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Preacher Man

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Not to be confused withPreacherman.

"Preacher Man"
SinglebyBananarama
from the albumPop Life
B-side"Megalomaniac"
ReleasedDecember 1990
Recorded1990
Genre
Length
  • 3:15(album version)
  • 3:38 (alternative 7-inch mix)
LabelLondon
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Youth
Bananaramasingles chronology
"Only Your Love"
(1990) 		"Preacher Man"
(1990) 		"Long Train Running"
(1991)
Music video
"Preacher Man"onYouTube

"Preacher Man"is a song recorded by Englishgirl groupBananarama.It appears on the group's fifth studio album,Pop Life(1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced byYouthwith additional production and remix byShep Pettibone.

"Tripping on Your Love"had been originally slated as the second single from the album,[citation needed]and some promotional singles of the song were sent to radio stations in late 1990. Around this time, group memberSara Dallincontractedmeningitis,which delayed the release of the single some months.[citation needed]When she recovered,London Recordsdecided "Preacher Man" was a better choice for a single and so it was released in December 1990. "Tripping on Your Love" was eventually released as the album's fourth single.

The pop/dance tune became the highest-charting and biggest-selling single released from thePop Lifealbum, climbing to number 20 on theUK Singles Chart.The single was Bananarama's last appearance in the UK top 20 until "Move in My Direction"in 2005. In Australia, the single peaked at #147 on the AustralianARIAsingles chart.[1]"Preacher Man" was not released in the United States.

The song was performed on the Original Line Up Tour during 2017–2018. Despite being recorded after she left, original memberSiobhan Faheyhas always liked the song[citation needed]and chose to include it in the setlist.

Critical reception

[edit]

Everett True fromMelody Makerwrote, "Bananarama, still in the forefront of the musical revolution, put out a new record which, stylistically, borrows very heavily fromShakespear's Sister,and, musically, borrows reasonably heavily fromHappy Mondays' funk/bass thang. Vocally, of course, they are their usualSAWselves, with an nifty helping hand or two from the ubiquitousYouth.And, all things considered, this is no bad thing. "[2]Pan-European magazineMusic & Mediastated, "Strong hooks and strong looks. A catchy tune with undeniable pop appeal. Watch the striking harp solo in the middle."[3]Andrew Collins fromNMEsaid "Bananarama's difficult 'second'indie-dance-glossover single is one. "[4]

Gary Crossing fromRecord Mirrorcalled the song "a supremely contagious dance offering... This has a powerful, gloopy bassline and a wondrous bluesy harmonica bit in the middle".[5]Caroline Sullivan fromSmash Hitsfelt the song sounded like "everything they did with S/A/W", noting "the chugging beat, same slick strings and the harmonica solo."[6]In review of 5 January 1991, Paul Elliott ofSoundsconsidered that this song "melds '70s and '90s dance sounds." In the end Elliott summarized: "Produced by Youth and remixed by Shep Pettibone, it throbs yet sparkles, evocative of the dreamiest, most hypnotic and heady '70sdiscoraves. "[7]

Music video

[edit]

The accompanyingmusic videofor the song featured a man in a tank top tied to a chair in the interrogation room of a prison. As he breaks down and goes crazy, Bananarama and various carnival-like entertainers (such as a midget and a girl in a winged outfit) appear as hallucinations before him. These scenes are intercut with scenes of the girls performing the song in front of candles or standing against a wall. Harmonica playerJohnny Marsappears on the video.[8]The video was directed by long-time collaboratorAndy Morahanand would be the last video he directed for the group until "Stuff Like That" fromIn Stereoin 2019.[9]

Official versions and remixes

[edit]
  1. "Preacher Man" (album version) – 3:15
  2. "Preacher Man" (Ramabanana alternative mix) – 7:31(remixed byShep Pettibone)
  3. "Preacher Man" (Shep's club mix) – 7:19(remixed by Shep Pettibone)
  4. "Preacher Man" (Shep's dub mix) – 4:44(remixed by Shep Pettibone)
  5. "Preacher Man" (bonus beats dub)(remixed by Shep Pettibone)
  6. "Preacher Man" (Shep's instrumental)(remixed by Shep Pettibone)
  7. "Preacher Man" (alternative 7 "mix) – 3:38(remixed by Shep Pettibone)
  8. "Preacher Man" (original 12 "mix) – 6:07(unreleased until 2013)

Personnel

[edit]

Bananarama

Additional musicians

  • Peter 'Ski' Schwartz – keyboards

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Preacher Man"
Chart (1990–1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[1] 147
Belgium (Ultratop 50Flanders)[10] 40
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles) 57
Germany (Official German Charts)[11] 46
Ireland (IRMA)[12] 11
Italy (Musica e dischi)[13] 42
UK Singles(OCC)[14] 20
UK Dance(Music Week)[15] 22

References

[edit]
  1. ^ab"Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17".imgur.com.Retrieved18 November2014.
  2. ^True, Everett (5 January 1991)."Singles".Melody Maker.p. 27.Retrieved3 April2023.
  3. ^"New Releases: Singles"(PDF).Music & Media.19 January 1991. p. 16.Retrieved20 October2020.
  4. ^Collins, Andrew (5 January 1991)."Singles".NME.p. 18.Retrieved3 April2023.
  5. ^Crossing, Gary (5 January 1991)."Singles".Record Mirror.p. 11.Retrieved10 August2021.
  6. ^Sullivan, Caroline (9 January 1991)."Review: Singles".Smash Hits.No. 316. p. 49.Retrieved8 March2020.
  7. ^Elliott, Paul (5 January 1991)."Review: Bananarama –" Preacher Man ""(PDF).Sounds.Peterborough:United Newspapers.p. 19. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 June 2022.Retrieved13 June2022– via World Radio History.
  8. ^Richard Skelly."Johnny Mars".AllMusic.Retrieved30 October2011.
  9. ^"Bananarama: Stuff Like That".IMDb.Retrieved5 September2022.
  10. ^"Bananarama – Preacher Man "(in Dutch).Ultratop 50.Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  11. ^"Bananarama – Preacher Man "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  12. ^"The Irish Charts – Search Results – Preacher Man ".Irish Singles Chart.Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  13. ^"Classifiche".Musica e dischi(in Italian).Retrieved26 May2024.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Bananarama" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  14. ^"Bananarama: Artist Chart History".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  15. ^"Top 60 Dance Singles"(PDF).Music Week.12 January 1991. p. xii.Retrieved28 September2020.
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