| "No One Is to Blame" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| SinglebyHoward Jones | ||||
| from the album Dream Into Action (original version) Action Replay and One to One (re-recorded version) | ||||
| B-side | "The Chase" | |||
| Released | 3 March 1986 (UK) 24 March 1986 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | New wave, soft rock[1] | |||
| Length | 3:29 (1985 version) 4:13 (1986 version) | |||
| Label | WEA (UK) Elektra Records (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Howard Jones | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Collins & Hugh Padgham | |||
| Howard Jones singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"No One Is to Blame" is a song written and performed by British musician Howard Jones. Originally released on Jones's 1985 album, Dream into Action, "No One Is to Blame" was re-recorded and released as a single in 1986. The single became Jones's biggest U.S. hit to date, peaking at #4.
The original version of the song can be found on Dream into Action. Following the success of the previous singles from that album, it was re-recorded to generate a more radio-friendly sound. Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham produced the re-recording, with Collins adding his own drum work and mood.[2][3] The new version of the song was included on the 1986 US EP Action Replay as well as the CD version of Jones' 1986 studio album, One to One.[4]
"No One Is to Blame" was released as a single in March 1986. It became Jones' biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] The song also became the first of his two #1 songs on the U.S. adult contemporary chart ("Everlasting Love" would top this chart in 1989).[5] "No One Is to Blame" was also a top 10 hit in Australia and a #16 hit in the U.K.[6]
In 2018, Morgan Enos of Billboard described "No One Is to Blame" as a "dreamy, existential" ballad that "doesn’t quite deal with love, but with the lack thereof". Enos added that the song "had a message and melody that resonated".[7] The song is known for its "aching beauty"[8] and for Jones's "plaintive lead vocals and piano".[9]
7"
12"
| Chart (1986) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 9 |
| Canada (The Record)[11] | 12 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart | 16 |
| US Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| USMainstream Rock Tracks | 20 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| Year-end chart (1986) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] | 63 |
| US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[13] | 44 |
Jones performed the song solo on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1985.[14] A previously unreleased version of "No One is to Blame" by Neilson Hubbard appears on the 2001 Parasol Records compilation, Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Volume 4.[15]
Rachael Sage recorded a version of "No One Is to Blame" in 2018.[7]
