"Lips Like Sugar" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in August 1987. It was the second single from their 1987

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

album. Initially dismissed by Ian McCulloch as too commercial, "Lips Like Sugar" became a chart success in the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. Despite not charting in the US, the song has become one of their most famous songs in America, thanks in part to college radio airplay and its music video directed by Anton Corbijn, which was regularly broadcast on MTV's '' 120 Minutes'' programme. The song has since been covered by multiple artists and has been positively received by critics.

Background

Ian McCulloch wrote the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...

to "Lips Like Sugar" and "Rollercoaster", while the music is credited to McCulloch,

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 ...

and

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 ...

. "Lips Like Sugar" was produced by

Laurie Latham Laurie Latham (born 1955) is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others. He has produced albums by Ian Dury & the Blockheads, Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze, The Stranglers, The Christians and Slapp Happy. Ca ...

. McCulloch was initially dismissive of the song, saying in 1992, "It was an OK song, I suppose, but it didn't sound like us ... We just got sucked into a new mentality on that last album, the sound of Radio America." He softened his attitude toward the song in a 2005 interview, saying "It may have a few synthetic twinkles on it, but the song itself was strong enough to shine through."

Release

"Lips Like Sugar" was released as the second single from ''Echo & the Bunnymen'', backed with "Rollercoaster". The song was a chart success, reaching number 36 in the UK, number 24 in Ireland, and number 43 in New Zealand. The song did not chart in the US, despite "how much attention it seemed to garner at the time of its initial release and how it’s so often held up as the band's signature song in the States". The song largely saw success on college radio.Tangari, Joe.
Echo & The Bunnymen: Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here / Porcupine / Ocean Rain / Echo & The Bunnymen
.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

. 3 March 2004. Retrieved on 30 December 2008. Will Sergeant credited the song as a turning point in the band's success, saying "It just started started building. It was building naturally, and then we ended up doing the Greek Theater in Hollywood and the sheds and places like that. All of the sudden the crowd started changing - they'd become, like really young kids. You're thinking, Why? It was just weird. I'd be walking around with Les attinson, bassand Pete e Freitas, drumsin the crowd and no one knew who we were. It all changed. It was just odd. Right around 'Lips Like Sugar,' it really changed." A British 12-inch single of the song was release, with "Lips Like Sugar" and "Rollercoaster" sharing the A-side with a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

' "

People Are Strange "People Are Strange" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. It appears on the band's second studio album, '' Strange Days'', released in September 1967. It was also issued the same month as a single, which peaked at number 12 on the ''B ...

", which was recorded for the soundtrack of the film ''

The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jerem ...

'' and was released as a single in its own right the following year, on the B-side. The US 12-inch single had the same A-side as the British 12-inch single with two other mixes of the title track on the B-side. A music video for the song, directed by Anton Corbijn, features the band performing the song and ends with the band "transport ngfrom the sound studio to a garish set straight out of Star Trek, where the Bunnymen are hunted by a couple of women in lurid space suits". The video is filmed in a "minimalist, grainy black-and-white" style typical of Corbijn's work.

Packaging

The 7-inch single came in a gate-fold

sleeve A sleeve ( ang, slīef, a word allied to ''slip'', cf. Dutch ) is the part of a garment that covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The sleeve is a characteristic of fashion seen in almost every country and time period, acro ...

with a picture of McCulloch on the front cover, Sergeant on the back cover and Pattinson and de Freitas on the two inside covers. The 7-inch single was also available in a

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

boxed packaging containing the single and three

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s. The 12-inch single and the boxed 7-inch single had the same picture on the front covers as the standard edition 7-inch single.

Reception

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

described the track as a "hook-heavy reverb bomb". David Cleary 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 databa ...

'' noted that "Pete de Freitas' solid drumming at times veered toward the danceable" on the track.Cleary, David. " Echo & the Bunnymen > Review.

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 databa ...

. Retrieved on 30 December 2008.

Cover versions

A photo gallery accompanied by audio of

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

performing "Lips Like Sugar" live in Paris is included on their 2002 DVD single " The Scientist". This audio track was also included on the Australian release of their 2003 single " God Put a Smile upon Your Face". McCulloch notably performed the song live with Coldplay in 2003 at the Scottish

T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused B ...

festival.

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recorded a version of the song featuring the

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer

Mikey Dread Michael George Campbell (4 June 1954 – 15 March 2008), better known as Mikey Dread, was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. He was one of the most influential performers and innovators in reggae music. Biography Born in Port Anton ...

for the soundtrack of the 2004 film ''

50 First Dates ''50 First Dates'' is a 2004 American romantic comedy drama film directed by Peter Segal and starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore with Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd in supporting roles. It follows the story of Henry, a womanizing ...

''. A version of the song, performed by Solina, is included on the 2005 Spanish tribute album ''Play the Game: Un Tributo a Echo & The Bunnymen''.

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...

covered "Lips Like Sugar" on their 2008 Europe and Australian tour. A performance of the song was recorded on Australia's MTV.

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

recorded a version of the song featuring

A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls are an English new wave band formed in Liverpool in 1979. The group, whose best-known line-up comprised Mike Score, Ali Score, Frank Maudsley and Paul Reynolds, hit the peak of their chart success in the early 1980s. The ...

on his 2019 album ''Open Your Eyes''.

October Noir October Noir is a gothic/ doom metal band formed in Pensacola, Florida in 2016. They have released 3 full-length albums and 9 stand-alone singles. Background October Noir was started by Tom Noir in late 2016 and released the first album, ''The Ha ...

recorded a version of the song and was released as a non-album single in 2018.

Track listings

All tracks written by

, Ian McCulloch and

except where noted. ;7-inch release (WEA YZ144) #"Lips Like Sugar" #"Rollercoaster" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson,

Pete de Freitas Peter Louis Vincent de Freitas (2 August 1961 – 14 June 1989) was an English musician and producer. He was the drummer in Echo & the Bunnymen, and performed on their first five albums. De Freitas was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Toba ...

) ;UK 12-inch release (WEA YZ144T) #"Lips Like Sugar" #"Rollercoaster" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) #"

" (

Robby Krieger Robert Alan Krieger (born January 8, 1946) is an American guitarist and founding member of the rock band the Doors. Krieger wrote or co-wrote many of the Doors' songs, including the hits " Light My Fire", " Love Me Two Times", " Touch Me", and ...

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, poet and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his wild personality, poetic lyrics, distinctive voice, unpredictable and err ...

) ;US 12-inch release (Sire 0-20784) #"Lips Like Sugar (12" mix)" #"Rollercoaster" (Sergeant, McCulloch, Pattinson, de Freitas) #"Lips Like Sugar (dub)" #"Lips Like Sugar (single mix)"

Chart positions

Personnel

Musicians

* Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar *

– lead guitar *

– bass *

– drums *

Henry Priestman Henry Christian Priestman (born 21 June 1955 in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England) is an English rock singer, keyboardist, record producer and songwriter. Biography Priestman was educated at Woodleigh School, North Yorkshir ...

- piano

Production

– producer ("Lips Like Sugar") * The Bunnymen – producer ("Rollercoaster") *

Gil Norton Gil Norton (born in Liverpool) is an English record producer known for his work with alternative rock bands such as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo ...

– producer ("Rollercoaster"),

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

("Rollercoaster") * Ray Manzarek – producer ("People Are Strange") *Bruce Lampcov – mixing ("Lips Like Sugar"), remix ("Lips Like Sugar (12" mix)") *

François Kevorkian François Kevorkian (born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French-born, U.S.-based DJ, producer, remixer and label owner of Armenian descent, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the Paradise Garage an ...

– remix ("Lips Like Sugar (dub)" and "Lips Like Sugar (single mix)") *Michael R. Hutchinson – remix ("Lips Like Sugar (dub)" and "Lips Like Sugar (single mix)")

References

{{authority control 1987 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 Music videos directed by Anton Corbijn Black-and-white music videos Song recordings produced by Gil Norton 1987 songs Sire Records singles