Prisoner of Love (Tin Machine song)

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"Prisoner of Love"
TinMachine PrisonerOfLove.jpg
Single by Tin Machine
from the album Tin Machine
B-side "Baby Can Dance" (Live) / "Crack City" (Live)
Released30 October 1989
RecordedAugust 1988 - early 1989;
studio material recorded at
Mountain Studios, Montreux Switzerland,
and Compass Point Studios, Nassau
live recording
25th of June 1989;
at La Cigale, Paris
Genre Rock
Length4:09
Label EMI
MT 76
Songwriter(s) David Bowie
Producer(s)
Tin Machine singles chronology
"Tin Machine" / "Maggie's Farm (live)"
(1989)
"Prisoner of Love"
(1989)
"You Belong in Rock n' Roll"
(1991)

"Prisoner of Love" is a song by Tin Machine taken from their eponymous debut album. It was issued as their third single in October 1989.

Contents


Song development

Bowie claimed at the time he wrote the song for his then-partner Melissa Hurley. [1] It reads as worldly advice from the singer to his naive younger girlfriend. [2]

Live performances and video

The band elected not to make music videos for singles from the album, and instead created a 13-minute megamix video, in which "Prisoner of Love" was included. The video, directed by Julien Temple, went unreleased commercially until its 30th anniversary in 2019. [3]

"Prisoner of Love" was performed during the 1989 Tin Machine Tour. The single was backed by live tracks recorded at La Cigale, Paris on 25 June 1989, and had a novel heart-shaped 7" picture disc release. It failed to chart in the UK or the US.

Track listing

7" version

  1. "Prisoner of Love" (Edit) (Bowie, Gabrels, Sales, Sales) – 4:09
  2. "Baby Can Dance" (Live) (Bowie) – 6:16

12"/CD version

  1. "Prisoner of Love" (Edit) (Bowie, Gabrels, Sales, Sales) – 4:09
  2. "Baby Can Dance" (Live) (Bowie) – 6:16
  3. "Crack City" (Live) (Bowie) – 5:13
  4. "Prisoner of Love" (LP version) (Bowie, Gabrels, Sales, Sales) – 4:15

Credits and personnel

Producers

Musicians

Additional musicians

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References

  1. Pegg, Nicholas (October 2016). "The Complete David Bowie New Edition: Expanded and Updated". Titan Books.
  2. O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. Repeater Books. ISBN   9781912248308.
  3. McLennan, Scott (3 June 2019). "David Bowie & I: Socks, Sax & Sex Shops" . Retrieved 6 June 2019.