| "Seven Seas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Echo & the Bunnymen | ||||
| from the album Ocean Rain | ||||
| A-side | "Seven Seas" / "All You Need Is Love" | |||
| B-side | "The Killing Moon" / "Stars Are Stars" / "Villiers Terrace" | |||
| Released | 6 July 1984 | |||
| Genre | Post-punk, alternative rock, jangle pop | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | Korova (UK) WEA (Worldwide) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson, Pete de Freitas | |||
| Producer(s) | The Bunnymen | |||
| Echo & the Bunnymen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| ”Seven Seas” on YouTube | ||||
| Life at Brian's – Lean and Hungry | ||||
 12" ep cover | ||||
"Seven Seas" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released on 6 July 1984. It was the third single to be released from their 1984 album Ocean Rain. It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart[1] and number 10 on the Irish Singles Chart.[2]
In a retrospective review of the song, AllMusic journalist Dave Thompson said: "Regardless of the surreal lyrics, their enigmatic meaning dovetails marvelously with the mood of this exquisite piece."[3]
Overview
The single was released as a 7-inch single and a 12-inch single. The A-side of the 7-inch single was the title track, "Seven Seas", and the B-side was a live cover version of The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love". The A-side of the 12-inch single consisted of the title track and "All You Need Is Love". The B-side consisted of "The Killing Moon", "Stars Are Stars" and "Villiers Terrace".
"All You Need Is Love", "The Killing Moon", "Stars Are Stars" and "Villiers Terrace" were recorded live at Liverpool Cathedral for the Channel 4 programme Play at Home.[4]
A numbered limited edition 7-inch EP was also available on two discs, with all the tracks of the 12-inch single release and with the added title on the cover of Life at Brian's – Lean and Hungry.
American indie rock group Velocity Girl released a cover version of "Seven Seas" as a single on Heaven Records in 1995.
Track listings
All tracks written by Will Sergeant, Ian McCulloch, Les Pattinson and Pete de Freitas unless otherwise noted.
- 7-inch single (Korova KOW 35, WEA 249 321-7)
- "Seven Seas" – 3:19
- "All You Need Is Love" (Lennon–McCartney) – 6:41
- 12-inch single (Korova KOW 35T, WEA 249 320-0) and 7-inch EP (Korova KOW 35F)
- "Seven Seas" – 3:19
- "All You Need Is Love" (Lennon–McCartney) – 6:41
- "The Killing Moon" – 3:17
- "Stars Are Stars" – 3:05
- "Villiers Terrace" – 6:52
Chart positions
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[1] | 16 |
| Irish Singles Chart[2] | 10 |
Personnel
Musicians
Echo & the Bunnymen
- Ian McCulloch – vocals, guitar
- Will Sergeant – lead guitar
- Les Pattinson – bass
- Pete de Freitas – drums
Additional
- Adam Peters – piano, cello
- Tim Whittaker – bongos
- Khien Luu – clarinet, alto saxophone
- Alam Perman – harpsichord
- James Drake-Brockman – harpsichord
Production
- The Bunnymen – producer, mixed by
- Gil Norton – engineer, mixed by
- Henri Loustau[5] – engineer
- Jean-Yves – assistant engineer
- Adam Peters – orchestral arrangement
- Anton Corbijn – photography
References
- 1 2 Roberts, David, ed. (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). HIT Entertainment. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- 1 2 "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". IRMA. 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
- ↑ "Song Search for "seven seas"". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ↑ "Villiers Terrace.com – The Ultimate Echo and the Bunnymen Discography". Villiers Terrace.com. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
- ↑ French sound engineer at the Studio des Dames recording studio (Paris, France), misspelled as Henri Lonstan
- "Echo & The Bunnymen at Discogs.com". Discogs. Retrieved 29 April 2008.