Thorn in My Side

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"Thorn in My Side"
Eurythmics TIMS.jpg
Single by Eurythmics
from the album Revenge
B-side "When Tomorrow Comes" (live)
ReleasedAugust 1986
Genre Pop [1]
Length4:12
Label RCA
Songwriter(s) Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart
Producer(s) David A. Stewart
Eurythmics singles chronology
"When Tomorrow Comes"
(1986)		"Thorn in My Side"
(1986)		"The Miracle of Love"
(1986)
Music video
"Thorn in My Side" on YouTube

"Thorn in My Side" is a song by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was released as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Revenge (1986). Written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover. "Thorn in My Side" was produced by Stewart.

Contents

Background

Although the first single from Revenge, "When Tomorrow Comes", barely reached the UK Top 30, "Thorn in My Side" became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and marking their last appearance in the UK top 10. In the United States, the track stalled at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song additionally peaked at number two in Ireland and reached the top 10 in New Zealand (number seven) and Sweden (number six).

Reception

Billboard said it sounds like "Swinging London, 1964" although it "views the past with as much irony as affection." [2] Cash Box called it an "appealing pop/rock single" in which the "seething lyrics are masked by an infectious melody and Annie Lennox’s winning vocal." [3]

Music video

The music video, directed by Chris Ashbrook and Dave Stewart, depicts the band adorned in their black and leather Revenge stage costumes, playing in a studio set bar filled with an audience that includes a gang of Hells Angels. Clem Burke, drummer from the band Blondie, appears in the video as he was recording and touring with Eurythmics that year. It was also the second music video to feature backing vocalist Joniece Jamison, after first appearing in "When Tomorrow Comes".

Track listings

7-inch single

A. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07
B. "When Tomorrow Comes" (live at the Roxy in Los Angeles) – 5:02

12-inch single

A1. "Thorn in My Side" (extended mix) – 6:54
B1. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07
B2. "When Tomorrow Comes" (live at the Roxy in Los Angeles) – 5:02

12-inch single (Houston remix)

A1. "Thorn in My Side" (Houston remix) – 5:49
B1. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07
B2. "In This Town" (live)

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Thorn in My Side"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [19] Silver200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurythmics</span> British music duo

Eurythmics were a British pop duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band that broke up in 1980. They released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but achieved global acclaim with their second album, Sweet Dreams (1983). The title track became a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100. Eurythmics went on to release a string of hit singles and albums, including "Love Is a Stranger", "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again", before splitting in 1990.

<i>Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)</i> (album) 1983 studio album by Eurythmics

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Lennox</span> Scottish musician (born 1954)

Ann Lennox is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams " with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's lounge suit, the BBC wrote, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel ", "Love Is a Stranger" and "Here Comes the Rain Again".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Bird (Annie Lennox song)</span> 1993 single by Annie Lennox

"Little Bird" is a song composed and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. Taken from her debut solo album, Diva (1992), it was produced by Stephen Lipson and released in February 1993 by RCA and BMG as a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire" in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and various other European countries. In other territories, "Little Bird" was released alone.

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Eurythmics - Greatest Hits (1991) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Reviews". Billboard. 25 October 1986. p. 81. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  3. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 25 October 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ "Eurythmics – Thorn in My Side" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Eurythmics – Thorn in My Side" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0759." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  8. ↑ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 3, no. 40. 11 October 1986. p. 12. OCLC   29800226 – via World Radio History.
  9. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  10. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Thorn in My Side". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Eurythmics – Thorn in My Side". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  12. ↑ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  13. ↑ "Eurythmics – Thorn in My Side". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  15. ↑ "Eurythmics Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 20, 1986". Cash Box . Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Eurythmics – Thorn in My Side" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Top 100 Singles (January to December 1986)" (PDF). Music Week . 24 January 1987. p. 24. ISSN   0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  19. ↑ "British single certifications – Eurythmics – Thorn In My Side". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 6 January 2024.
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