Love Is a Stranger

"Love Is a Stranger" is the fifth single by the British rock/pop duo Eurythmics. Originally released in late 1982, the single was commercially unsuccessful, but it was rereleased in 1983 when it became a hit, reaching the UK Top Ten. The single was re-released again in 1991, to promote Eurythmics' Greatest Hits album.

It was produced by David A. Stewart and Adam Williams and was self-financed at Eurythmics' 8-track facility in Chalk Farm.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Song Information  ==Song Information[ edit] == The song has a fairly sparse, up-tempo arrangement. It uses the rare Movement Systems Drum Computer and various synthesizers (providing bass, melody lines and sound effects), including the Suzuki Omnichord, combined with Lennox's strident multi-tracked vocal harmonies. The song is also punctuated with vocal grunts from Stewart.
 * 2 Music video
 * 3 B-side
 * 4 Track listings
 * 5 Chart performance
 * 5.1 Original release
 * 5.2 1983 release
 * 5.3 1991 Reissue
 * 6 Cover versions
 * 7 References
 * 8 External links

Originally released in November 1982 in the United Kingdom, the song reached a disappointing #54 on the singles chart.[1]  Following the huge success of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" the following year, the song was re-released and reached #6 in April 1983.[2]  In the United States, the song was the second single from the Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) album and it was released just as the title track reached number one. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #81 on 17 September 1983 and peaked at #23 on 12 November of that year. The song was in the charts for thirteen weeks.[3] [4] ==Music video[ edit] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The single release was accompanied by a striking music video directed by Mike Brady, in which Stewart acts as chauffeur for an androgynousLennox, who plays the role of a high-class prostitute. During the course of the video, Lennox removes a curly blonde wig to reveal her trademark, close-cropped, red hair underneath, though in the music video her hair was slicked back rather than being a buzz cut as seen in the subsequent music video, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". This caused minor controversy in the USA, as some people mistakenly thought Lennox was a maletransvestite.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="line-height:1;font-size:10.9090909957886px;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] ==B-side<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The single B-side was "Monkey Monkey", a stripped-down electro track featuring a sparse drum machine and sequenced synthesizer arrangement, with Lennox's vocal heavily electronically processed. The bass-line consists of a rhythmically shifting motive permutating against the drum pattern. Lennox plays with half-articulated fake-French soundings and extremely long intonations.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.3636360168457px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302948px;">The 12-inch single contains an additional track, "Let's Just Close Our Eyes", a completely alternative version of their previous single "The Walk" ==Track listings<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ==Chart performance<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Original release<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===1983 release<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ===1991 Reissue<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === ==Cover versions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==
 * 7"
 * A: "Love Is a Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
 * B: "Monkey Monkey" (Non-LP track) – 5:20
 * 12"
 * A1: "Love Is a Stranger" (LP version) – 3:43
 * B1: "Monkey Monkey" (Non-LP track) – 5:20
 * B2: "Let's Just Close Our Eyes" (Non-LP track) – 4:19
 * UK gothic rock band Rosetta Stone recorded a cover for their 2000 album Unerotica.
 * Singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright included a cover of the song on her 2008 album I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too.