapsing at a show in Toronto due to heart failure, Malcolm Holmes retired from OMD in 2014, and is now making music on his own. Following shows as a trio at the Museum of Liverpool, OMD is touring with former drummer Stuart Kershaw. As of October 2016, OMD was working on an as-yet untitled 13th studio album. It is expected in 2017.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark "If You Leave"

What does tomorrow bring?

Tune in to find out...