Duchess (The Stranglers song)

"Duchess"
Single by The Stranglers
from the album The Raven
B-side	"Fools Rush Out"
Released	10 August 1979 [1]
Genre	Synth-pop [2] power pop [3]
Length	2:30
Label	United Artists
Songwriter	The Stranglers
Producers	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. ^[4] 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. ^{[5] [6]}

Reception

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." ^[7]

Cover versions

• The song was covered by My Life Story as part of EMI's centenary celebrations in 1997 and reached the UK Top 40. ^[8]

References

1. "Music Week" (PDF). p. 30.
2. Thomas, Fred. The Stranglers - The Raven/La Foile (2001) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
3. Cleary, David. The Stranglers - The Raven (1979) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
4. "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.
5. "The Stranglers - eNotes.com". www.enotes.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
6. "Strangled Spiked". Strangled.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2014-07-13. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
7. Steve Bush (23 March 1979). "Singles". Smash Hits. No. 19.
8. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 385. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.