"The Back of Love" is a single which was released by Echo & the Bunnymen on 21 May 1982. It reached number nineteen on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

the same month. It was subsequently added to the album ''

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

'' which was released on 4 February 1983. The single was produced by Ian Broudie under the pseudonym Kingbird. The a-side of the single was recorded at

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry. ...

in London, while the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

was recorded at Square One Studios in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. The b-side to both the 7" and 12" versions of the single is "The Subject". The 12" has an extra track on the b-side, "Fuel". The cover of both the 7" and 12" versions is painting by

Henry Scott Tuke Henry Scott Tuke (12 June 1858 – 13 March 1929), was an English visual artist; primarily a painter, but also a photographer. His most notable work was in the Impressionist style, and he is best known for his paintings of nude boys and young ...

called "The Promise" which was on display at the

Walker Art Gallery The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...

in Liverpool. The song was

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by the American rock group Burning Airlines on the 1998 "Always Something There to Remind Me / Back of Love" single, a split release with

Braid A braid (also referred to as a plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing two or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strande ...

who performed "Always Something There to Remind Me".

Track listings

All tracks written by

Will Sergeant William Alfred Sergeant (born 12 April 1958) is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in Walton Hospital, he grew up in the village of Melling and attended nearby Deyes Lane Secondary Modern. He is th ...

, Ian McCulloch,

Les Pattinson Leslie Thomas Pattinson (born 18 April 1958 in Ormskirk, Lancashire) is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool-based band Echo & the Bunnymen,Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discog ...

and Pete de Freitas. ;7" release (Korova KOW 24 and WEA K 19175) #"The Back of Love" – 3:13 #"The Subject" – 5:06 ;12" release (Korova KOW 24T) #"The Back of Love" #"The Subject" #"Fuel"

Chart positions

Personnel

* Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar *

– lead guitar *

– bass * Pete de Freitas – drums * Ian Broudie – producer

References

* * 1982 singles Echo & the Bunnymen songs Songs written by Ian McCulloch (singer) Songs written by Will Sergeant Songs written by Les Pattinson Songs written by Pete de Freitas Song recordings produced by Ian Broudie 1982 songs Warner Music Group singles Korova (record label) singles {{1980s-single-stub