Love Is a Stranger
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010) |
| "Love Is a Stranger" | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||
| Single by Eurythmics | ||||||||||||||
| from the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | ||||||||||||||
| Released | 8 November 1982 28 March 1983 (Re-issue) |
|||||||||||||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||||||||||||
| Genre | New Wave, Electronica, Synth Pop | |||||||||||||
| Label | RCA | |||||||||||||
| Producer | David A. Stewart Adam Williams |
|||||||||||||
| Eurythmics singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
"Love Is a Stranger" is Eurythmics' fifth single, and like its predecessors, was initially a commercial flop, although it later became a worldwide hit when it re-entered the chart following their commercial breakthrough with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".
It was produced by David A. Stewart and Adam Williams and was self-financed at Eurythmics' 8-track facility in Chalk Farm.
The single was re-released in 1991.
Contents |
[edit] Song Information
The song has a fairly sparse, up-tempo arrangement. It uses the rare Movement Systems Drum Computer and various synthesizers (providing bass, melody lines and sound effects), including the Suzuki Omnichord, combined with Lennox's strident multi-tracked vocal harmonies. The song is also punctuated with vocal grunts of "uh!" from Stewart.
Originally released in November 1982 in the United Kingdom, the song flopped peaking at #54.[1] Following the huge success of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" the following year, the song was re-released and reached #6 in April 1983.[2] In the United States, the song was the second single released after "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #81 on September 17, 1983 as "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" was descending from #1. After eight weeks, the song peaked at #23 on November 12, 1983 and was in the charts for thirteen weeks.[3][4]
[edit] Music video
The single release was accompanied by a striking music video directed by Mike Brady, in which Stewart acts as chauffeur for an androgynous Lennox, who plays the role of a high-class prostitute. During the course of the video, Lennox removes a curly blonde wig to reveal her trademark, close-cropped, red hair underneath, though in the music video her hair was slicked back rather than being a buzz cut in the follow up music video "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". This caused minor controversy in the USA, as some people mistakenly thought Lennox was a male transvestite.[citation needed]
[edit] B-side
The single B-side was "Monkey Monkey", a stripped-down electro track featuring a sparse drum machine and sequenced synthesizer arrangement, with Lennox's vocal heavily electronically processed. The bass-line consists of a rhythmically shifting motive permutating against the drum pattern. Lennox plays with half-articulated fake-French soundings and extremely long intonations.
On the 12-inch maxi-single this song was preceded by "Let's Just Close Our Eyes" a completely alternative version of their previous single "The Walk"
[edit] Track listings
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} |
This section requires expansion with: songwriters and lengths. |
7"
- A: "Love Is a Stranger"
- B: "Monkey Monkey"
12"
- A: "Love Is a Stranger"
- B1: "Monkey Monkey"
- B2: "Let's Just Close Our Eyes"
[edit] Chart performance
[edit] Original release
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[5] | 54 |
[edit] 1983 release
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart[citation needed] | 6 |
| Canadian Singles Chart[6] | 15 |
| Dutch Singles Chart[7] | 12 |
| French Singles Chart[8] | 51 |
| German Singles Chart[9] | 12 |
| Irish Singles Chart[10] | 4 |
| Japanese Singles Chart[citation needed] | 60 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[11] | 20 |
| South African Singles Chart[12] | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart[13] | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14] | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs Chart[15] | 7 |
[edit] 1991 Reissue
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[16] | 46 |
[edit] Cover versions
- UK gothic rock band Rosetta Stone recorded a cover for their 2000 album Unerotica.
- Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright included a cover of the song on her 2008 album I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=10075
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=10371
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?chartDate=1983-09-17&order=gainer
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/eurythmics/chart-history/4567
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=10075
- ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=53gtrvbfj0gk7r9b4sd40dtvu0&q1=Eurythmics+Love+Stranger&q2=&interval=20
- ^ http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Love+Is+A+Stranger&cat=s
- ^ http://www.infodisc.fr/Bilan_E.php
- ^ http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/Eurythmics/single
- ^ http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
- ^ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Love+Is+A+Stranger&cat=s
- ^ http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_%28E%29.html
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=10371
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/eurythmics/chart-history/4567?f=379&g=Singles
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/eurythmics-p4207/charts-awards/billboard-singles
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=18429
- ^ http://tsort.info/music/hs491m.htm
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
