It Doesn't Have to Be

"It Doesn't Have to Be" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in February 1987. It was issued as a single six weeks before the release of the duo's second album, The Circus. Following the number-two UK placing of previous single "Sometimes", it became Erasure's second Top 20 hit in the UK (peaking at number twelve) and their third German Top 20 hit (number sixteen).

"It Doesn't Have to Be"
Single by Erasure
from the album The Circus
B-side"In the Hall of the Mountain King"
Released16 February 1987
Recorded1986
GenreSynthpop, new wave
Length3:53
LabelMute (UK)
Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)Vince Clarke, Andy Bell
Producer(s)Flood
Erasure singles chronology
"Sometimes"
(1986)		 "It Doesn't Have to Be"
(1987)		 "Victim of Love"
(1987)
Music video
"It Doesn't Have to Be" on YouTube

The lyrics of the song deplore a lack of necessity for strife and may be understood to refer to apartheid in South-Africa, but there is no particular reference. The middle eight is in Kiswahili, an eastern, not southern African language: Lala pamoja na mimi / Nyumbani yako, nyumbani yako / Sababu wewe hapana kaa na mimi / Nyumbani yako, nyumbani yako, 'Sleep (together) with me / At your place [house], at your place / Why don't you stay with me / At your place, at your place.' So they deplore a lack of necessity for strife not only between two peoples, but also between two people.

The single's B-side is a rendition of "In the Hall of the Mountain King", a piece taken from Norwegian composer and pianist Grieg's Peer Gynt suite.

Track listings

Charts
Chart (1987) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop) 15
Denmark (IFPI)[1] 5
Ireland (IRMA)t[2] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[3] 34
Spain (AFYVE)[4] 30
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) 10
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 19
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6] 12
West Germany (Media Control Charts)[7] 16

References
  1. Danish Singles Chart 27 March 1987
  2. Jaclyn Ward. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". Irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on 2011-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  3. Steffen Hung. "Erasure - It Doesn't Have To Be". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  4. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  5. Steffen Hung. "Erasure - It Doesn't Have To Be". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
  6. "The Official Charts Company - It Doesn't Have To Be by Erasure Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013.
  7. "charts.de". charts.de. 1987-02-16. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
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