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Duchess (The Stranglers song)

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"Duchess"
Single by The Stranglers
from the album The Raven
B-side"Fools Rush Out"
Released10 August 1979[1]
GenrePost-punk
Length2:30
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)The Stranglers
Producer(s)Alan Winstanley, The Stranglers
The Stranglers singles chronology
"Walk On By"
(1978)
"Duchess"
(1979)
"Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)"
(1979)

"Duchess" is a single by The Stranglers from the album The Raven. The ninth track on the album, it peaked at number 14 in the UK Singles Chart.[2] The supporting video for the song was banned by the BBC, as they deemed it blasphemous for its content, which featured the band dressed up as choirboys.[3][4]

Reception

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Smash Hits said, "Hugh Cornwell actually sings. Yeah, a bit shaky maybe, but it's proper singing. And the song's quite nice. But it's also repetitive and lacks any real substance."[5]

Cover versions

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  • The song was covered by My Life Story as part of EMI's centenary celebrations in 1997 and reached the UK Top 40.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 30.
  2. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. 2000-03-16. Archived from the original on 2007-07-17. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  3. ^ "The Stranglers - eNotes.com". www.enotes.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Strangled Spiked". Strangled.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  5. ^ Steve Bush (23 March 1979). "Singles". Smash Hits. No. 19.
  6. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 385. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.