In 2016, Entertainment Weekly journalist Dana Falcone described "If You Leave" as a "now-classic tune" and "OMD's best-known song to Americans". We have many European fans who hate the song." Along with 1980's " Enola Gay", "If You Leave" has been described as OMD's signature song. Frontman Andy McCluskey commented: "It's a blessing to have such a big hit, but a shame that it overshadows so many other good songs for the US audience. Listeners in OMD's native UK – where the band had gained an audience with edgy, experimental music – were particularly resistant to the track, which peaked at no. Hugo Lindgren in The New York Times Magazine argued that the stateside popularity of "If You Leave" – as well as that of the similarly pop-oriented Crush (1985) – "obscured OMD's legacy as musical innovators" from US audiences, and marked a shift toward "making music for whoever signed the checks". AllMusic journalist Mike DeGagne named "If You Leave" as the best track from Pretty in Pink, adding that "its adult feel and smooth transition from stanza to chorus makes it most memorable song". Andrew Unterberger in Stylus Magazine said that the "gorgeous" song makes the final scene of Pretty in Pink "one of the best in cinematic history".
Ĭonversely, Stereogum critic Ryan Leas considered the track to be among "the best songs of the '80s", and described its intro/chorus synthesizer melody as "one of the best sounds ever". The parts are garish, overstated it's a cluttered mix." Trouser Press called the song a "dull ballad" that "was thankfully omitted from OMD's subsequent album, The Pacific Age".
Retrospectively, Alfred Soto of The Village Voice said it "starts promisingly" and features "admirably straightforward" lyrics, but concluded: "Gradually the annoyances become menaces. On the other hand, Chicago Sun-Times journalist Dennis Hunt asserted that the track "is too good to be ignored". Ian Cranna in Smash Hits wrote that the song is "false and contrived and seems to last about 3 years" (but described UK B-side "88 Seconds in Greensboro" as "OMD at their blazing best"). "If You Leave" has garnered both praise and derision since its release. Singer Andy McCluskey later noted that an editing error meant the dancing appears out of sync despite the matched tempo. the ending of your childhood", elaborating that they were trying to capture "this fear of what comes next". Lyrically the band has stated that the song is about "The end of high school. This request came two days before OMD were due to begin a tour, and as a result "If You Leave" was written and recorded in under 24 hours. Hughes asked OMD for a new song to match the feel of the ending, and also specified that it should be written at a tempo of 120 BPM, to match the speed of " Don't You (Forget About Me)", which the actors in the scene had danced to during filming.
The end of the film Pretty in Pink, set in a high school prom, was originally meant to feature the OMD song "Goddess of Love" (which the band released on The Pacific Age later in 1986.) However, director John Hughes decided to change the ending to Pretty in Pink after poor test audience reactions, and felt that the new ending required a song with different lyrical content. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written". The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. "If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. Along with 1980's " Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song. It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. " If You Leave" is a 1986 song by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Tom Lord-Alge Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkĪndy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper 1986 single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark "If You Leave"