Woman in Chains
| "Woman in Chains" | |||||||||||
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| Single by Tears for Fears | |||||||||||
| from the album The Seeds of Love | |||||||||||
| B-side | "Always in the Past" | ||||||||||
| Released | 6 November 1989 | ||||||||||
| Format | 7", 12", CDS | ||||||||||
| Recorded | 1988 - 1989 | ||||||||||
| Genre | Pop rock | ||||||||||
| Length | 6:30 | ||||||||||
| Label | Fontana Records | ||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Roland Orzabal | ||||||||||
| Producer | Tears for Fears & Dave Bascombe |
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| Tears for Fears singles chronology | |||||||||||
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"Woman in Chains" is a hit song by the British band Tears for Fears, released as the second single from their 1989 album The Seeds of Love.
The single reached the Top 40 in the UK, United States, Australia, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand, and was a Top 20 hit in Canada, France and in the Netherlands. The studio cut features Phil Collins on drums, and is also notable for guest vocals from female singer Oleta Adams who would later go on to achieve a successful solo career.
The song was re-released in 1992 (with a different B-side and now credited to "Tears For Fears featuring Oleta Adams") in order to capitalise on the recent solo success of Oleta Adams and to promote the Tears for Fears Greatest Hits compilation Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92), this time reaching #57 in the UK.
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[edit] Content
"Woman in Chains" was recorded as a duet and Orzabal explained the impetus for the lyric to Melody Maker: "I was reading some feminist literature at the time and I discovered that there are societies in the world still in existence today that are non-patriarchal. They don't have the man at the top and the women at the bottom. They're matricentric - they have the woman at the centre and these societies are a lot less violent, a lot less greedy and there's generally less animosity... but the song is also about how men traditionally play down the feminine side of their characters and how both men and women suffer for it.... I think men in a patriarchal society are sold down the river a bit - okay, maybe we're told that we're in control but there are also a hell of a lot of things that we miss out on, which women are allowed to be".
The song appeared briefly in an early episode of Baywatch.
The song was later sampled in the S.A.S. single "So Free" featuring Cam'ron and on Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 by DJ Z-Trip and DJ P.
[edit] Music video
The video, directed by Andy Morahan, was filmed in black and white and focuses on the abusive relationship between a man (a boxer) and a woman (a pole-dancer, played by Angela Alvarado) and is interspersed with shots of the band and guest vocalist Oleta Adams performing the song. The video does not however feature guest drummer Phil Collins.
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1989/90) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[1] | 39 |
| France (SNEP)[2] | 20 |
| Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[3] | 16 |
| New Zealand (RIANZ)[4] | 34 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[5] | 26 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 36 |
[edit] References
- ^ "Australian-charts.com – Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in French). Les classement single. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Charts.org.nz – Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains". Top 40 Singles. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Archive Chart" UK Singles Chart. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
- ^ "Tears For Fears Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Tears For Fears. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
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