Hysteria is the fourth studio album by British synthpop band The Human League, released on 7 May 1984. Following the worldwide success of their 1981 album Dare, the band struggled to make a successful follow-up and the sessions for Hysteria were fraught with problems. The album name itself is taken from the problematic recording period. Producers Martin Rushent and Chris Thomas both left the project which would eventually be finished by producer Hugh Padgham.
By the time Hysteria was released, three years had passed since Dare and the album met with relatively lacklustre success in comparison to its multi-platinum predecessor. Three singles from the album made the top-twenty of the UK singles chart but none of them reached the top-ten and "The Lebanon" was the only single to chart in the US, stalling at number sixty-four on the Billboard Hot 100. The album peaked at number three in the UK, later being certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies.
In 2005, Hysteria was remastered and re-issued with B-sides and extended mixes as bonus tracks.
The song "Rock Me Again And Again And Again And Again And Again And Again" is a cover of a 1973 song by Lyn Collins and James Brown. "I Love You Too Much" is a re-recorded version from the Fascination! EP and "Don't You Know I Want You" is a reworked version of the instrumental B-side "Total Panic!" that appeared on the "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" single in 1983.
Track listing
Side 1
- "I'm Coming Back" (Oakey, Wright) â" 4:07
- "I Love You Too Much" (Burden, Callis, Wright) â" 3:26
- "Rock Me Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again (Six Times)" (Austin, Brown) â" 3:32
- "Louise" (Callis, Oakey, Wright) â" 4:55
- "The Lebanon" (Callis, Oakey) â" 5:03
Side 2
- "Betrayed" (Oakey, Wright) â" 4:02
- "The Sign" (Burden, Callis, Oakey) â" 3:46
- "So Hurt" (Burden, Callis) â" 3:53
- "Life on Your Own" (Callis, Oakey, Wright) â" 4:06
- "Don't You Know I Want You" (Burden, Callis, Oakey) â" 3:09
2005 CD bonus tracks
- "Thirteen" (from "The Lebanon" 12-inch single, and 7" B-side)
- "The World Tonight" (from "Life on Your Own" 12-inch single, and 7" B-side)
- "The Lebanon" (extended version)
- "Life on Your Own" (extended version)
- "The Sign" (extended version)