"Swords of a Thousand Men" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Tenpole Tudor | ||||
from the album Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary | ||||
A-side | "Swords of a Thousand Men" | |||
B-side | "Love and Food" | |||
Released | 27 March 1981 | |||
Genre | Punk rock | |||
Length | 2:58 | |||
Label | Stiff | |||
Songwriter(s) | Edward Tudor-Pole | |||
Producer(s) | Alan Winstanley, Bob Andrews | |||
Tenpole Tudor singles chronology | ||||
|
"Swords of a Thousand Men" is a song and single written by Eddie Tenpole, and performed by the English punk band Tenpole Tudor. [1] It was first released on Stiff Records in March 1981. It entered the UK Singles Chart in April that year, reaching number 6 and staying for 10 weeks on the chart. [2] [3] On 1 June 1981, the single was awarded a silver certification by the BPI in the UK for sales of over 250,000 units. [4]
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] | 48 |
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 6 |
"Swords of a Thousand Men" | |
---|---|
Single by Skyclad | |
from the album Folkémon | |
A-side | "Sword of a Thousand Men" |
Released | 2001 |
Genre | Folk metal |
Length | 8:55 |
Label | Demolition Records |
Songwriter(s) | Eddie Tenpole |
Producer(s) | Kevin Ridley |
In 2001, British folk metal group Skyclad released the song as their second true single (after 1993's "Thinking Allowed"). It featured two versions of Skyclad's cover of the song, one with Tenpole Tudor, plus a re-recorded version of one of their earliest tracks. [6]
The lyric "Over the hill with the swords of a thousand men" was used by writer Garth Ennis as the title for a story arc of his comic series The Boys , consisting of issues 60–65. This lyric was again used as the title for episode 3 of season 2 of the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of the comic.
The song enjoyed a new lease of life thanks to being used as the opening titles theme for 2012's The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! . This led to it being picked up for a number of adverts, most recently in the British television advertisement for the holiday company Haven in 2020. [7]
Skyclad are a British heavy metal band with heavy folk influences in their music. They are considered one of the pioneers of folk metal. The etymology behind the term "skyclad" comes from a pagan/wiccan term for ritual nudity, in which rituals are performed with the participants metaphorically clad only by the sky, as a sign of equality. The name alludes both to the band's religious leanings and to their social beliefs, as set out in the song "Skyclad" on their first album.
"Lost in Love" is a song recorded by the British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply. The song was written by group member Graham Russell. The original version of the song appeared on the Life Support album in 1979 and was released as a single in Australia, reaching number 13 on the Kent Music Report. The group re-recorded the song for the album of the same name in 1980 and this version was released as a single in the US, reaching number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"The Power of Love" is a song originally recorded and released by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was written by Holly Johnson, Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash, four of the five members of the band. It was released by the group as their third single.
Edward Felix Tudor-Pole is an English musician, television presenter and actor.
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single. It topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed poorly in the United States because Larry Newton, the president of ABC Records, disliked the song and refused to promote it.
"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label.
"Islands in the Stream" is a song written by the Bee Gees and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Named after an Ernest Hemingway novel, it was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers's album Eyes That See in the Dark. The song was originally written for Diana Ross in an R&B style but later reworked for the duet by Rogers and Parton. The Bee Gees released a live version of the song in 1998 and a studio version in 2001.
"Help!" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that served as the title song for the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was released as a single in July 1965, and was number one for three weeks in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Tenpole Tudor are an English punk band fronted by Edward Tudor-Pole. The band first came to prominence when Tudor-Pole appeared in the Sex Pistols' film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle and on three of the singles released from the soundtrack. The band then went on to have hits in their own right with songs like "Swords of a Thousand Men" and "Wünderbar". The band has been active intermittently since 1977, and the current incarnation is known as the Tenpole Tudor Vikings.
"Down Under" is a song recorded by Australian rock band Men at Work. It was originally released in 1980 as the B-side to their first local single, "Keypunch Operator", released before the band signed with Columbia Records. Both early songs were written by the group's co-founders, Colin Hay and Ron Strykert. The early version of "Down Under" has a slightly different tempo and arrangement from the later Columbia release. The best-known version was then released on Columbia in 1981 as the second single from their debut album Business as Usual (1981).
"Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands, but first charting by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' Dolls, Melba Montgomery, Olivia Newton-John, Bettye Swann and, most recognizably, by Juice Newton.
"The Winner Takes It All" is a song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. Released as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, Super Trouper (1980), it is a ballad in the key of G-flat major, reflecting on the end of a relationship. The single's B-side was the non-album track "Elaine". The song peaked at No.1 in several countries, including the UK, where it became their eighth chart-topper. It was also the group's final top 10 hit in the United States. It was written by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, with Agnetha Fältskog singing the lead vocal.
"Fade to Grey" is a 1980 song by British new wave band Visage, released as the second single from their debut album, Visage (1980), on Polydor Records.
"How Long" is the debut single by the English band Ace, from their 1974 debut album Five-A-Side. It reached No. 3 in the US and Canadian charts, and No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart.
"It Must Be Love" is a song written and originally recorded and released in 1971 by English singer Labi Siffre on his 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying. It was also recorded by ska/pop band Madness in 1981.
Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary is the debut album by English punk rock band Tenpole Tudor. The title is a play on the phrase "any old Tom, Dick or Harry". A moderately successful seller, peaking at No. 44 on the UK Albums Chart, the album launched three singles: "Three Bells in a Row", "Wünderbar" and "Swords of a Thousand Men". "Wünderbar" rose to No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart. "Swords of a Thousand Men" was the most successful of Tenpole Tudor's singles, reaching No. 6 and remaining on the charts for 12 weeks. The album was reissued on CD in 2007 on the See label.
Let the Four Winds Blow is the second album by Tenpole Tudor and the follow-up to Eddie, Old Bob, Dick and Gary. Despite featuring the minor hit "Throwing My Baby Out With the Bath Water" the album and the follow-up single both failed to chart. It would be 27 years before the next album, Made it this Far would be released.
"Daddy's Home" is a famous song by American doo-wop group Shep and the Limelites. The song was written by the three members of the band, James "Shep" Sheppard (1935–1970), Clarence Bassett (1936–2005) and Charles Baskerville. The group recorded the original version of "Daddy's Home" on February 1, 1961, and it was released on Hull Records in March 1961 with the B-side being "This I Know".
"Wired for Sound" is a song recorded by English singer Cliff Richard, released in 1981 as the lead single for his album of the same name. The song reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and was certified silver by the BPI for sales over 250,000. The song reached number 2 in Australia and South Africa, and was a hit in a number of European countries. The song was written by Alan Tarney and B.A. Robertson.
"A Little in Love" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard, released as the second single from his 1980 album, I'm No Hero.