"This Corrosion" is a song by English rock band

The Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is an English rock band, formed in 1980 in Leeds. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasi ...

, released as the lead single from their second studio album, '' Floodland'' (1987), in September 1987. The song peaked at number 6 in Ireland, number 7 in the UK, and number 17 in Germany.

Composition

"This Corrosion" was written by Andrew Eldritch and produced by

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

, and is one of the band's most well-known songs. It uses a 40-piece choir, and the LP version of the song lasts for nearly 11 minutes (the single versions are substantially shorter). Eldritch's lyrics concern his previous band members leaving the Sisters of Mercy to form the Mission. The latter's lead singer,

Wayne Hussey 250px, Hussey performing at the M'era Luna Festival in 2004. Jerry Wayne Hussey (born 26 May 1958) is an English musician who was born in Bristol, England. He is best known as the lead singer of The Mission, and the guitarist with The Sisters ...

, was once a guitarist for the Sisters of Mercy. The lyrics of "This Corrosion" are a parody of Hussey's style.Ruff, ''Spex'', January 1988

Legacy

The track was featured in the 2013 science-fiction comedy film, '' The World's End'', with star

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (né Beckingham; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. H ...

playing a 40-something who had been a "goth"/alternative rock fan in the 1980s as a youth who still styled himself on Eldritch. The song is heard twice in the film and in the film's closing credits. The 7" version/single edit (4:27) appears on the soundtrack to the film.

Track listing

All songs written by Andrew Eldritch. While none of the mixes have names, the 7", 12", CD and cassette versions of "This Corrosion" are all different. "Colours" is an edited version on the CD and cassette singles.

Charts

Cover versions

The song has been covered by several artists, including: *

In Extremo In Extremo (Latin for ''At the Edge''; abbreviated InEx or IE) is a German Medieval metal band originating from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with Medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal inst ...

(1999) * Gerhard Potuznik (2002) * Lambchop on the bonus disc for their 2002 album '' Is a Woman'' * Godhead (2004) * Unheilig (2004) * Dkay.com (2004) *

Diane Birch Diane Birch (born January 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Birch was born in Michigan. At the age of seven she began studying piano using the Suzuki method. While growing up she listened to opera, classical and church musi ...

(2010) * Maryslim on their 2007 album ''A Perfect Mess'' with Jyrki 69 provided guest vocals. Since 2012, some Sisters Of Mercy shows feature a guest appearance by Irish singer Lisa Cuthbert who performs her cover version of "This Corrosion" on piano.

Sampling

The

Hari Mata Hari Hari Mata Hari is a Bosnian pop band. Hari Mata Hari is the stage name for the singer Hari Varešanović. The group originated from the city of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The group has performed over 1,000 concerts and so ...

's 1997 song "Ja nemam snage da te ne volim" and the

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin * Luna (goddess), the ancient Roman personification of the Moon Luna may also refer to: Places Philippines * Luna, Apayao * Luna, Isabela * Luna, La Union * Luna, San Jose Romania ...

's 1998 song "Ne ostavljaj me" use the same intro, verse, chorus and bridge melody as the song "This Corrosion", but the pre-chorus melody in both songs is eliminated. The 2001 Most Precious Blood song "Shark Ethic" samples the song's introductory choir section in its opening and final breakdown.

References

{{Authority control 1987 songs 1987 singles The Sisters of Mercy songs Song recordings produced by Jim Steinman Songs written by Andrew Eldritch Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements