Right by Your Side (Eurythmics song)

"Right by Your Side"
Single by Eurythmics
from the album Touch
B-side	"Right by Your Side (Party Mix)"
Released	28 October 1983
Recorded	March 1983
Studio	The Church Studios (London, England) [1]
Genre	New wave [2] calypso [3] [4] electro [4]
Length	3:52
Label	RCA
Songwriter(s)	Annie Lennox David A. Stewart
Producer(s)	David A. Stewart
Eurythmics singles chronology
"Who's That Girl?" (1983) "Right by Your Side" (1983) "Here Comes the Rain Again" (1984)
Music video
"Right by Your Side" on YouTube

"Right by Your Side" is a 1983 song by the British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, and produced by Stewart.

In the UK, the track was released in October 1983 as the second single from Eurythmics' third album Touch , and was issued a few weeks in advance of the album. In North America, the song was issued as the album's third single, and did not appear as a single until July 1984.

Background

"Right by Your Side" was something of a departure from previous Eurythmics songs, and is an uptempo love song which features a calypso music instrumental backdrop, complete with synthesized steel drum and marimba sounds and a horn section. The steel drum sounds were triggered from a Voyetra synthesiser that Stewart acquired in New York. After spending a few hours getting the Voyetra to function, Stewart landed on a sound that resembled a set of steel drums, which was the first noise that he achieved with the synthesiser. He then worked with Lennox to develop "Right by Your Side" around the steel drum sound. According to Stewart, it took roughly ten minutes for them to write the song. ^[5]

Stewart sought to record a solo that emulated the playing of King Sunny Adé, so to accomplish this, he recorded his part at half-speed and later sped the recording up. The song's horn dubs were recorded in London by some session musicians. ^[5]

"Right by Your Side" became the fourth consecutive Eurythmics single to hit the Top 10 of the UK singles chart during 1983. It also climbed to number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Billboard commented on "the extravagantly joyful sound and full-to-bursting Caribbean rhythms." ^[6]

Track listings

7"

• A: "Right by Your Side" (7" Version) - 3:52
• B: "Right by Your Side" (Party Mix) - 6:27

12"

• A: "Right by Your Side" (Extended Version)* - 12:25
• B1: "Right by Your Side" (Special Mix) - 0:59
• B2: "Plus Something Else" 5:30 ** (later released on the Remastered Re-Issue of the LP 'Touch' (2005)

* Simply titled "Right By Your Side" on the record, there is no indication on duration or version.

** This is an instrumental/dub mix of the song "Regrets", which opens with Dave saying "Well, that's enough of that. Here's something else." Another version of "Regrets", this time a 7'34 "vocal" remix can be found on the EP "Touch Dance" (1984; 12" and CD) - original version of the song "Regrets" from the LP "Touch" (1983).

Versions

Special Mix - 0:59

• Opens with an announcement from Dave: "Hello. This is our hopefully Special Mix. Bye-bye." Then the first (approximately) 55 seconds of the album version plays before fading out.

7" Version - 3:52

• Essentially an edit of the album version, fading before the end sequence.

Album version - 4:46

• Only version with "white noise" bursts during the end sequence as the song fades out.

Party mix - 6:27

• Remix with additional electronic percussion effects and sax solo ending, edited down from full Extended Mix.

Extended Mix, a.k.a. SuperExtended Mix - 12:25

• Remix with additional electronic percussion effects, a much longer sax solo, and panted wordless vocalizing.

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Right by Your Side" Chart (1983–1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] 15 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [8] 31 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [9] 39 Ireland (IRMA) [10] 15 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [11] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] 31 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [13] 9 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [14] 13 UK Singles (OCC) [15] 10 US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 29 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [17] 39 US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [18] 32 US Cash Box Top 100 Singles [19] 30 West Germany (GfK) [20] 61

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "Right by Your Side" Chart (1984) Position Australia (Kent Music Report) [21] 93

References

1. Touch (liner notes). Eurythmics. RCA Records. 1983. PL70109.
2. Phares, Heather. "Original Soundtrack – Edge of 17". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 July 2013.
3. Petridis, Alexis (21 April 2022). "Annie Lennox's 30 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 August 2024.
4. Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1983.2". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 418. ISBN   978-1-915841-45-2.
5. Stewart, Dave (February 2016). Sweet Dreams Are Made of This: A Memoir. New York, NY: New American Library. pp. 109–110. ISBN   9780451477682.
6. "Singles Reviews". Billboard. 21 July 1984. p. 57. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 105. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
8. "Eurythmics – Right by Your Side" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8529." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Right by Your Side". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Eurythmics" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
12. "Eurythmics – Right by Your Side" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
13. "Eurythmics – Right by Your Side". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
14. "Eurythmics – Right by Your Side". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
15. "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
16. "Eurythmics Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
17. "Eurythmics Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
18. "Eurythmics Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
19. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending September 15, 1984". Cash Box . Retrieved 4 June 2020.
20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Eurythmics – Right by Your Side" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
21. "National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report . No. 548. 31 December 1984 – via Imgur.