"Both Ends Burning" is a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by English rock band

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

taken from their 1975 album ''

Siren Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisc ...

''. Written by

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ' ...

, the song features lyrics inspired by the pressure felt by the band to complete the ''Siren'' album as well as keep up their touring obligations. Ferry's struggles in writing the lyrics for the song meant that the band largely had to complete the instrumental track without his vocal line. "Both Ends Burning" was released as the follow-up single in the UK and Europe to the band's colossally successful previous single, "

Love Is the Drug "Love Is the Drug" is a 1975 song from English rock band Roxy Music's fifth studio album ''Siren'', released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the b ...

". Reaching number 25 in the UK, the song has since seen acclaim from music writers for its use of synthesizers and has become a live favorite for the band.

Background

"Both Ends Burning" was one of the final songs completed for ''

'', in large part because vocalist

was struggling to complete lyrics for the album. As a result, the band largely had to arrange the song before Ferry recorded his vocals. Saxophonist

Andy Mackay Andrew Mackay (born 23 July 1946) is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founding member (playing oboe and saxophone) of the art rock group Roxy Music. In addition, he has taught music and provided scores for television, while his ...

remembered, "Toward the end of recording, we were compromised as we had been on '' Stranded'' and other albums by Bryan not having finished lyrics so that tracks got overworked as instrumentals while we were working as it were in the dark. 'Both Ends Burning' is a case in point. It has always been better live because we know where the singing comes in!" Lyrically, "Both Ends Burning" was inspired by the stress that the band was experiencing during the recording sessions for ''Siren''. Ferry recalled, "We were on a punishing world tour schedule in 1975 and there were a lot of late nights to get the ''Siren'' album finished on time. I guess this was the inspiration behind this song."

Release

"Both Ends Burning" was released as the follow-up single to the band's smash hit "

" in the UK and Europe. Released in December 1975, the single crept to number 25. It was also released as the B-side to "Love Is the Drug" in the US and Canada. Since then, it has become a fan favorite and has appeared regularly in the band's live setlists. The version released as a single edited the intro and the ending compared to the album version. 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 ...

of the single was a version of their song "For Your Pleasure" recorded live at the Empire Pool Wembley in October 1975, at one of the concerts from which the '' Viva!'' album was composed.Viva Roxy Music website on ''Viva! Roxy Music''
/ref> The single version is on ''The Complete Studio Recordings 1972-1982'' but was not included on their 1977 album ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

''.

Critical reception and legacy

"Both Ends Burning" has seen critical acclaim since its release. ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

'' called the track "sweeping and feverish," while ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' has praised the song as "defin ngthe mature use of synthesizers during this time." Paul Sexton of uDiscoverMusic wrote, called it "a less celebrated Ferry composition han 'Love Is the Drug'but was cutting-edge in its own way, with synthesizer detail by Eddie Jobson, Mackay's ever-urgent saxophones and Ferry’s impassioned lead." Dave Thompson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called it "one of Roxy mach one's most unexpected triumphs" as well as "the undisputed highlight of the otherwise sorry ''Siren'' album -- 'Love Is the Drug' notwithstanding."

Johnny Marr Johnny Marr (born John Martin Maher, 31 October 1963) is an English musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous ...

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

spoke glowingly of the song for its fusing of pop and the

avant garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or 'vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical De ...

, stating, "You listen to 'Both Ends Burning,' that was a pop single! And the attitude of the singer and what he is saying, and the way he is putting his voice across, and just the start of it... That is the best kind of avant-garde, I think."

Charts

Personnel

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* John Gustafson – bass * Edwin Jobson –

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

synthesiser A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

, keyboards *

Andrew Mackay Andrew James MacKay (born 27 August 1949) is a British Conservative Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Stechford from 1977 to 1979, East Berkshire from 1983 to 1997 and for Bracknell in Berkshire fro ...

–

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Sun. ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Paul Thompson –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

{{authority control 1975 singles Roxy Music songs Songs written by Bryan Ferry Song recordings produced by Chris Thomas (record producer) 1975 songs Island Records singles Polydor Records singles Atco Records singles