Julia (Eurythmics song)
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| "Julia" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eurythmics | ||||
| from the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) | ||||
| B-side | "Ministry of Love" | |||
| Released | 7 January 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984 | |||
| Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
| Length | 4:05 (single version) 6:37 (album version) | |||
| Label | Virgin Records (UK) RCA Records (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart | |||
| Producer(s) | David A. Stewart | |||
| Eurythmics singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Julia (Extended Mix)" on YouTube | ||||
"Julia" is a song performed by British pop duo Eurythmics. Written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart, the song was the second and final single released from their album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother), which served as the soundtrack to the film Nineteen Eighty-Four, an adaptation of George Orwell's political novel of the same name. It plays during the film's ending credits. The band were controversially chosen alongside the Dominic Muldowney orchestral composition.
Song information
[edit]Musical concept
[edit]The song is a ballad with very sparse electronic instrumentation and an almost a cappella performance by Lennox. Her vocals are accentuated by vocoder effects in the background. The title and lyric of the song are based upon the novel's heroine and love interest, Julia. The cover artwork for the single is a still image from the film, featuring English actress Suzanna Hamilton as Julia.
Midway through the song, an instrumental line based on J. S. Bach's "Fugue #2 in C Minor" from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1, can be heard.
Reception
[edit]Cash Box said the song is "a dreamy and ethereal piece which is almost exclusively Lennox’s airy vocals and David Stewart’s synthesizer meanderings."[1]
Breaking a string of six consecutive Top 10 hits, "Julia" peaked at number 44 on the UK singles chart.
Other versions
[edit]The version of "Julia" found on the soundtrack differs from the one being played during the end-credits of the film - which is more string based with less synthetic arrangements. This is also the case for many of the other songs on the soundtrack versus their version used in the film.
Music Video
[edit]The music video for Julia was directed by Chris Ashbrook (who had directed the previous promo for Sexcrime) and was filmed towards the end of 1984. The video consists simply of a closeup of Lennox's face whilst she sings and was later included on the VHS/DVD Eurythmics Greatest Hits, even though the song itself wasn't included on the compilation album of the same name.
Track listings
[edit]7"
- A: "Julia" [edited]
- B: "Ministry of Love"
12"
- A: "Julia" (extended mix) *
- B: "Ministry of Love" (extended)
* this version although labelled as "extended" is the same as the one found on the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Europe (European Top 100 Singles)[2] | 97 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[3] | 17 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[4] | 44 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 9 February 1985. p. 7. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 4. 28 January 1985. p. 7. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Julia". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- 1985 songs
- 1985 singles
- Eurythmics songs
- Songs about fictional female characters
- Music based on Nineteen Eighty-Four
- Songs written for films
- Songs written by Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)
- Songs written by Annie Lennox
- Song recordings produced by Dave Stewart (Eurythmics)
- 1980s ballads
- Synth-pop ballads
- RCA Records singles
- Virgin Records singles