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"Under the Gun"
Single by the Sisters of Mercy
from the album A Slight Case of Overbombing: Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Released	16 August 1993 (1993-08-16)
Genre	Alternative rock gothic rock
Length	5:41 (album version) 6:16 (single) 4:02 (edit)
Label	Merciful Release EastWest
Songwriter(s)	Andrew Eldritch Billie Hughes Roxanne Seeman
Producer(s)	Andrew Eldritch Billie Hughes
The Sisters of Mercy singles chronology
"Temple of Love" (1992) "Under the Gun" (1993)
Music video
"Under the Gun" on YouTube

"Under the Gun" is a song by the English rock band the Sisters of Mercy released as the single from their album A Slight Case of Overbombing: Greatest Hits Vol. 1. It is a duet featuring Terri Nunn on vocals, and was accompanied by a music video with Andrew Eldritch and Nunn. It is the only new song on a greatest hits compilation released in 1993 by Merciful Release on EastWest Records, a UK Warner Music Group label. This is the band's most recent single as of 2024.

The single reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Andrew Eldritch, Billie Hughes, and Roxanne Seeman. It was co-produced by Eldritch and Hughes. Additional production was credited to Ian Stanley. Two alternate mixes of "Under the Gun" were included in the 2017 bonus tracks of the Sisters of Mercy's compilation album Some Girls Wander by Mistake, released on their own label Merciful Release and distributed by EastWest Records and Warner Music UK.

Song information

Chris Roberts in Melody Maker described the song as "a big Berlin ballad (of Heart, Roxette, etc)" with "several thousand epic heartbreaking refrains" of the chorus hook "Are you living for love?" noting Eldritch's "restrained guitar foreplay" and "fiendish subliminal rant", while comparing it to "the melodrama of Bowie's 'Sweet Thing/Candidate".

The song is mostly a cover of "Two Worlds Apart", a song written by Hughes and Seeman and released on Hughes' album Welcome to the Edge. It appeared earlier as a love theme for the characters of Michael & Julia in the television series Santa Barbara.

“Under The Gun” was originally planned for inclusion on The Crow: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack release. After the accidental death of Brandon Lee during production, the filmmakers dropped The Sisters of Mercy’s “Under The Gun”.

Critical reception

Karen Holmes, The Network 40 praised the song: "Nunn rounds out Andrew's talent for finding incredible females voices to collaborate with. Andrew's contribution to the sexual passion is subliminal with taunting vocals that intensifies Nunn's pipes."

In a glowing review in Melody Maker, Chris Roberts wrote "This is a colossus of a record...ironic and yet thoroughly serious, the spoof vulture of youth culture chimes in belalugubriously ...Gothic only as in arch, this is as far from indie as it gets.  A black (comedy) beauty".

Larry Flick for Single Reviews in Billboard lauded the "Pure gothic tune from this descendant act of Bauhaus et al" writing "Vocals blend beautifully in chorus" while opining "the emphasis on max atmosphere may make track obtuse for newcomers."

Artists' commentary

• Terri Nunn (April 2002): " asked if I was going to use it for my record, and since I couldn't get anybody excited about it... It was really strange and dark, and he said 'Well, I want to do it, why don't we sing it?' It was called 'Under the Gun', and we sang it for the Best of Sisters album." "My record company rejected this song for my own record."
• Andrew Eldritch (1993): "The tape I was working from already had her vocal on it. Although I met her once in the mid-80's I didn't meet her to make the record. I just fucked around with the tape that her vocal was already on. But that was one of the reasons for my wanting to cover that song and change it around, because I thought her vocal on it was great! So I used the original demo because I don't see the point in re-recording something that is already so great to start with. So I edited it, I changed the bass, the drums and keyboards around what was already there a little bit. I got a friend of mine from Leeds to put some electric guitars on, and then sang my stuff. So the original version sounds kind of like, I don't know, a sort of Jennifer Rush song I suppose, and the new song sounds like Jennifer Rush from hell!"

Televised performances and usage in other media

• Top of the Pops (1993)
• The ITV Chart Show

Track listings

"Under the Gun" was written by Eldritch, Hughes, and Seeman. "Alice" was written by Eldritch.

Personnel

Personnel are lifted from the album's liner notes.

• Andrew Eldritch – vocals
• Terri Nunn – vocals
• Adam Pearson – guitars
• Billie Hughes – keyboards, synthesizer
• Ian Stanley - additional production

Charts

References

1. "Single Releases". Music Week. 14 August 1993. p. 23.
2. Music & Media (PDF). 11 September 1993. p. 23.
3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 504. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
4. "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. 16 March 2000. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
5. Under The Gun - The Sisters of Mercy | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 26 February 2021
6. A Greatest Hits, Vol. 1: A Slight Case of Overbombing - The Sisters of Mercy | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 26 February 2021
7. "The Sisters of Mercy's 'Some Girls Wander By Mistake' to receive 4LP box set reissue". slicing up eyeballs // 80s alternative music, college rock, indie. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
8. "The Sisters Of Mercy - Some Girls Wander By Mistake | Rhino". www.rhino.com. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
9. "Blitz with Andrew Boyd THE SISTERS OF MERCY - Greatest Hits Volume One: A Slight Case of Overbombing". Newspapers.com. 24 September 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
10. "Scunthorpe's top of the pops September 6, 1993". Newspapers.com. 6 September 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
11. "Singles reviewed by Chris Roberts". Melody Maker. 14 August 1993.
12. Welcome to the Edge - Billie Hughes | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 26 February 2021
13. List of musical works used on the NBC television series Santa Barbara in the period 1984 - 1993 (PDF).
14. "Dark "Crow" soundtrack is a cheery seller, Jim Farber Bullets & Bombs". Newspapers.com. 5 June 1994. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
15. Holmes, Karen (24 September 1993). The Network 40, Alternative Music Meeting (PDF). p. 38.
16. "Melody Maker August 14,1993". noanoamusic.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
17. Flick, Larry (2 October 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 75.
18. Terri Nunn interview, Chorusandverse.com website, 13 December 2002
19. Terri Nunn, Berlinpage.com website, 25 August 2004
20. "The Popdose Interview: Terri Nunn". Popdose. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
21. Andrew Eldritch TV interview, ZTV Sweden, late 1993
22. "BBC1, TOP OF THE POPS. With Sisters of Mercy. August 26, 1993". Newspapers.com. 26 August 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
23. "TELEVISION BBC 2 WALES, TOP OF THE POPS With Sisters of Mercy, Ace of Base, Mariah Carey Meatloaf..." Newspapers.com. 26 August 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
24. "THE ITV CHART SHOW, A Video Vault appearance by The Sisters of Mercy". Newspapers.com. 9 September 1993. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
25. A Slight Case of Overbombing (booklet). Merciful Release/East West Records. 1993.
26. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 36. 4 September 1993. p. 23.
27. "The Sisters of Mercy – Under the Gun" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
28. "The Sisters of Mercy – Under the Gun". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
29. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2022.

External links

• Under the Gun at IMDb
• The Sisters of Mercy "Under The Gun" Top of The Pops 1993 on YouTube

• 1993 singles
• The Sisters of Mercy songs
• Songs written by Roxanne Seeman
• Songs written by Billie Hughes
• 1993 songs
• Songs written by Andrew Eldritch
• Male–female vocal duets
• Song recordings produced by Ian Stanley
• Billie Hughes songs
• Synth-pop ballads
• Love themes
• East West Records singles
• Rock ballads
• Pop ballads
• British pop rock songs