"Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)"

Album: 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) (1984)
Charted: 4 81
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Songfacts®:

  • Eurythmics wrote and recorded this song for the film adaptation of George Orwell's novel 1984, for which they were working on the soundtrack. Just one problem: another musician (Dominic Muldowney) was also doing a soundtrack to the film, something the film's producer Simon Perry and director Michael Radford didn't tell the Eurythmics.

    Perry and Radford disavowed the Eurythmics soundtrack, with Perry calling it "crass rubbish." This didn't sit well with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, who said, "Basically the producer is a two-faced rat."

    Richard Branson, head of Virgin Films, insisted that the Eurythmics' soundtrack be used, so their songs made it along with some of Dominic Muldowney's work. The soundtrack album, 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) was released ahead of the film and "Sexcrime" released as a single. Eurythmics were vindicated when the song became a big hit in the UK, where the film went to #1 at the box office.

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