Love Is A Stranger

Love Is a Stranger" is Eurythmics' fifth single, and like its predecessors, was initially a commercial flop, although it later became a worldwide hit when it re-entered the chart following their commercial breakthrough with "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)". It was produced by David A. Stewart and Adam Williams and was self-financed at Eurythmics' 8-track facility in Chalk Farm. The song has a fairly sparse, up-tempo arrangement. It uses the rare Movement Systems Drum Computer and various synthesizers (providing bass, melody lines and sound effects), including the Suzuki Omnichord, combined with Lennox's strident multi-tracked vocal harmonies. The song is also punctuated with sexual-sounding vocal grunts of "uh!" from Stewart. The single release was accompanied by a striking music video, in which Stewart acts as chauffeur for an androgynous Lennox, who plays the role of a high-class prostitute. During the course of the video, Lennox removes a curly blonde wig to reveal her trademark, close-cropped, ginger hair underneath. This caused controversy in the USA, as some people mistakenly thought Lennox was a male transvestite. The single B-side was "Monkey Monkey", a stripped-down electro track featuring a sparse drum machine and sequenced synthesizer arrangement, with Lennox's vocal heavily electronically processed. The bass-line consists of a rhythmically shifting motive permutating against the drum pattern. Lennox plays with half-articulated fake-French soundings and extremely long intonations. On the 12-inch maxi-single this song was preceded by "Let's Just Close Our Eyes" a completely alternative version of their previous single "The Walk" The single was re-released in 1991.

Love is a stranger In an open car To tempt you in And drive you far away Ooh, love is a stranger In an open car To tempt you in And drive you far away And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession Love is a danger Of a different kind To take you away And leave you far behind And love love love Is a dangerous drug You have to receive it And you still can't get enough of the stuff It's savage and it's cruel And it shines like destruction Comes in like the flood And it seems like religion It's noble and it's brutal It distorts and deranges And it wrenches you up And you're left like a zombie And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession It's guilt edged Glamorous and sleek by design You know it's jealous by nature False and unkind It's hard and restrained And it's totally cool It touches and it teases As you stumble in the debris And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession And I want you And I want you And I want you so It's an obsession