"Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female pop music singing groups, many of who ...

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. Thei ...

. 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 by

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

with additional production and remix by

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

. " Tripping on Your Love" had been originally slated as the second single from the album, and some promotional singles of the song were sent to radio stations in late 1990. Around this time, group member

Sara Dallin Sara Elizabeth Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is an English singer and a founding member of the pop group Bananarama. The group has achieved 28 UK top 50 and 11 US top 100 singles, including a US number one with "Venus" (1986). Other hits includ ...

contracted

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, which delayed the release of the single some months. When she recovered,

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

decided "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 the ''Pop Life'' album, climbing to number 20 in 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 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 Australian

ARIA In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

singles chart. "Preacher Man" was not released in the United States. The song was performed on The Original Line Up Tour in 2017-2018. Despite being recorded after she left, original member

Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the US number one hit single "Venus". She later ...

has always liked the song and chose to include it in the setlist.

Critical reception

Everett True from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' wrote, "Bananarama, still in the forefront of the musical revolution, put out a new record which, stylistically, borrows very heavily from

Shakespear's Sister Shakespears Sister is an alternative pop and rock musical duo based in the United Kingdom that was formed in 1988 by singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo act, but became a duo ...

, and, musically, borrows reasonably heavily from

Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up was Shaun Ryder (vocals), his brother Paul Ryder ( bass), Gary Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry later joined t ...

' funk/bass thang. Vocally, of course, they are their usual

SAW A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mo ...

selves, with an nifty helping hand or two from the ubiquitous

. And, all things considered, this is no bad thing." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' stated, "Strong hooks and strong looks. A catchy tune with undeniable pop appeal. Watch the striking harp solo in the middle." Andrew Collins from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' said "Bananarama's difficult 'second' indie-dance-glossover single is one." Gary Crossing from ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' called the song "a supremely contagious dance offering... This has a powerful, gloopy bassline and a wondrous bluesy harmonica bit in the middle". Caroline Sullivan from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' felt the song sounded like "everything they did with S/A/W", noting "the chugging beat, same slick strings and the harmonica solo." In review of 5 January 1991, Paul Elliott of ''

Sounds In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

'' considered 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 '70s

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

raves."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for 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 player

Johnny Mars Johnny Mars (born December 7, 1942) is an American electric blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. Over a long career, he has worked with Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, Jesse Fuller, Spencer Davis, Ian Gillan, Do-Re- ...

appears on the video. The video was directed by long-time collaborator

Andy Morahan Andrew Douglas Morahan (born 11 August 1958) is a British commercial, film and music video director. He is the son of director Christopher Morahan and the half-brother of actress Hattie Morahan. Married to Joanna Lewis, he has two children. Vi ...

and would be the last video he directed for the group until "Stuff Like That" from ''In Stereo'' in 2019.

Official versions and remixes

#"Preacher Man" (Album Version) - (3:15) #"Preacher Man" (Ramabanana Alternative Mix) - (7:31) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" ( Shep's Club Mix) - (7:19) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" (Shep's Dub Mix) - (4:44) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" (Bonus Beats Dub) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" (Shep's Instrumental) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" (Alternative 7" Mix) - (3:38) (Remixed by Shep Pettibone) #"Preacher Man" (Original 12" Mix) - (6:07) (Unreleased until 2013)

Personnel

Bananarama *

- Vocals *

Jacquie O'Sullivan Jacquie O'Sullivan (born 7 August 1960)''Smash Hits'', 1988. Personal File: Jacqui O'Sullivan, p. 11 is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group Bananarama from 1988 until 1991, replacing Siobhan Fahey, who ...

- Vocals *

Keren Woodward Keren Jane Woodward (born 2 April 1961) is an English singer and, with Sara Dallin and Siobhan Fahey, a founding member of the girl group Bananarama. In 1986, the trio reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with their version of "Ven ...

- Vocals Musicians *Peter 'Ski' Schwartz - Keyboards

Charts

References

1990 singles Bananarama songs London Records singles Music videos directed by Andy Morahan Songs written by Youth (musician) Songs written by Sara Dallin 1990 songs {{1990s-pop-song-stub