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"Preacher Man"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Pop Life
B-side	"Megalomaniac"
Released	December 1990
Genre	Dance-pop house
Length	3:15 (album version) 3:38 (alternative 7-inch mix)
Label	London
Songwriter(s)	Sara Dallin Andy Caine Youth
Producer(s)	Youth
Bananarama singles chronology
"Only Your Love" (1990) "Preacher Man" (1990) "Long Train Running" (1991)
Music video
"Preacher Man" on YouTube

"Preacher Man" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on the group's fifth studio album, Pop Life (1991), and was released as the album's second single. The track was co-written and produced by Youth with additional production and remix by Shep Pettibone.

"Tripping on Your Love" had been originally slated as the second single from the album, and some promotional singles of the song were sent to radio stations in late 1990. Around this time, group member Sara Dallin contracted meningitis, which delayed the release of the single some months. When she recovered, London Records decided "Preacher Man" was a better choice for a single and so it was released in December 1990. "Tripping on Your Love" was eventually released as the album's fourth single.

The pop/dance tune became the highest-charting and biggest-selling single released from the Pop Life album, climbing to number 20 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was Bananarama's last appearance in the UK top 20 until "Move in My Direction" in 2005. In Australia, the single peaked at #147 on the Australian ARIA singles chart. "Preacher Man" was not released in the United States.

The song was performed on the Original Line Up Tour during 2017–2018. Despite being recorded after she left, original member Siobhan Fahey has always liked the song and chose to include it in the setlist.

Critical reception

Everett True from Melody Maker wrote, "Bananarama, still in the forefront of the musical revolution, put out a new record which, stylistically, borrows very heavily from Shakespear's Sister, and, musically, borrows reasonably heavily from Happy Mondays' funk/bass thang. Vocally, of course, they are their usual SAW selves, with an nifty helping hand or two from the ubiquitous Youth. And, all things considered, this is no bad thing." Pan-European magazine Music & Media stated, "Strong hooks and strong looks. A catchy tune with undeniable pop appeal. Watch the striking harp solo in the middle." Andrew Collins from NME said "Bananarama's difficult 'second' indie-dance-glossover single is one."

Gary Crossing from Record Mirror called the song "a supremely contagious dance offering... This has a powerful, gloopy bassline and a wondrous bluesy harmonica bit in the middle". Caroline Sullivan from Smash Hits felt the song sounded like "everything they did with S/A/W", noting "the chugging beat, same slick strings and the harmonica solo." In review of 5 January 1991, Paul Elliott of Sounds considered that this song "melds '70s and '90s dance sounds." In the end Elliott summarized: "Produced by Youth and remixed by Shep Pettibone, it throbs yet sparkles, evocative of the dreamiest, most hypnotic and heady '70s disco raves."

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song featured a man in a tank top tied to a chair in the interrogation room of a prison. As he breaks down and goes crazy, Bananarama and various carnival-like entertainers (such as a midget and a girl in a winged outfit) appear as hallucinations before him. These scenes are intercut with scenes of the girls performing the song in front of candles or standing against a wall. Harmonica player Johnny Mars appears on the video. The video was directed by long-time collaborator Andy Morahan and would be the last video he directed for the group until "Stuff Like That" from In Stereo in 2019.

Official versions and remixes

1. "Preacher Man" (album version) – 3:15
2. "Preacher Man" (Ramabanana alternative mix) – 7:31 (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
3. "Preacher Man" (Shep's club mix) – 7:19 (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
4. "Preacher Man" (Shep's dub mix) – 4:44 (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
5. "Preacher Man" (bonus beats dub) (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
6. "Preacher Man" (Shep's instrumental) (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
7. "Preacher Man" (alternative 7" mix) – 3:38 (remixed by Shep Pettibone)
8. "Preacher Man" (original 12" mix) – 6:07 (unreleased until 2013)

Personnel

Bananarama

• Sara Dallin – vocals
• Jacquie O'Sullivan – vocals
• Keren Woodward – vocals

Additional musicians

• Peter 'Ski' Schwartz – keyboards

Charts

References

1. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 2014-06-17". imgur.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
2. True, Everett (5 January 1991). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 27. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
3. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. 19 January 1991. p. 16. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
4. Collins, Andrew (5 January 1991). "Singles". NME. p. 18. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
5. Crossing, Gary (5 January 1991). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 11. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
6. Sullivan, Caroline (9 January 1991). "Review: Singles". Smash Hits. No. 316. p. 49. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
7. Elliott, Paul (5 January 1991). "Review: Bananarama – "Preacher Man"" (PDF). Sounds. Peterborough: United Newspapers. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022 – via World Radio History.
8. Richard Skelly. "Johnny Mars". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
9. "Bananarama: Stuff Like That". IMDb. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
10. "Bananarama – Preacher Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
11. "Bananarama – Preacher Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Preacher Man". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
13. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 26 May 2024. Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Bananarama" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
14. "Bananarama: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
15. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 12 January 1991. p. xii. Retrieved 28 September 2020.

• 1990 singles
• Bananarama songs
• London Records singles
• Music videos directed by Andy Morahan
• Songs written by Youth (musician)
• Songs written by Sara Dallin
• 1990 songs