NME July 1990
Stuart Maconie
…Their goofiest effort yet. For a start, there’s those he-has-to-be-kidding “Hey heys”, then there’s the clod-hopping middle-eight. Best (or worst) of all was the sequenced main riff. Were they drunk? Were they taking the piss? A split second out of sync with the backing track, even the tone deaf looked up from their lager when it came on the jukebox and banged the side of their head in disbelief.
http://blogcritics.org/ October 2005 new
Pam Avoledo
The Human League are awed by the discovery of the minutiae and secrets of each other in the hep "(Keep Feeling) Fascination."
A boppy keyboard opens starts the single which leads to the jagged synthesizer hook, creating a cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Phillip Oakey, Susan Sulley, and Joanne Catherall alternate verses. Oakley begins. He says he's mulling over his choices and being careful to pick the right one. Sulley is not following what her friends told her to do and has already forgotten what they said. They are trying to find something in life which excites them. But they are self-aware, indicating they are going about in a cliched way. They want someone to discuss the symbolism of Dickens with as well as to have fun.
If it seems a little time is
needed/Decisions to be made/The good advice of friends unheeded/The best of
plans mislaid/
Just looking for a new direction/In an old familiar way/The forming of a new
connection/To study or to play.
In the pre-chorus, Oakey bellows
that they discussed everything and nothing into the nightfall. Together,
they learned what the other believed, dismissed, fetished, and dreamed.
And so the conversation turned/Until
the sun went down/And many fantasies were learned/On that day."
Sulley and Catherall join Oakey
for the chorus. Throughout the day, they developed strong feelings and were
amazed that they found someone they could relate to. However, it was only a
temporary connection. The next day, they went back to their regular lives.
Keep feeling fascination/Passion
burning/Love so strong/Keep feeling fascination/Looking learning/Moving on.
In this verse, the order is in
reverse. It's Catherall, Oakley, and Sulley. They comment that they may have
to twist the truth a bit. They also share past experiences visiting foreign
cities and exaggerating a tad. However, it's shallow and in reality, it's
just talking. "Well the truth may need some/Re-arranging/
Stories to be told/And plain to see the facts are changing/No meaning left
to hold."
After the chorus, the bass has a solo. Meanwhile, the jagged synthesizer gradually fades out and in again, leading to the pre-chorus.
The chorus is sung several times to end the single.
"(Keep Feeling) Fascination" is a masterful and wholly original dance-pop song. The synthesizer zings, the verses are traded with ease and has the aura of glamour modern Kylie songs are known for.
The Sunday Times Ireland November 2005
Very nearly sabotaged by it's own weirdness, this stunner still reached No 2.
