''Sacred Heart'' is the debut studio album by British pop-rock act

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 ...

, released on 21 August 1989 by

FFRR Records FFRR Records (sometimes credited as Full Frequency Range Recordings) is a dance music label previously run and founded by English DJ Pete Tong. Originally the dance music label of London Records, FFRR is currently a sublabel of Parlophone, ...

. The album was recorded after

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 ...

decided to leave the girl group

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 ...

. Initially intended as a solo act for Fahey, Shakespear's Sister became a partnership of Fahey and

Marcella Detroit Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit "Lay Down Sally" and released her debut al ...

during the making of the album. The album spawned four singles, including "

You're History "You're History" is a song by British-based pop act Shakespears Sister, released in July 1989 as the second single from their debut album, ''Sacred Heart'' (1989). The song was the first release to present the act as a duo and their first chart ...

", released in July 1989, which reached No. 7 on the UK singles chart and was the first release to present the act as a duo. The album peaked at No. 9 on the UK albums chart, and was certificated gold by the BPI.

Background

Shakespears Sister was the first musical outing of Siobhan Fahey after leaving the successful girl group

in 1988. Fahey began working on ''Sacred Heart'' the same year with producer Richard Feldman, who later invited Marcella Detroit to collaborate as a songwriter. Detroit continued to work with Fahey as a "hired hand" until Fahey's husband,

David A. Stewart David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British ...

suggested the two form a band, which was supported by Feldman, Fahey's management and her record company.Marcella-Detroit.com – FAQ
/ref> Although predominantly produced by Feldman, famed producer

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...

(who was working with Fahey's husband's group

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...

at that time on their 1989 album ''

We Too Are One ''We Too Are One'' is the seventh studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 11 September 1989 by RCA Records. It would be the duo's last studio release until 1999's ''Peace''. Background and release When it was released in 1989, ...

'') co-produced the track "You're History". The UK vinyl LP and cassette versions of the album did not feature the track "You Made Me Come to This", and the international LP version excluded both this track and "Twist the Knife". The album's title track was used in the 1990 film ''

Nuns on the Run ''Nuns on the Run'' is a 1990 British comedy film starring Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane, also featuring Camille Coduri and Janet Suzman. The film was written and directed by Jonathan Lynn and produced by HandMade Films. Many of the outdoor scen ...

'', and featured on the film's official soundtrack. The album will be released as a 3 CD deluxe reissue and will also be reissued on vinyl as part of the "Our History" deluxe box set due to be released in December 2020.

Singles

A double A-side of "

Break My Heart (You Really) "Break My Heart (You Really)", also known as "Break My Heart", is a song by British pop act Shakespears Sister, released in 1988 as the lead single from their debut album ''Sacred Heart''. "Break My Heart (You Really)" was released in most terri ...

" / "

Heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero' ...

" was released in October 1988 as the album's lead single which, according to Fahey, was to "give a more rounded picture of what I'm about".Shakespears Sister 1988 Mick Brown Interview
/ref> In North American territories however, "Break My Heart (You Really)" was released as a standalone single, followed by "Heroine" in 1989. None of these releases charted in any territories. It was following this that Detroit officially became a member of the project and the second single, "

", was the first to feature Detroit in the music video. Released in July 1989, it became their first hit single, peaking at No. 7 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 single also achieved success internationally, reaching No. 12 in Ireland, and No. 20 in Australia. The third single, " Run Silent", peaked at No. 54 in the UK, and No. 47 in Australia. The fourth and final single from the album, "

Dirty Mind ''Dirty Mind'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records and produced entirely by Prince at his home studio in Minneapolis, Minnesota ...

", was completely re-recorded for its single release in February 1990, and peaked at No. 71 in the UK and No. 65 in Australia.

Track listing

All songs produced by Richard Feldman and Shakespears Sister, except as noted.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

''Sacred Heart'' video compilation

A video compilation, also entitled ''Sacred Heart'', was released in 1989. It featured the four music videos that had been made so far ("Dirty Mind" had not yet been released).

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1989 debut albums Shakespears Sister albums Albums produced by Jimmy Iovine