For a Friend
1988 single by The Communards
"For a Friend" is a song by British synth-pop duo The Communards taken from their 1987 album Red.
The song is an emotional ballad and was written in the memory of Mark Ashton, a friend of Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles. Mark Hooper of The Rough Guide to Rock writes that this cut may be Somerville's "most impassioned moment". "For a Friend" reached number 28 on the British charts.
The song features an unusual rhythmic device. Although the song is in 4/4, a single beat is skipped at the end of each verse, creating a 3/4 bar just before each chorus.
01In media
The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan. In 2014, the song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Pride. It was also one of the songs played at Burberry’s February 2018 show, presented on 17 February at the Dimco Buildings in West London, marking Christopher Bailey’s final outing for the brand. It also features in the 6th (final) episode of "Murder before Evensong" (2025).
02Track and format listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Victims (Live)" | 5:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | |
| 2. | "Victims (Live)" | |
| 3. | "Don't Leave Me This Way (Live)" | |
| 4. | "Heavens Above" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend (Remix)" | |
| 2. | "You Are My World (Live)" | |
| 3. | "So Cold The Night (Live)" | |
| 4. | "Victims (Live)" |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "For a Friend" | |
| 2. | "Megamix" | |
| 3. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | |
| 4. | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | |
| 5. | "Disenchanted" | |
| 6. | "You Are My World" | |
| 7. | "Heaven Above" | |
| 8. | "You Are My World" |
03Chart performance
Weekly charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) | 29 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 12 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts) | 28 |
| West Germany (GfK) | 35 |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “For a Friend”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- The-Communards-For-a-Friend.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
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