Eternal Flame (song)
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| "Eternal Flame" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by The Bangles | ||
| from the album Everything | ||
| Released | 1988 | |
| Format | Vinyl record (7"), CD (3") | |
| Recorded | Ocean Way, Studio 55 | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 3:56 | |
| Label | Columbia Records | |
| Producer(s) | Davitt Sigerson | |
| Chart positions | ||
|
#1 (US, UK, AUS, NL) |
||
| The Bangles singles chronology | ||
| "In Your Room" (1988) |
Eternal Flame | "Be With You" (1989) |
"Eternal Flame" was a hit single for The Bangles in 1989. It was a ballad, unlike the rest of the garage-band pop songs on their album Everything. Co-writer Billy Steinberg describes it as "The Beatles meet The Byrds".
The song was inspired by two eternal flames: one for Elvis Presley who Michael Steele discovered when the band was at Graceland, and one at a local synagogue in Palm Springs which Steinberg attended as a child. [1]
It spent one week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, preceded by "The Living Years" by Mike & the Mechanics and followed by "The Look" by Roxette, spent four weeks at number one on the UK singles chart, preceded by "Like a Prayer" by Madonna and followed by "Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue, and spent seven weeks at the #1 position in the Dutch Top 40. "Eternal Flame" was also the biggest selling hit in Australia in 1989.
Contents |
[edit] Track lists
| Side | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| A | "Eternal Flame" | 3:56 |
| B | "What I Meant To Say" | 3:20 |
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Date | Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | April 1, 1989 | #1 | |
| United Kingdom | April 9, 1989 | #1 (4 weeks) | Gold [2] |
| The Netherlands | April 15, 1989 | #1 (7 weeks) [3] | Platinum [4] |
| Norway | June 1989 | #1 (2 weeks) [5] | |
| Ireland | March 30, 1989 | #1 [6] | |
| Switzerland | May 28, 1989 | #2 [7] | |
| Germany | June 1989 | #4 [8] | |
| Austria | June 1, 1989 | #5 [9] |
[edit] Credits
- Writers: Susanna Hoffs, Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly
- Producer: Davitt Sigerson
- Recorded by: John Beverly Jones
- Mixed by: Frank Filipetti
[edit] Cover Versions
[edit] Atomic Kitten
A cover version by Atomic Kitten from the Right Now album was released as a single and reached number one for two weeks in the UK charts in 2001. Susanna Hoffs liked the cover version and she subsequently teamed up with Atomic Kitten and wrote "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt" for their next album Feels So Good.
[edit] Track listing
| Side | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eternal Flame" | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Album Medley" | 5:30 |
| 3. | "Eternal Flame (Blacksmitch RnB Rub)" | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Eternal Flame" video | 3:16 |
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Date | Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 23, 2001 | #1 (2 weeks) | Gold [10] |
| Belgium | September 7, 2001 | #1 [11] | |
| New Zealand | September 23, 2001 | #1 [12] | Gold [13] |
| Ireland | August 12, 2001 | #2 [14] | |
| Sweden | September 21, 2001 | #2 [15] | |
| France | February 23, 2002) | #2 [16] | |
| Austria | September 9, 2001 | #3 [17] | |
| Germany | August 20, 2001 | #5 [18] | |
| Portugal | August 27, 2001 | #5 [19] | |
| The Netherlands | August 11, 2001 | #9 [20] | |
| Norway | October 2001 | #13 [21] | |
| Canada | July 27, 2002 | #15 [22] | |
| Spain | October 15, 2001 | #19 [23] | |
| Australia | October 19, 2001 | #47 |
[edit] Other covers
- The song has been covered in 1999 by the Australian group Human Nature on the Counting Down album.
- The song has been covered in 2000 by Rollergirl on the Now I'm Singin'... And The Party Keeps On Rollin' and released as a single which peaked at #87 in the Swiss Charts [24]
- A cover version has been made in 2005 by the Filipino acoustic duo M.Y.M.P. on the Versions album.
[edit] References
- ^ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, page 261, 9023009444
- ^ BPI.co.uk Certification "Eternal Flame" (Bangles) Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top4000.nl Chart week 15, 1989 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ NVPI.nl Dutch certification database Accessed November 4, 2006
- ^ NorwegianCharts.com "Eternal Flame" page Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ IrishCharts.ie Irish chart search (Accessed: November 2, 2006)
- ^ SwissCharts.com "Eternal Flame" page Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Infinity Charts German Top 20 - The Chart Of June 1989 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ AustrianCharts.at "Eternal Flame" page. Note: This is a biweekly chart Accessed: October 28, 2006
- ^ BPI.co.uk Certification "Eternal Flame" Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Belgian chart 7 September 2001 Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ Charts.org.nz "Eternal Flame" page. Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ Rianz.org.nz Chart 9 December 2001 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Irish chart 12 August 2001. Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ SwedishCharts.com "Eternal Flame" page Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ LesCharts.com "Eternal Flame" page. Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ AustrianCharts.at Atomic Kitten page. Accessed: October 28, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Chart 20 August 2001 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Portuguese chart 27 August 2001 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top4000.nl Chart Week 35, 2001 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ NorwegianCharts.com "Eternal Flame" page Accessed: October 29, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Canadian chart 27 July 2002 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ Top40-charts.com Spanish chart 15 Oct 2001 Accessed: November 2, 2006
- ^ SwissCharts.com "Eternal Flame" (Rollergirl) page. Accessed: November 2, 2006
Additional sources used:
- The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition)
[edit] External link
| Preceded by: "The Living Years" by Mike & the Mechanics |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single April 1, 1989 (Bangles version) |
Succeeded by: "The Look" by Roxette |
| Preceded by: "Like a Prayer" by Madonna |
UK number one single April 9, 1989 (Bangles version) |
Succeeded by: "Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue |
| Preceded by: "Eternity / The Road to Mandalay" by Robbie Williams |
UK number one single July 29, 2001 (Atomic Kitten version) |
Succeeded by: "21 Seconds" by So Solid Crew |
