Eternal Flame (song)

"Eternal Flame"

U.S. commercial cassette release
Single by The Bangles
from the album Everything
B-side "What I Meant to Say"
Released February 17, 1989
Format Vinyl record (7"), CD single (3"), Cassingle
Recorded 1988 in Studio 55, Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles
Length 3:56
Label CBS
Writer(s) Susanna Hoffs
Tom Kelly
Billy Steinberg
Producer(s) Davitt Sigerson
The Bangles singles chronology
"In Your Room"
(1988)		 "Eternal Flame"
(1989)		 "Be with You"
(1989)

"Eternal Flame" is a love song by American band the Bangles from their 1988 album Everything. It became a hit single, when released in 1989, peaking at number one in the charts in nine countries, including Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was written by the established songwriting partnership of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly (becoming the pair's fifth Billboard Hot 100 number one in five years) along with the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs. Having previously reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1986 with "Walk Like an Egyptian," the Bangles became only the third girl group to score multiple number-ones in the United States, after the Supremes (twelve) and the Shirelles (two).

History

Unlike the rest of the more uptempo songs on their album Everything, "Eternal Flame" is a ballad. Co-writer Billy Steinberg describes it as "the Beatles meet the Byrds."

The song was inspired by two eternal flames: one at the gravesite of Elvis Presley that the Bangles saw when the band visited Graceland,[1] and one at a local synagogue in Palm Springs which Steinberg attended as a child.[2] Steinberg recalled to Songfacts: "Susanna was talking about the Bangles having visited Graceland, and she said there was some type of shrine to Elvis that included some kind of eternal flame. As soon as those words were mentioned, I immediately thought of the synagogue in the town of Palm Springs, California where I grew up. I remember during our Sunday school class they would walk us through the sanctuary. There was one little red light and they told us it was called the eternal flame."[3]

In the BBC programme I'm in a Girl Group, Hoffs revealed she actually sang the studio recording of the song completely naked after producer Davitt Sigerson pranked her by telling her Olivia Newton-John had done the same thing, but he later told Hoffs he had been lying the whole time.[4]

It spent one week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, blocking Milli Vanilli's "Girl You Know It's True" from reaching the summit position.[5] It was preceded at #1 on the Hot 100 by Mike + the Mechanics' "The Living Years" and succeeded by Roxette's "The Look." It also topped the US adult contemporary chart for two weeks.[6]

The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart in February 1989 at number 81 and peaked at number one in April, spending four weeks there. It went on to spend twenty weeks in the chart and was the UK's third best-selling song of 1989.

The song spent three weeks at number one in Sweden and 18 weeks in the Swedish charts

The song also spent seven weeks at number one in the Dutch Top 40. The song was Australia's 4th biggest selling single of 1989 and was sent up on the Australian TV show Fast Forward.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[7] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] 3
Canadian Top Singles (RPM)[9] 4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 9
France (SNEP)[11] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[12] 4
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart)[13] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[14] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[17] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] 2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[20] 1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[22] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1989) Position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 4
Austrian Top 40[24] 10
Belgian VRT Top 30[25] 2
Canadian RPM Top 100[26] 26
Dutch Top 40[27] 1
German Media Control Charts[28] 19
Swiss Singles Chart[29] 5
UK Singles Chart 3
US Billboard Hot 100 32
US Cashbox Top 100[30] 7

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[31] Platinum 70,000^
Sweden (GLF)[32] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Gold 500,000[34]
United States (RIAA)[35] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Preceded by
"Now You're in Heaven" by Julian Lennon		 Australian Kent Music Report number one single
12 June 1989 		Succeeded by
"Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
Preceded by
"Alles kan een mens gelukkig maken" by René Froger and Het Goede Doel		 Dutch Top 40 number one single
15 April 1989 – 27 May 1989 		Succeeded by
"Me Myself and I" by De La Soul
Preceded by

"Paradise City" by Guns N Roses
"When Love Comes to Town" by U2 feat. BB King		 Irish Singles Chart number one single
6 April 1989 (first run)
20 April 1989 - 27 April 1989 (second run) 		Succeeded by

"When Love Comes to Town" by U2 feat. BB King
"Far from Home" by Daniel O'Donnell
Preceded by
"The Look" by Roxette		 Norwegian Singles Chart number one single
19 June 1989 – 26 July 1989 		Succeeded by
"Licence to Kill" by Gladys Knight
Preceded by
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna		 Swedish Singles Chart number one single
31 May 1989 – 19 July 1989 		Succeeded by
"Licence to Kill" by Gladys Knight
Preceded by
"The Living Years" by Mike + the Mechanics		 Billboard Hot 100 number one single
April 1, 1989 		Succeeded by
"The Look" by Roxette
Preceded by
"You Got It" by Roy Orbison		 Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
April 8, 1989 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"After All" by Cher and Peter Cetera
Preceded by
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna		 UK Singles Chart number one single
April 9, 1989 - April 29, 1989 		Succeeded by
"Hand on Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue

Tomoya Nagase featuring 3T version

"Eternal Flame"
Single by Tomoya Nagase featuring 3T
Released 1997
Format CD
Recorded 1996
Genre J-pop, soft rock
Length 3:56
Label Universal Music Japan
Writer(s) Susanna Hoffs
Tom Kelly
Billy Steinberg
Producer(s) 3T
Tomoya Nagase featuring 3T singles chronology
"Gotta Be You"
(1996)		 "Eternal Flame"
(1997)		 "Stuck on You"
(2003)

In 1997 a Japanese version of the song was recorded by Tomoya Nagase, the vocalist of the Japanese idol rock group Tokio, featuring 3T. This song was used as the theme song of the Nippon TV drama DXD, in which Nagase played the main role. He also wrote the Japanese version lyrics. This version was released as a single in Japan under the name of "Tomoya with 3T".

Charts

Chart (1997) Peak
position
Oricon Japanese International Chart 12

Human Nature version

"Eternal Flame"
Single by Human Nature
from the album Counting Down
Released October 17, 1999
Format CD single
Recorded 1999
Genre Pop
Length 3:25
Label Sony Music Entertainment/Columbia Records
Writer(s) Susanna Hoffs
Tom Kelly
Billy Steinberg
Producer(s) Andrew Klippel
Certification Gold
Human Nature singles chronology
"Don't Cry"
(1999)		 "Eternal Flame"
(2001)		 "Be There With You"
(2000)

In 1999, Australian group Human Nature covered "Eternal Flame" and released it as the fifth single from their second album Counting Down. It peaked at number eight on the ARIA singles chart and was certified gold.[36]

Track listings

  1. "Eternal Flame"
  2. "She's So Gone"
  3. "Breaking Me Down"
  4. "Don't Cry" (Discothèque Club remix)
  5. "Eternal Flame" (music video)
  1. "Eternal Flame"
  2. "Shake You Outta My Head" from the Happy Days production
  3. "She's So Gone"
  4. "Breaking Me Down"
  5. "Don't Cry" (Discothèque Club remix)
  6. "Eternal Flame" (music video)

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[37] 8
Year-end chart (1999) Position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 58

Atomic Kitten version

"Eternal Flame"
Single by Atomic Kitten
from the album Right Now (re-issue)
Released July 23, 2001
Format CD single, cassette
Recorded 2001
Genre Pop
Length 3:17
Label Virgin
Writer(s) Susanna Hoffs
Tom Kelly
Billy Steinberg
Producer(s) Ray Ruffin
Atomic Kitten singles chronology
"Whole Again"
(2001)		 "Eternal Flame"
(2001)		 "You Are"
(2001)

British pop group Atomic Kitten subsequently recorded the song in 2001 and released as the sixth overall single and lead single from the reissue of the debut studio album, Right Now. It was the group's first single to feature new band member Jenny Frost. Their version was produced by multi-platinum singer producer Ray Ruffin.

Track listing

Australian CD
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Right Now" (Jenny Frost version) – 3:35
  3. "Right Now" (K-Klass Phazerphunk Club Mix) – 7:22
  4. "Eternal Flame" (Blacksmith RnB Club Dub) – 3:55
  5. "Right Now" (video)
UK CD
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:30
  3. "Eternal Flame" (Blacksmith RnB Club Rub) – 3:54
  4. "Eternal Flame" (video)
UK cassette
  1. "Eternal Flame" (Single Version) – 3:15
  2. "Album Medley" – 5:30
  3. "Dancing in the Street" – 3:39

Music video

The video begins with the band members walking up to the screen in a stylized pace, in plain white clothes and bare feet, with a dark background. This is shown often in the video, and is also how the video ends. Throughout the video, each of the band members do different poses and dance moves in time to the song, with the dark, cloudy background in place. Also in one of the scenes in the video, all three band members are seen in a line, with a glass floor and four metal posts with lights in the background that accompanies the perennial dark background. In this scene, the girls are seen doing a basic dance routine in time with the song. For Jenny's solo, she is seen lying down on the floor doing a sexy pose. However, Frost later claimed in the So Far So Good DVD, that she had tonsillitis for the video shoot, and was lying down due to being ill and couldn't stand up.[39] There is also a version of the video that contains clips from the movie The Parole Officer which was taken from the DVD "So Far So Good".

Chart performance

Atomic Kitten made the song another massive success; it entered the top twenty in every country it was released, except for Australia, where it peaked at number 47. It entered at number one in the UK, staying at the top for two weeks. On its first day, "Eternal Flame" sold 35,358 copies, and its closest rival was Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious", which sold 13,182 copies in its opening day. The song sold over 140,000 copies in its first week and 70,000 copies in its second week. The song sold over 400,000 copies in the UK, and was certified Gold. The single entered the top five in over ten countries. The single went to number two in the French singles chart, a huge success, and became one of the best selling singles by a girl group of all time in France. However, it was their only single to reach the top 20, making them one-hit wonders there. It was certified gold for sales of over 250,000 copies. Atomic Kitten's version charted higher in France than the original version by the Bangles.

Over a year later, the single appeared in the Canadian Singles Chart. "Eternal Flame" was Atomic Kitten's only single to chart over there. It debuted at number 20, and peaked at number 15. It spent twelve weeks in the top forty—five of which were in the top twenty, making the song a moderate success. The single was also a number-one hit in the Flanders region of Belgium, and Atomic Kitten's became their best-selling single there, subsequently lasting sixteen weeks on the chart; it became the 28th best selling single of 2001 in Belgium. It also spent one week at number one in New Zealand. "Eternal Flame" went on to sell over one million copies worldwide and was certified Gold in the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and New Zealand.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[40] 47
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[41] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[42] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[43] 18
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[44] 15
Denmark (Tracklisten)[45] 12
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[46] 4
France (SNEP)[47] 2
Germany (Official German Charts)[48] 5
Ireland (IRMA)[49] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[50] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[51] 1
Norway (VG-lista)[52] 13
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[53] 19
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[54] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[55] 9
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[56] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2001) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[57] 22
Belgium Singles Chart (Flanders)[58] 28
Belgium Singles Chart (Wallonia)[59] 99
French Singles Chart[60] 32
Irish Singles Chart[61] 25
New Zealand Singles Chart[62] 40
Swiss Singles Chart[63] 59
UK Singles Chart[64] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[65] Gold 268,000[66]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[67] Gold 5,000*
Sweden (GLF)[68] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[69] Gold 406,000[70]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
"Eternity/The Road to Mandalay" by Robbie Williams		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
July 29, 2001 – August 11, 2001 		Succeeded by
"21 Seconds" by So Solid Crew
Preceded by
"Tele-Romeo / Blub, ik ben een vis" by K3		 Ultratop number-one single
September 8, 2001 – September 15, 2001 		Succeeded by
"Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve and Gwen Stefani
Preceded by
"19-2000" by Gorillaz		 Recording Industry Association of New Zealand number-one single
September 23, 2001 – September 30, 2001 		Succeeded by
"Eternity/The Road to Mandalay" by Robbie Williams

Other cover versions

The song was covered in 2000 by Rollergirl on the album Now I'm Singin'... and the Party Keeps On Rollin', and released as a single which peaked at #87 in the Swiss Charts.[71] Bonnie Tyler and French singer Laura Zen recorded a version in 2011 which went to French radio stations on Monday August 29. The song was named "Eternal Flame (Amour éternel)".[72]

References

  1. ↑ Susanna Hoffs, "Commentary", the Bangles, Return to Bangleonia, DVD, 2007
  2. ↑ Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, 500 Nr. 1 hits uit de Top 40, page 261, 9023009444
  3. ↑ "Eternal Flame". Songfacts.com. Archived from the original on 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsr9CtiB0c&t=23m41s. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100 Archives". Billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 28.
  7. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Bangles – Eternal Flame". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ↑ Canadian peak
  10. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in French). Les classement single.
  12. ↑ "Musicline.de – Bangles Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  13. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 15, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bangles – Eternal Flame" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bangles – Eternal Flame". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bangles – Eternal Flame". VG-lista.
  18. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bangles – Eternal Flame". Singles Top 100.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bangles – Eternal Flame". Swiss Singles Chart.
  20. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1989-04-15" UK Singles Chart.
  21. ↑ "Bangles – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Bangles.
  22. ↑ "Bangles – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Bangles.
  23. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  24. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Austria Top 40 - Hitparade Österreich". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  25. ↑ "1989". Luckysdb.be. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  26. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  27. ↑ "De Single Top 100 Over 1989" (PDF). Top40.nl. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  28. ↑ "INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20". Ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. 1997-02-12. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  29. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1989". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  30. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1989". Cashboxcountdowns.com. 1989-12-30. Archived from the original on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  31. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1989 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  32. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  33. ↑ "British single certifications – Bangles – Eternal Flame". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Eternal Flame in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  34. ↑ Jones, Alan (27 January 1990). "Chartfile". Record Mirror. pp. 44–45.
  35. ↑ "American single certifications – Bangles – Eternal Flame". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  36. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  37. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Human Nature – Eternal Flame". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  38. ↑ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1999". aria.com.au. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "Atomic Kitten - So Far So Good (DVD part 4)". YouTube. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  40. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame / Right Now". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  41. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  42. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  44. ↑ "Atomic Kitten > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic Macrovision. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  45. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Tracklisten.
  46. ↑ "Atomic Kitten Crawls Up Euro Albums Chart". Billboard.biz. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  47. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in French). Les classement single.
  48. ↑ "Musicline.de – Atomic Kitten Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  49. ↑ "Irish Charts > Atomic Kitten". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-09.
  50. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Atomic Kitten search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  51. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Top 40 Singles.
  52. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". VG-lista.
  53. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" Canciones Top 50.
  54. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Singles Top 100.
  55. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Swiss Singles Chart.
  56. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2001-08-04" UK Singles Chart.
  57. ↑ Steffen Hung (2001-12-23). "Best selling singles in Austria (2001)". Austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  58. ↑ "Best selling singles in Belgium Flanders (2001)". Ultratop.be. 2011-12-24. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  59. ↑ "Best selling singles in Belgium Wallonia (2001)". Ultratop.be. 2011-12-24. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  60. ↑ "Best selling singles in France (2002)". Disqueenfrance.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-04. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  61. ↑ "Best selling singles in Ireland (2001)". Allcharts.org. Archived from the original on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  62. ↑ "Top 50 singles of 2001 in NZ". Rianz.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  63. ↑ Steffen Hung. "Best selling singles in Switzerland (2001)". Swisscharts.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-01. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  64. ↑ "Yearly Best Selling Singles : 1999" (PDF). Bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2014-03-30.
  65. ↑ "French single certifications – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  66. ↑ "InfoDisc : Les Certifications (Singles) du SNEP (les Disques d'Or)". Infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 2014-03-30. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  67. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". Recorded Music NZ.
  68. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  69. ↑ "British single certifications – Atomic Kitten – Eternal Flame". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Eternal Flame in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  70. ↑ Myers, Justin (August 4, 2016). "Flashback: Atomic Kitten beat Destiny's Child to Number 1 in 2001". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  71. ↑ SwissCharts.com "Eternal Flame" (Rollergirl) page. Accessed: November 2, 2006 Archived October 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  72. ↑ "Bonnie Tyler est de retour : elle reprend le hit "Eternal Flame"". Chartsinfrance.net. 2011-08-29. Archived from the original on 2014-02-09. Retrieved 2012-01-09.

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