Slave to Love
"Slave to Love" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Bryan Ferry | ||||
from the album Boys and Girls | ||||
Released | 10 May 1985 | |||
Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | Soft rock | |||
Length |
3:59 (7" mix) 4:17 (album version) | |||
Label | E.G. Records | |||
Writer(s) | Bryan Ferry | |||
Producer(s) |
Bryan Ferry Rhett Davies | |||
Bryan Ferry singles chronology | ||||
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"Slave to Love" is the first single released from Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry's 1985 release, Boys and Girls.
History
"Slave to Love" is one of Ferry's most popular solo hits. The single was released on 28 April 1985 and spent 9 weeks in the UK charts in 1985, peaking at number 10.
The song has been used in various cinematic works. It was featured in the episode "Junk Love" of Miami Vice (1985), in Fire with Fire (1986), Bitter Moon (1992), Malice (1993), and perhaps the most memorable inclusion in the erotic drama 9½ Weeks (1986), starring Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. The song was also featured in the season 5 episode "My New God" of Scrubs, and most recently, the song can be heard playing in the background, in a bar scene, in the FX series American Horror Story: Freak Show, episode 5, titled "Pink Cupcakes" (2014); and in the film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015). "Exit To Eden" with Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell. The song was also featured in a 1986 episode of the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless as well as a 1987 episode of All My Children and a 1989 episode of Santa Barbara.
The song features Neil Hubbard and Steve Scott on lead guitar,[1] Dire Straits' Guy Fletcher on keyboards, Omar Hakim on drums, and Tony Levin on bass guitar.
Music video
A promo video directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and featuring the Swedish model Christine Bergström, the French Model Laurence Treil and Dutch Model Marpessa Hennink was shot to promote the single, 1985.
Track listings
7"
- "Slave to Love"
- "Valentine" (Instrumental)
12" UK Single: E'G Records / FERRx 1 881873-1
- "Slave to Love" (Special 12" Re-Mix) - 5:56
- "Slave to Love" (Instrumental) - 4:23
- "Valentine" (Instrumental) - 4:00
Charts
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Singles Chart | 76 |
UK Singles Chart | 10 |
Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
German Singles Chart | 30 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 18 [2] |
Dutch Top 40 | 33 |
French Singles Chart | 45 |
Belgian Singles Chart | 10 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 5 |
Australian Singles Chart | 29 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 11 |
Cover versions
- Tony Hadley, former Spandau Ballet singer, recorded a version for his 1998 solo album Tony Hadley.
- Willy DeVille covered the song for his 2005 album Crow Jane Alley.
- Urban Love covered this.
- A cover by Elan Atias appears on the 50 First Dates soundtrack.
- Jazz singer Jimmy Scott covered the song for his 1998 album, Holding Back the Years.
- Singers Martha Wainwright and Dan Kelly covered the song for the SBS program RocKwiz. It appears on the DVD The RocKwiz Duets: Two for the Show.
- Róisín Murphy, former Moloko singer, recorded "Slave to Love" to coincide with a Gucci advertising campaign. Plans were made to release this cover as a double A-side single with "Movie Star".[3] However, on 4 December 2008, it was announced that the release of the single had been cancelled. A promo CD of "Slave to Love" was still released in the latter part of 2008.