Temple of Love (The Sisters of Mercy song)

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"Temple of Love"
Single by The Sisters of Mercy
B-side
  • "Heartland"
  • "Gimme Shelter"
Released7 October 1983
Recorded1983
Genre
Length
  • 7:44 (12-inch)
  • 3:52 (7-inch)
LabelMerciful Release
Songwriter(s)Andrew Eldritch
Producer(s)Andrew Eldritch
The Sisters of Mercy singles chronology
"Anaconda"
(1983)
"Temple of Love"
(1983)
"Body and Soul"
(1984)

"Temple of Love" is a song by English rock band The Sisters of Mercy, released as a non-album single in 1983.

After being out of print for years, the song was re-recorded in 1992 as "Temple of Love (1992)" featuring Israeli singer Ofra Haza. This version became the band's biggest hit in its native United Kingdom, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It also reached the top five in Germany, the top 20 in Austria and Ireland, and the top 25 in Sweden.

Background[edit]

"Temple of Love", written by the band's lead singer Andrew Eldritch, was the fifth single released by The Sisters of Mercy. It did not chart on the United Kingdom's main singles chart, but it reached number one for a week on the UK Indie Chart and stayed on the chart for 36 weeks.[2][3]

"Temple of Love (1992)"
Single by The Sisters of Mercy
B-side
  • "I Was Wrong"
  • "Vision Thing"
  • "When You Don't See Me"
Released20 April 1992
Recorded1992
Genre
Length
  • 8:05
LabelMerciful Release
Songwriter(s)Andrew Eldritch
Producer(s)Andrew Eldritch, Ian Stanley
The Sisters of Mercy singles chronology
"When You Don't See Me"
(1991)
"Temple of Love (1992)"
(1992)
"Under the Gun"
(1993)

"Temple of Love (1992)"[edit]

Following the release of the band's third album Vision Thing in 1990, there appeared to be no plans for a new record anytime soon, leading the band's record label Merciful Release to reissue the band's early non-album singles and B-sides, which had been out of print at this point, on the compilation Some Girls Wander by Mistake. This included the extended 12-inch version of the original "Temple of Love" recording. In conjunction with this release, The Sisters of Mercy also recorded a new version of "Temple of Love" featuring Israeli singer Ofra Haza, whom Eldritch was a longtime fan of.[4]

"Temple of Love (1992)" did not appear on Some Girls Wander by Mistake, but it did appear on The Sisters of Mercy's greatest hits album A Slight Case of Overbombing, released a year later in 1993.[2] It was produced by Eldritch, and additional production credits were given to Ian Stanley, the former Tears for Fears keyboardist.

Shortly after, the band would be reduced to just a duo of Eldritch and new guitarist Adam Pearson.[4]

The song does appear on the 2017 deluxe reissue of Some Girls Wander by Mistake.[5]

Track listing[edit]

CD: Merciful Release / MR53CD
No.TitleLength
1."Temple of Love (1992)"8:05
2."I Was Wrong (American Fade)"3:12
3."Vision Thing (Canadian Club Remix)"7:32
4."When You Don't See Me (German Release)"4:45

Charts[edit]

Weekly charts[edit]

"Temple of Love"[edit]

Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Indie Chart (Official Charts Company)[6] 1

"Temple of Love (1992)"[edit]

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 16
Germany (Official German Charts)[8] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 15
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 24
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 3

Year-end charts[edit]

"Temple of Love (1992)"[edit]

Chart (1992) Peak
position
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 20

Sampling[edit]

  • The same intro, verse and chorus melody as in the song "Temple Of Love" is used in 1998 by the song "9 1/2 nedelja", performed by Serbian Eurodance group Luna.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Your Ultimate Goth Anthem: The Sisters of Mercy's "Temple of Love", PopMatters". October 26, 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Happy Anniversary: Sisters of Mercy, "Temple of Love 1992" | Rhino". www.rhino.com. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  3. ^ "Indie Hits "S"". 2011-06-06. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  4. ^ a b "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | Off To Never Land: The Sisters Of Mercy Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  5. ^ The Sisters Of Mercy - Some Girls Wander By Mistake, retrieved 2023-01-09
  6. ^ Young 2006, p. 102.
  7. ^ "The Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love (1992)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. ^ "The Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love (1992)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Temple of Love (1992)". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love (1992)". Singles Top 100.
  11. ^ "The Sisters of Mercy: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved February 1, 2020.