As Donna Summer’s I Feel Love had been the catalyst for Sparks choosing to work with Giorgio Moroder, it was important that the album opened with a song which bore the producer’s sonic trademark. However, as soon as Russell’s vocal starts it becomes clear that the union was equal, with Sparks’ DNA as prominent as ever, singing a song written from the viewpoint of… well, a sperm. Despite the offbeat subject matter, Sparks performed the track on kids’ TV show Crackerjack as well as Top Of The Pops. The track was released as the final single from the album in October 1979, reaching No.45. The 12” single contained an extra push for the album from an unusual guest star. “Virgin Records had the wonderful idea to enlist British comic Peter Cook to do two promo spots for the No.1 In Heaven album,” says Russell Mael. They stood Cook in front of a microphone and let him riff away on the meaning of the Syndrum bleeps in Tryouts For The Human Race.
A decade into their career together as Sparks, brothers Ron and Russell Mael had already undergone a number of line-up changes and experimented with different musical styles before diminishing popularity and decreasing record sales dictated a change in direction. Stripping the band down to the core duo, they enlisted Giorgio Moroder to guide their eighth album and first foray into electronic music, No.1 In Heaven.