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Pop! The First 20 Hits

Compilation album · 1992

The classic Erasure singles run, from “Who Needs Love Like That” to “Take a Chance on Me.”

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ErasureFan illustration for Pop! The First 20 Hits; not official release artwork
ErasureFan illustration; not official release artwork.

Listening notes

Inside Pop! The First 20 Hits

By Alex Vale

Pop! The First 20 Hits is the simplest way to hear Erasure’s early singles in order. It begins with “Who Needs Love Like That” and follows the run through “Take a Chance on Me.” The UK edition adds the Hamburg Mix of “Who Needs Love Like That”; the US edition stops at twenty tracks.

The use of seven-inch edits matters. This is the public form of the catalog: introductions tightened, mixes chosen for singles, twenty decisions about how a song should first meet the world. The closing “Who Needs Love Like That (Hamburg Mix)” folds the endpoint back onto the beginning without pretending nothing changed.

For a new listener who wants singles before albums, this remains the best compact choice. It stops before “Always,” which is a limitation only if completeness is the goal. As a portrait of the first ascent—from uncertain debut singles to a duo in total command—it is unusually well bounded.

Release details

Pop! The First 20 Hits facts

Verified 2026-07-18

First release
16th November 1992 (Germany), 16th November 1992 (UK), 24th November 1992 (USA), 4th May 2009 (Remastered Edition)
Release type
Compilation album
Label
Mute
Catalog number
Mute INT 879.800
Track list (21 tracks)

Reference edition: Pop! The First 20 Hits · GB · 1992 · CD. Track order can differ by territory and reissue.

  1. Who Needs Love Like That (Single Edit) [3:03]
  2. Heavenly Action (Single Edit) [3:20]
  3. Oh L’Amour (Single Edit) [3:04]
  4. Sometimes [3:37]
  5. It Doesn’t Have To Be (Single Edit) [3:41]
  6. Victim Of Love (Single Mix) [3:38]
  7. The Circus (Single Mix) [4:06]
  8. Ship Of Fools [4:01]
  9. Chains Of Love (Single Mix) [3:40]
  10. A Little Respect [3:31]
  11. Stop! (Fade Ending) [2:55]
  12. Drama! [4:04]
  13. You Surround Me [3:57]
  14. Blue Savannah (Single Mix) [4:18]
  15. Star (Single Mix) [3:37]
  16. Chorus [4:29]
  17. Love To Hate You [3:56]
  18. Am I Right? [4:16]
  19. Breath Of Life (Single Mix) [3:54]
  20. Take A Chance On Me [3:44]
  21. Who Needs Love Like That (Hamburg Mix) [3:03]
Formats, editions, charts, and credits

Formats

VINYL (UK – MUTEL2 | Germany – INT 197.800 | Brazil – Mute/WEA 670.8275/01542), DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (iMUTEL2), CD (UK – CDMUTEL2 | Germany – INT 879.800 | USA – Sire 45153-2 | Japan – Toshiba/EMI TOCP-50558-9 | Brazil – Mute/WEA 767.8275/401542), CASSETTE (UK – CMUTEL2 | Germany – INT 479.800 | USA – Sire 45153-4), MINI DISC (UK – MDMUTEL2 | Germany – INT 579.800), DIGITAL COMPACT CASSETTE (UK – DCCMUTEL2), CD (2009 REMASTER) (UK – CDXMUTEL2)

Chart positions

1 (UK) | 12 (Germany) | 112 (USA)

Edition notes

The album was re-released in Japan with a second CD as ‘Pop! – The First 20 Hits Plus’, containing the singles from the ‘I Say I Say I Say’, ‘Erasure’ and ‘Cowboy’ albums (except ‘Rock Me Gently’) plus the b-side ‘First Contact’. All of the tracks on ‘Pop! – The First 20 Hits’ are the edits/mixes featured on the 7″ singles (or, for the latter singles, on the CD singles). The 2009 release was re-mastered by Simon Heyworth at Super Audio Mastering, Devon.

Selected credits

Written by Clarke/Bell.
Published by Musical Moments Ltd/Minotaur Music Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd.
‘Who Needs Love Like That’ written by Clarke and published by Musical Moments Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd.
‘Take A Chance On Me’ written by Andersson/Ulvaeus and published by Bocu Music Ltd.
‘Take A Chance On Me’ rap written by MC Kinky.
‘First Contact’ written by Clarke/Bell/Harding/Curnow/Jones and published by Musical Moments Ltd/Minotaur Music Ltd/Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Ltd/BMG Music.
‘Who Needs Love Like That’, ‘Heavenly Action’ and ‘Oh L’Amour’ produced by Flood. Assisted on ‘Who Needs Love Like That’ and ‘Heavenly Action’ by A. Clay. Recorded at Trident,…

Sources

Corrections are welcome through the contact form.

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