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Eternal Flame (song)

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"Eternal Flame"
Song

"Eternal Flame" is a ballad and love song by American band the Bangles from their 1988 album Everything. It became a hit single, when released in 1989, peaking at number one in the charts in nine countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was written by popular songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. With this song and "Walk Like an Egyptian", the Bangles became only the third girl group to score multiple number-ones in the United States, after the Supremes (twelve) and the Shirelles (two).

History

Unlike the rest of the more uptempo songs on their album Everything, "Eternal Flame" is a ballad. Co-writer Billy Steinberg describes it as "the Beatles meet the Byrds".

The song was inspired by two eternal flames: one at the gravesite of Elvis Presley that the Bangles saw when the band visited Graceland,[1] and one at a local synagogue in Palm Springs which Steinberg attended as a child.[2] Steinberg recalled to Songfacts: "Susanna was talking about the Bangles having visited Graceland, and she said there was some type of shrine to Elvis that included some kind of eternal flame. As soon as those words were mentioned, I immediately thought of the synagogue in the town of Palm Springs, California where I grew up. I remember during our Sunday school class they would walk us through the sanctuary. There was one little red light and they told us it was called the eternal flame."[3]

In the BBC programme I'm In a Girl Group, Hoffs revealed she actually sang the studio recording of the song completely naked due to the producer Davitt Sigerson pranking her by telling her Olivia Newton John had done the same thing but he later told Hoffs he had been lying the whole time."[4]

It spent one week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, blocking Milli Vanilli's "Girl You Know It's True" from reaching the summit position.[5] It was preceded at #1 on the Hot 100 by Mike + the Mechanics' "The Living Years" and succeeded by Roxette's "The Look". It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart for two weeks.[6]

The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart in February 1989 at number 81 and peaked at number one in April spending four weeks there and went on to spend twenty weeks in the chart and was the UK's third best-selling song of 1989.

The song also spent seven weeks at the #1 position in the Dutch Top 40. The song was Australia's 4th biggest selling single of '89 and was sent up on the Australian TV show Fast Forward.

Track lists

Side Title Length
A "Eternal Flame" 3:56
B "What I Meant To Say" 3:20


"What I Meant to Say" is a non-album track, written by Debbi and Vicki Peterson and sung by Debbi.

Charts

Personnel

Preceded by
"Now You're in Heaven" by Julian Lennon
 Australian Kent Music Report number one single
12 June 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Alles kan een mens gelukkig maken" by René Froger and Het Goede Doel
 Dutch Top 40 number one single
15 April 1989 – 27 May 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Irish Singles Chart number one single
6 April 1989 (first run)
20 April 1989 - 27 April 1989 (second run) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Norwegian Singles Chart number one single
19 June 1989 – 26 July 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Swedish Singles Chart number one single
31 May 1989 – 19 July 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number one single
April 1, 1989 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
April 8, 1989 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number one single
April 9, 1989 - April 29, 1989 		Succeeded by

Cover versions

Tomoya Nagase feat. 3T version

"Eternal Flame"
Song

In 1997 has been covered in Japanese language the song by Tomoya Nagase, the vocalist of the Japanese idol rock group Tokio, featuring 3T. This song was used as the theme song of the Nippon TV drama "DXD", in which Nagase played the main role. He also wrote the Japanese version lyrics. This version was released as a single in Japan under the name of "Tomoya with 3T".

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Oricon Japanese International Chart 12

Human Nature version

"Eternal Flame"
Song

In 1999, Australian group Human Nature covered "Eternal Flame" and released it as the fifth single from their second album, Counting Down. It peaked at #8 and was certified Gold.

Track listings

  • Australian CD single 1 Cat. 667915 2
  1. "Eternal Flame"
  2. "She's So Gone"
  3. "Breaking Me Down"
  4. "Don't Cry" (Discothèque Club remix)
  5. "Eternal Flame" (music video)
  • Australian CD single 2 Cat. 667915 5
  1. "Eternal Flame"
  2. "Shake You Outta My Head" from the Happy Days production
  3. "She's So Gone"
  4. "Breaking Me Down"
  5. "Don't Cry" (Discothèque Club remix)
  6. "Eternal Flame" (music video)

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[34] 8
Year-end chart (1999) Position
Australia (ARIA)[35] 58

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000^

Atomic Kitten version

"Eternal Flame"
Song

British pop group Atomic Kitten subsequently recorded the song in 2001 and released as the sixth overall single and lead single from the reissue of the debut studio album, Right Now. It was the group's first single to feature new band member Jenny Frost. Their version was produced by multi-platinum singer producer Ray Ruffin.

Track listing

Australian CD
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Right Now" (Jenny Frost version) – 3:35
  3. "Right Now" (K-Klass Phazerphunk Club Mix) – 7:22
  4. "Eternal Flame" (Blacksmith RnB Club Dub) – 3:55
  5. "Right Now" (video)
UK CD
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:30
  3. "Eternal Flame" (Blacksmith RnB Club Rub) – 3:54
  4. "Eternal Flame" (video)
UK cassette
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:30
  3. "Dancing in the Street" – 3:39

Official versions

  • Eternal Flame (Single Version) - 3:13
  • Eternal Flame (Album Version) - 3:37
  • Eternal Flame (Blacksmith R'n'B Club Rub) - 3:54
  • Eternal Flame (Love to Infinity Club Mix) - 7:14

Music video

The video begins with the band members walking up to the screen in a stylized pace, in plain white clothes and bare feet, with a dark background. This is shown often in the video, and is also how the video ends. Throughout the video, each of the band members do different poses and dance moves in time to the song, with the dark, cloudy background in place. Also in one of the scenes in the video, all three band members are seen in a line, with a glass floor and four metal posts with lights in the background that accompanies the perennial dark background. In this scene, the girls are seen doing a basic dance routine in time with the song. For Jenny's solo, she is seen lying down on the floor doing a sexy pose. However, Frost later claimed in the So Far So Good DVD, that she had tonsillitis for the video shoot, and was lying down due to being ill and couldn't stand up.[37] There is also a version of the video that contains clips from the movie The Parole Officer which was taken from the DVD "So Far So Good".

Chart performance

Atomic Kitten made the song another massive success; it entered the top twenty in every country it was released, except for Australia, where it peaked at number 47. It entered at number one in the UK, staying at the top for two weeks. On its first day, "Eternal Flame" sold 35,358 copies, and its closest rival was Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious", which sold 13,182 copies in its opening day. The song sold over 140,000 copies in its first week and 70,000 copies in its second week. The song sold over 400,000 copies in the UK, and was certified Gold. The single entered the top five in over ten countries. The single went to number two in the French singles chart, a huge success, and became one of the best selling singles by a girl group of all time in France. However, it was their only single to reach the top 20, making them one-hit wonders there. It was certified gold for sales of over 250,000 copies. Atomic Kitten's version charted higher in France than the original version by the Bangles.

Over a year later, the single appeared in the Canadian Singles Chart. "Eternal Flame" was Atomic Kitten's only single to chart over there. It debuted at number 20, and peaked at number 15. It spent twelve weeks in the top forty—five of which were in the top twenty, making the song a moderate success. The single was also a number-one hit in the Flanders region of Belgium, and Atomic Kitten's became their best-selling single there, subsequently lasting sixteen weeks on the chart; it became the 28th best selling single of 2001 in Belgium. It also spent one week at number one in New Zealand. "Eternal Flame" went on to sell over one million copies worldwide and was certified Gold in the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and New Zealand.

Charts and certifications

Chart procession and succession
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
July 29, 2001 – August 11, 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
"Tele-Romeo / Blub, ik ben een vis" by K3
 Ultratop number-one single
September 8, 2001 – September 15, 2001 		Succeeded by
"Let me blow ya mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani
Preceded by Recording Industry Association of New Zealand number-one single
September 23, 2001 – September 30, 2001 		Succeeded by

Other cover versions

"Eternal Flame"
Song
  • The song was covered in 2000 by Rollergirl on the album Now I'm Singin'... and the Party Keeps On Rollin', and released as a single which peaked at #87 in the Swiss Charts.[66]
  • Bonnie Tyler and French singer Laura Zen recorded a version in 2011 which went to French radio stations on Monday August 29. The song was named "Eternal Flame (Amour éternel)".[67]
  • The song was featured in the movie Pitch Perfect.
  • The song was heard in the episode "Lassie Jerky" of Psych in 2013.
  • The song was heard in the episode "A Sitar is Born" of the show Outsourced in 2011.
  • This song was featured in the seventeenth episode of the final season of How I Met Your Mother.
  • The British musical comedy film Walking on Sunshine used the song.
  • It was used in an episode of The Goldbergs where Beverly and Murray renew their marriage vows. The episode also references Princess Diana's wedding to Prince Charles almost 8 years before the song was released.

References

  1. ^ Susanna Hoffs, "Commentary", the Bangles, Return to Bangleonia, DVD, 2007
  2. ^ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, page 261, 9023009444
  3. ^ "Eternal Flame". Songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsr9CtiB0c&t=23m41s. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Archives". http://www.billboard.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2011-06-25. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 28.
  7. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ Canadian peak
  10. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in French). Les classement single.
  12. ^ "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 15, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  14. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame". VG-lista.
  17. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame". Singles Top 100.
  18. ^ "Bangles – Eternal Flame". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Bangles Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Bangles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  22. ^ a b Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  23. ^ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  24. ^ "1989". Luckysdb.be. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  25. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  26. ^ "De Single Top 100 Over 1989" (PDF). Top40.nl. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  27. ^ "INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. 1997-02-12. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  28. ^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1989". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  29. ^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1989". Cashboxcountdowns.com. 1989-12-30. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  30. ^ certyear for AUSTRALIAN CERTIFICATION for albums/singles must be 1990 or larger
  31. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-17.
  32. ^ "British single certifications – Bangles – Eternal Flame". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Eternal Flame in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  33. ^ "American single certifications – Bangles – Eternal Flame". Recording Industry Association of America.
  34. ^ "Human Nature – Eternal Flame". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  35. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1999". aria.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 6 May 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  37. ^ "Atomic Kitten - So Far So Good (DVD part 4)". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  38. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  39. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  40. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  41. ^ "Atomic Kitten > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic Macrovision. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  42. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Tracklisten.
  43. ^ "Atomic Kitten Crawls Up Euro Albums Chart". billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  44. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in French). Les classement single.
  45. ^ "Irish Charts > Atomic Kitten". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  46. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Atomic Kitten" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  47. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Top 40 Singles.
  48. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". VG-lista.
  49. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" Canciones Top 50.
  50. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Singles Top 100.
  51. ^ "Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Swiss Singles Chart.
  52. ^ "UK Charts > Atomic Kitten". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  53. ^ "Disque en France > Certifications Singles > Or > 2002". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2010-07-28. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Singles) du SNEP (les Disques d'Or)". Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  55. ^ "New Zealand Top 50 Singles > 9 December 2001". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  56. ^ "Swedish Certifications 2001". Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2010-10-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  57. ^ "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2013-01-11. Retrieved 2010-10-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  58. ^ Steffen Hung (2001-12-23). "Best selling singles in Austria (2001)". Austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  59. ^ "Best selling singles in Belgium Flanders (2001)". Ultratop.be. 2011-12-24. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  60. ^ "Best selling singles in Belgium Wallonia (2001)". Ultratop.be. 2011-12-24. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  61. ^ "Best selling singles in France (2002)". Disqueenfrance.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  62. ^ "Best selling singles in Ireland (2001)". Allcharts.org. Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  63. ^ "Top 50 singles of 2001 in NZ". Rianz.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  64. ^ Steffen Hung. "Best selling singles in Switzerland (2001)". Swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  65. ^ "Yearly Best Selling Singles : 1999" (PDF). Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  66. ^ SwissCharts.com "Eternal Flame" (Rollergirl) page. Accessed: November 2, 2006 Archived 2013-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  67. ^ "Bonnie Tyler est de retour : elle reprend le hit "Eternal Flame"". Chartsinfrance.net. 2011-08-29. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2012-01-09.

Additional sources used:

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