Pearl in the Shell

"Pearl in the Shell" is a song by English musician Howard Jones, released in May 1984 as the fourth and final single from his debut studio album, Human's Lib. It reached number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. It features a saxophone solo by Davey Payne of Ian Dury's band the Blockheads.

"Pearl in the Shell"
Single by Howard Jones
from the album Human's Lib
Released	18 May 1984 (1984-05-18)[1]
Recorded	1984
Genre	Synth-pop new wave
Length	4:02
Label	WEA
Songwriter(s)	Howard Jones
Producer(s)	Rupert Hine
Howard Jones singles chronology
"Hide and Seek" (1984) "Pearl in the Shell" (1984) "Like to Get to Know You Well" (1984)
Music video
"Pearl in the Shell" on YouTube

Unlike Jones' previous singles, the twelve-inch single did not feature an extended mix of the main track, though an extended mix later appeared on The 12″ Album. Instead, the track "Total Conditioning" was an extended version of the song "Conditioning" also taken from Human's Lib, featuring additional lyrics lifted from most of the other songs on that album.

Track listing

7″

1. "Pearl in the Shell" (Jones) – 4:02
2. "Law of the Jungle" (Jones) – 3:19

Two limited edition singles were released featuring the same tracks as above. One was the standard 7″ in a poster bag sleeve, the other was a shaped picture disc.

12″

1. "Pearl in the Shell" (Jones) – 4:02
2. "Law of the Jungle" (Jones) – 3:19
3. "Total Conditioning" (Jones/Bryant) – 8:04

Charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Germany (GfK)[2]	60
Ireland (IRMA)[3]	2
UK Singles (OCC)[4]	7