Songoftheday 1/8/15 - I was born an original sinner, I was born from original sin...

"Missionary Man" - Eurythmics
from the album Revenge (1986)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #14 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 9

Today's Song of the Day comes from the British new wave duo Eurythmics, whose more earthy rock-infused 1985 album Be Yourself Tonight churned out three top-40 hits in America with "There Must Be An Angel", the duet with Aretha Franklin "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves", and the top-5 single "Would I Lie To You?". Their next release came the following year, and continued the rock-leanings of BYT. Like their previous albums, singles were shuffled out in different order in England and the States, and the first American single from Revenge turned out to be the final one issued in Britain. "Missionary Man", written by vocalist Annie Lennox with producer/instrumentalist David Stewart, featured a stop-motion effects-driven video...

"Missionary Man" climbed into the pop top-20 in the U.S. in October of 1986. The single even did better on both the Mainstream Rock radio chart (where it became their solitary #1 hit) and the Dance Club Play list (at #6). Internationally, the record was a top-20 hit in Canada, Belgium, Ireland, and New Zealand, and a top-tenner in Australia. In their home country, as the final single it topped out at #31 (the sublime "Thorn In My Side" was the big hit there). Curiously, while the record wasn't as big of a hit as their previous lead-offs in America, it earned the pair their only Grammy, for Best Rock Group/Duo Performance.

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This was the extended version from the 12" single that got to the top ten on the dance charts...