Take A Chance With Me

Album: Avalon (1982)
Charted: 26 104
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Take a Chance With Me" was the last single Roxy Music released before breaking up in 1983. Written by frontman Bryan Ferry and guitarist Phil Manzanera, the song is a plea for devotion and allegiance, with the protagonist having grown tired of short-lived love affairs and non-committal relationships:

    As they say, two can play
    But keep that song away from me
    In my time, too much love
    Has made me sad for so long

    I was blind, can't you see
    Through the long, lonely night
    Heaven knows I believe
    Won't you take a chance with me
  • Following "More Than This" and the title track, Roxy Music planned to release the ballad "While My Heart Is Still Beating" as the third and final single from Avalon. When the upbeat "More Than This" fared better than the slow and sumptuous "Avalon," however, the band shelved "While My Heart Is Still Beating" for this song, believing it to be more of a radio hit. Nevertheless, "Take a Chance With Me" charted lower than "More Than This" and "Avalon," reaching #26 in the UK and #104 in the US.
  • "Take a Chance With Me" was performed live throughout the Avalon tour. It was then retired until 2013, when Bryan Ferry brought it back for his solo tour. Speaking to BBC Radio 2 on January 17, 2011, Ferry described it as "a great song to do live, it just has a different feel from any of the other songs."
  • American industrial band Nine Inch Nails hid a sample of this song in "Closer." Frontman Trent Reznor took the introduction of "Take a Chance With Me," reversed it, sped it up, and placed it at the end of the sexually charged Downward Spiral cut.

    In 2011, Reznor's band How To Destroy Angels covered the Ferry song "Is Your Love Strong Enough?" for the David Fincher film The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Reznor worked on the soundtrack with Atticus Ross, with whom he'd previously won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Social Network (2010).
  • Avalon was Roxy Music's eighth album. Even though it was the band's final release, it was a huge success, topping the charts in the UK, Canada, and Australia, and going Platinum in the US.

    Photographed on a lake in Ireland by Neil Kirk, the album cover stars Ferry's future ex-wife, Lucy Helmore, as a medieval warrior queen. Ferry added on his official website: "She is carrying on her wrist a Merlin – the bird of prey favored by lady falconers."

    The mythical Avalon is said to be where King Arthur went to die after the Battle of Camlann. The legendary monarch's sword, Excalibur, is also rumored to have been forged there.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Kiss

KissFact or Fiction

Kiss is the subject of many outlandish rumors - some of which happen to be true. See if you can spot the fakes.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.