Modern Love

Modern Love was the second single to be taken from Peter’s debut solo album and was released in June 1977.

The song was written by Peter, recorded and mixed at The Soundstage, Toronto and produced by Bob Ezrin.

The original UK single did not have a picture sleeve, but printed labels by Hipgnosis featuring Peter in a Vitruvian Man pose, with blushes spared by the vinyl’s strategically placed centre.

Further pressings in the UK reverted to a more standard Charisma silver label, but the single did not chart. It did, however, come with a picture sleeves in Germany, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands.

“The video for ‘Modern Love’ was done with this director Peter Medak – I’d seen the film ‘The Ruling Class’ which I really enjoyed, a great film with Peter O’Toole – and he did that with me in Shepherds Bush. They were just putting in this new shopping centre with moving escalators which seemed very ‘of the future’ at the time.” – PG

In an interview for CBC Radio in May 2019 Bob Ezrin described how the recording of Modern Love involved taping Peter to a pillar:

“Brian Christian, the engineer, this big guy from Southside Chicago – muscles on him like a line-backer – lifted Peter up into the air, I got up on a ladder and we duck-taped him under his armpits to the pillar and then we backed away and I said ‘mic him!’ We rolled the tape and he was up there arms flailing and screaming ‘Ahh, the pain, Modern Love’ and we got it.”

The single was released in the UK on 7″ only

7″ CB 302
Modern Love
Slowburn