Songfacts®:

• OMD is a pioneering electronic band, and they reference electricity a lot in their lyrics, so it makes sense that Nikola Tesla would end up in one of their tracks. Tesla was a Serbian scientist who in many cases is the basis for the "Mad Scientist" character. His experiments with electricity were brilliant, and led to a system that brought electric current into homes so we could later enjoy our flat-screen TVs.
  Why is OMD so interested in Tesla and the study of electricity? Founding member Paul Humphreys studied electronics and would most likely be wiring some floodlights if the band didn't take off and change his career path.
• Early on, OMD recorded for Dindisc Records, whose graphic designer Peter Saville did a lot of OMD's artwork through the years. Another act on Dindisc was Martha and the Muffins, whose lead singer inspired this song. In our 2010 interview with Andy McCluskey of OMD, he explained: "I stole the idea from Martha Ladly (from Martha and the Muffins). She was a wonderful, intelligent and beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she was also Peter Saville's girlfriend at the time."
• OMD finally broke through in America with "If You Leave" in 1986. They were consistent hitmakers in their native England, but had a lot of trouble getting on MTV, which was the only way electronic acts were going to get exposure in the States. Unfortunately, OMD didn't make great videos, and this is an example. McCluskey told us: "The video is s--t; as were many of our early videos. We had no interest in them. The music and the sleeve was as far as we went. I wish we had been interested in videos to begin with. Maybe we would have made less crap ones!"