Woman in Chains

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This article is about the song. For the French film, see La Prisonnière (film).

"Woman in Chains"
Single by Tears for Fears
from the album The Seeds of Love
B-side
  • "Always in the Past"
  • "My Life in the Suicide Ranks"
Released6 November 1989 (1989-11-06)
Length
  • 5:28 (single version)
  • 6:30 (album version)
LabelFontana
Songwriter(s)Roland Orzabal
Producer(s)
  • Tears for Fears
  • Dave Bascombe
Tears for Fears singles chronology
"Sowing the Seeds of Love"
(1989) 		"Woman in Chains"
(1989) 		"Advice for the Young at Heart"
(1990)
Music video
"Woman in Chains" on YouTube
"Woman in Chains"
Single by Tears for Fears featuring Oleta Adams
from the album Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92)
B-side
  • "Ghost Papa"
Released13 April 1992 (1992-04-13)
LabelFontana
Tears for Fears singles chronology
"Laid So Low (Tears Roll Down)"
(1992) 		"Woman in Chains"
(1992) 		"Break It Down Again"
(1993)
Oleta Adams singles chronology
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"
(1991) 		"Woman in Chains"
(1992) 		"I Just Had to Hear Your Voice"
(1993)

"Woman in Chains" is a song by English band Tears for Fears, released as the second single from their third studio album, The Seeds of Love (1989). It has been described as a "feminist anthem".[1][2] It was an international success, reaching the top 40 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.

The studio cut features Phil Collins on drums. "Tears for Fears just wanted me to do that big drum thing from 'In the Air Tonight'..." Collins recalled. "'We want you to come in here in a big way.'"[3] The song prominently features vocals by Oleta Adams, who went on to achieve a successful solo career. It was re-released in 1992 – with a different B-side and now credited to "Tears for Fears featuring Oleta Adams" – to capitalise on the singer's solo success and to promote the Tears for Fears compilation Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82–92). This time, it reached number 57 in the UK.

Content[edit]

"Woman in Chains" was recorded as a duet. Orzabal explained the impetus for the lyric to Melody Maker: "I was reading some feminist literature at the time and I discovered that there are societies in the world still in existence today that are non-patriarchal. They don't have the man at the top and the women at the bottom. They're matricentric—they have the woman at the centre and these societies are a lot less violent, a lot less greedy and there's generally less animosity... but the song is also about how men traditionally play down the feminine side of their characters and how both men and women suffer for it.... I think men in a patriarchal society are sold down the river a bit—okay, maybe we're told that we're in control but there are also a hell of a lot of things that we miss out on, which women are allowed to be".

During a 2021 interview with the Louder website, when asked if the song is the feminist anthem it’s usually read as, Orzabal replied: "Um... it was really about my mother. At one point in her life she was a stripper. My father and she ran an entertainment agency from a council house in Portsmouth. So she would go out to strip, and my father would send a driver out with her to spy on her. If she talked to another man, when she came back he would beat her up. So it's about domestic abuse."[4]

The song was sampled in the S.A.S. single "So Free" featuring Cam'ron and on Uneasy Listening Vol. 1 by DJ Z-Trip and DJ P. It also appears on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Boxing Helena.

Critical reception[edit]

David Giles from Music Week wrote, "The best track from the current LP, this starts out promising to be the portentous, pompous rock track that the right-on title suggests, but is rescued by the duo's intuitive pop touches. Watch out for some excellent guitar work."[5]

Music video[edit]

The accompanying music video for "Woman in Chains", directed by Andy Morahan,[6] was filmed in black and white. It focuses on the abusive relationship between a man (a boxer) and a woman (a pole-dancer, played by Angela Alvarado); interspersed with shots of the band and guest vocalist Oleta Adams performing the song. It also features Chris Hughes playing the drums.

Personnel[edit]

Charts[edit]

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 6 November 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Fontana [20]
Japan 21 December 1989 Mini-CD [21]
5 February 1990 Maxi-CD [22]
United Kingdom (re-release) 13 April 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Willman, Chris (24 September 1989). "Tears for Fears: Just So-So in 'The Seeds of Love'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. ^ Holden, Stephen (27 September 1989). "The Pop Life". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Ellen, Mark (30 October 2015). "Does Everybody Still Hate Phil Collins?*". Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  4. ^ Roberts, Chris (20 August 2021). "How Tears For Fears added prog to pop and ruled the 80s". Prog. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  5. ^ Giles, David (11 November 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 27. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  6. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Tears For Fears - "Woman in chains"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6671." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 49. 9 December 1989. p. IV. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  11. ^ "Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Woman in Chains". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Tears for Fears" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  14. ^ "Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  17. ^ "Tears for Fears Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tears for Fears – Woman in Chains" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Vol. 53, no. 6. 22 December 1990. p. 8. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 4 November 1989. p. 45.
  21. ^ "ウーマン・イン・チェインズ | ティアーズ・フォー・フィアーズ" [Woman in Chains | Tears for Fears] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  22. ^ "ウーマン・イン・チェインズ | ティアーズ・フォー・フィアーズ" [Woman in Chains | Tears for Fears] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  23. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 11 April 1992. p. 19.
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