Yazoo (known as
Yaz in North America for legal reasons with
Yazoo Records) were a British
synthpop duo from
Basildon,
Essex, England, consisting of former
Depeche Mode member
Vince Clarke (keyboards) and
Alison Moyet (vocals). Formed in late 1981 after Clarke responded to an advertisement Moyet placed in a UK music magazine, over the next 18 months the duo made two critically acclaimed albums,
Upstairs at Eric's and
You and Me Both, blending Clarke's synthesizer melodies with Moyet's
blues- and
soul-influenced vocals. Yazoo enjoyed worldwide success, particularly in their home country where three of their four singles reached the top three of the
UK Singles Chart and both their albums made the top two of the
albums chart. In North America they are best known for the song "
Situation", originally only a
B-side in the UK but which was a club and airplay hit in the US and Canada before being released as the band's debut single in North America.