Vice City 1986

"Vice City 1986"
Single by Curriculum
from the album Sophomore
B-side	"Brave New World"
Released	23 February 2015
Format	Streaming, digital download, CD single, vinyl
Recorded	2013 (album version) 2014 (single version)
Genre	Alternative pop
Length	6:34
Label	Blacklight
Writer(s)	Gregory Preston Olivier, Phillip Mandelbaum, and Wyatt van Cleef
Producer	Dana Breckenridge
Certification	Platinum
Curriculum singles chronology
"Masculine" (2014) "Vice City 1986" (2015) "Brave New World"/"Hold Me In Your Arms" (2015)

"Vice City 1986" is a song by American indie pop band Curriculum. Written by Curriculum members Gregory Preston Olivier, Phillip Mandelbaum, and Wyatt van Cleef and produced by member Dana Breckenridge, the song was released on 23 February 2015 as the fifth and final single from the band's sophomore studio album Sophomore (2014).

Lyrically and musically inspired by the popular 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and music from the 1980s, the song lyrically describes an all-night stint of partying specifically in the fictional city of Vice City. Sonically, the song is indie pop that draw influences from the 1980s electropop genre.

Heavily promoted (relatively speaking) by the band, the song was initially supposed to be released as the fourth single from Sophomore but was replaced by "Masculine". When picked back up for release, the press considered "Vice City 1986" to be the band's most anticipated single release of their entire career.

Upon its release, the song received positive reviews from critics and fans, who praised the production, lyrics, vocals, and the "off-beat and risky decision to sing a song about a video game".

Commercially successful, the single became the band's second number one single in the UK and one of their biggest international hits, reaching the top three in the United States, Canada, and throughout most of Europe. The single also reached #1 in Australia and on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the US.

The band performed the song live at the iTunes Festival in September 2014 and on the Grammy Awards, the BRITS, and as a part of a medley in the Urapopstar Awards 26 in 2015.

Background, composition, and writing

"Vice City 1986" was written by Curriculum band members Gregory Preston Olivier, Phillip Mandelbaum, and Wyatt van Cleef, and produced (including music composed) by Curriculum member Dana Breckenridge. The song was written and recorded in October 2013 and was one of the final songs recorded for the band's album Sophomore.

"Vice City 1986" was musically inspired by 1980s dance pop songs and lyrically inspired by the popular 2002 Rockstar Games' video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The song lyrically speaks about a group of friends enjoying the nightlife of the fictional city of Vice City, with the song being set in 1986.

Release

"Vice City 1986" was on 23 February 2015 as the fifth and final official single from the band's second studio album Sophomore.

The single was initially supposed to be released in October 2014 as the fourth single from the album but was replaced by "Masculine", which was released in November 2014. Though the band announced that "Vice City 1986" would still be released, the single's temporary postponement caused controversy among the band's fanbase.

The band initially tried to release the single around the PC release date of the then-upcoming game Grand Theft Auto V. When the PC version of that game kept on being postponed, the band decided to release the single regardless of the date, not taking into account of when the PC game would finally be released.

Formats

"Vice City 1986" was released on CD single, digital download, and made available on music streaming services. There are three versions of the commercial release: the "regular" version includes the single, four remixes, and the b-side "Brave New World"; the "special" version includes the single and seven b-sides

B-sides

The band recorded nine different b-sides for "Vice City 1986", most of which were covers of popular 1980s songs. Except for two, the band made sure to cover songs that were (mostly) set in the key of F# major. The songs the band covered were songs that could mostly be found on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, both in-game and on the game's soundtrack.

The original b-sides for the single were the tracks "Brave New World", "Can Speak Dutch", and "1993". "1993" was initially supposed to be a single for the band back in 2013 but was cancelled while "Can Speak Dutch" is actually a solo single by Wyatt van Cleef that was released only in Dutch-speaking Europe where it reached #1 in the Netherlands and the top ten in Belgium. "Brave New World" was sent to radio as a promotional single.

Cover art

One of the commercial releases for "Vice City 1986" was inspired and designed after the cover art of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and features a similar design as a result. This particular cover art splices together a montage of attractions from Miami, Florida separated by black borders and colored with a colorful gradient, while having a font of the band's name and the single title reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Another version of the commercial release, features the band partying atop a building, shaking open bottles of champagne against a color gradient hue and with similar Vice City fonts.

Critical reception

"Vice City 1986" received positive reviews from critics and fans alike, praising the production and vocals of the song. The lyrics were praised and the band was applauded for making a dance track after being inspired by a video game.

The band's b-sides, which were mostly covers of popular 1980s tracks, were also generally well received.

Commercial performance

Commercially successful, "Vice City 1986" became one of the band's biggest hits.

"Vice City 1986" debuted and peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's second consecutive number one hit. It also peaked at #2 on the UK Digital Chart and the UK Airplay Top 40 chart. The track sold over 519,000 copies and was certified Platinum by the Urapopstar Recording Association Phonographic Society (URAPS).

The single also became the band's first number one single in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became the band's seventh #1 single on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart. The single also hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Songs, Radio Songs, Digital Songs, Streaming Songs, and Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was certified 4x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

"Vice City 1986" also reached #1 in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The single was certified Platinum in Germany and Ireland and multi-platinum in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Cover versions

Lindsay Belle covered "Vice City 1986" for her single "1987".

Tracklistings

• Regular single

1. "Vice City 1986" (Single version)
2. "Vice City 1986" (A Millenial In 1986 Remix)
3. "Vice City 1986" (Extended by 34 Seconds Remix)
4. "Vice City 1996 Extended Dance Mix"
5. "Brave New World"

• Special single

1. "Vice City 1986" (Single version)
2. "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)" (INXS cover)
3. "More Than This" (Roxy Music cover)
4. "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (Foreigner cover)
5. "Out of Touch" (Hall & Oates cover)
6. "Automatic" (The Pointer Sisters cover)
7. "Can Speak Dutch"
8. "1993"

• Deluxe single

1. "Vice City 1986" (Original album version)
2. "Vice City 1986" (Single version)
3. "Vice City 1986" (A Millenial In 1986 Remix)
4. "Vice City 1986" (Extended by 34 Seconds Remix)
5. "Vice City 1996 Extended Dance Mix"
6. "Vice City 2006 Pseudo-Chopped and Screwed Mix"
7. "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)" (INXS cover)
8. "More Than This" (Roxy Music cover)
9. "Waiting for a Girl Like You" (Foreigner cover)
10. "How Will I Know?" (Whitney Houston cover)
11. "Out of Touch" (Hall & Oates cover)
12. "Automatic" (The Pointer Sisters cover)
13. "Can Speak Dutch"
14. "1993"
15. "Brave New World"