Thorn in My Side
Encyclopedia
"Thorn in My Side" is a song recorded by British pop music
duo Eurythmics
. It was released as a single from the duo's Revenge album in the UK and the U.S. 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.
After the first single from Revenge, Missionary Man
, reached the middle of the British charts, "Thorn in My Side" became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five in the British charts
. To date, it is their last appearance in the UK Top 10. In the United States, the track stalled at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100
.
The extended mix of the song is notable in that it is radically different from the album version in arrangement and has much more of an electronic feel, this version's dominant feature being electronic drums featuring a totally different rhythm than is used on the album version. The arrangement of the remixed version is also much sparser and darker, based mainly around the drum beat, a staccato arpeggiated electronic bass line, a piano line which follows the melody, a synthesizer playing a basic chordal arrangement in the chorus and Annie Lennox's vocals. The extended mix does not feature the bright guitars, brass and strings in the album version and adds a minor chord progression arrangement under the chorus section.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duo Eurythmics
Eurythmics
Eurythmics were a British pop rock duo, formed in 1980, currently disbanded, but known to reunite from time to time. Consisting of members Annie Lennox and David A...
. It was released as a single from the duo's Revenge album in the UK and the U.S. Written by band members Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
and David A. Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover. "Thorn in My Side" was produced by Stewart.
After the first single from Revenge, Missionary Man
Missionary Man (Eurythmics song)
"Missionary Man" is a song by the British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was taken from their sixth album, Revenge, and continued the band's rock/R&B musical style of the time and featured Jimmy Zavala on harmonica....
, reached the middle of the British charts, "Thorn in My Side" became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five in the British charts
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. To date, it is their last appearance in the UK Top 10. In the United States, the track stalled at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The extended mix of the song is notable in that it is radically different from the album version in arrangement and has much more of an electronic feel, this version's dominant feature being electronic drums featuring a totally different rhythm than is used on the album version. The arrangement of the remixed version is also much sparser and darker, based mainly around the drum beat, a staccato arpeggiated electronic bass line, a piano line which follows the melody, a synthesizer playing a basic chordal arrangement in the chorus and Annie Lennox's vocals. The extended mix does not feature the bright guitars, brass and strings in the album version and adds a minor chord progression arrangement under the chorus section.
Chart performance
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 28 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 41 |
| French Singles Chart | 64 |
| German Singles Chart | 26 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 68 |
Music video
Depicts the band playing in a bar or night club. The watching audience includes a gang of Hell's Angels.Cover versions
- The RubinoosThe RubinoosThe Rubinoos are an American power pop band that formed in 1970 in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I Think We're Alone Now" , "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" , and for the theme song to the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds...
covered the song for their 2003 album Crimes Against Music.