"Thorn in My Side" is a song by British

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

duo

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 ...

. It was released as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, ''

Revenge Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." Pr ...

'' (1986). Written by band members

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

and

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 ...

, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover. "Thorn in My Side" was produced by Stewart.

Background

Although the first single from ''Revenge'', "

When Tomorrow Comes "When Tomorrow Comes" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart and guest keyboardist Pat Seymour. With this single and its parent album ''Revenge'', Lennox and Stewart ...

", had barely reached the UK Top 30, "Thorn in My Side" became Eurythmics' ninth Top 10 single, reaching number five 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 ...

and marking their last appearance in the UK top 10. In the United States, the track stalled at number 68 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song additionally peaked at number two in Ireland and reached the top 10 in New Zealand (number seven) and Sweden (number six).

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said it sounds like "Swinging London, 1964" although it "views the past with as much irony as affection." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it an "appealing pop/rock single" in which the "seething lyrics are masked by an infectious melody and Annie Lennox’s winning vocal."

Music video

The music video, directed by Chris Ashbrook and Dave Stewart, depicts the band adorned in their black and leather ''Revenge'' stage costumes, playing in a studio set bar filled with an audience that includes a gang of

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporatio ...

Clem Burke Clement Burke (born Clement Anthony Bozewski; November 24, 1954) is an American musician who is best known as the drummer for the band Blondie from 1975, shortly after the band formed, throughout the band's entire career. He also played drums f ...

, drummer from the band Blondie, appears in the video as he was recording and touring with Eurythmics that year. It was also the second music video to feature backing vocalist

Joniece Jamison Joniece Jamison (born December 11, 1956 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States) is an American singer. In France, she achieved notability recording two successful duets with French artist François Feldman: " Joue pas" in 1989 and " J'ai peur" in ...

, after first appearing in "When Tomorrow Comes".

Track listings

7-inch single :A. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07 :B. "When Tomorrow Comes" (live at the Roxy in Los Angeles) – 5:02 12-inch single :A1. "Thorn in My Side" (extended mix) – 6:54 :B1. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07 :B2. "When Tomorrow Comes" (live at the Roxy in Los Angeles) – 5:02 12-inch single (Houston remix) :A1. "Thorn in My Side" (Houston remix) – 5:49 :B1. "Thorn in My Side" (album version) – 4:07 :B2. "In This Town" (live)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

YouTube - "Thorn in My Side" video
{{Authority control 1986 songs 1986 singles Eurythmics songs RCA Records singles Songs written by David A. Stewart Songs written by Annie Lennox Song recordings produced by Dave Stewart (musician and producer)