Holy Word
| "Holy Word" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 7" single | ||||
| Single by I'm Talking | ||||
| from the album Bear Witness | ||||
| A-side | "Holy Word" | |||
| B-side | "Holy Word" | |||
| Released | 28 July 1986[1] | |||
| Genre | Electronic music, Pop rock, Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Label | Regular Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Robert Goodge, Ian Cox | |||
| Producer(s) | I'm Talking, Martyn Webster | |||
| I'm Talking singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Holy Word" is a song by Australian band I'm Talking. It was released in July 1986[1] as the second single from the band's debut studio album, Bear Witness. The song peaked at number 9 on the Australian Kent Music Report, becoming the band's third top ten single.[2] Unlike their previous singles, group member Zan Abeyratne sings lead vocal on this track.
At the time of the recording, there were tensions that would eventually spell the end of the group as Kate Ceberano was absent from the recording of the single, resulting in Abeyratne taking over the lead. In an interview with the Herald Sun, Ceberano remembers that missing those sessions, stating "It will always be a thorn in my side." Goodge advising that "Up until then Zan had resisted being a full time member, I guess we wanted to reward her as being part of the band and for all the work she’d done."[3]
On the other hand, Abeyratne says "It was awesome for me to get to sing that song,” Abeyratne says. “It was a special song for me. It came out and we got whisked off overseas so I didn’t get to fully experience it all."[3]
The song's accompanying video, shot in a Melbourne night club, Chasers, on Chapel Street, featured a young Magda Szubanski among the dancers.[4] The single also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 horror film Howling III during a party scene.[5]
The 12" remix was recorded at Britannia Row, Pink Floyd’s studio in London, with Martyn Webster. Goodge recalls that "during recording a somewhat annoying geezer kept popping in to listen to what we were up to, again and again. We were wondering who this interloper was and were just about to tell him to piss off in our best Strine accents when Martyn whispered it was Nick the drummer from Pink Floyd….oops!"[4]
In February 2020, the group released a 6-track remix single of "Holy Word".[6]
Track listing
- 7" Single (K 39)
- Side A "Holy Word" - 4:25
- Side B "Holy Word" (instrumental) - 4:25
- 12" Single (X 13262)
- Side A "Holy Word" (Dance mix)
- Side B1 "Holy Word" - 4:25
- Side B2 "Holy Word" (instrumental) - 4:25
- Remixes single
- "Holy Word" (Dr Packer remix) - 6:46
- "Holy Word" (Filthy Lucre remix) - 6:40
- "Holy Word" (YolaDisko remix) - 4:34
- "Holy Word" (Dr Packer remix - Radio edit) - 3:32
- "Holy Word" (Filthy Lucre remix - Radio edit) - 3:55
- "Holy Word" (YolaDisko remix - Radio edit) - 3:23
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 9 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 21 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1986) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] | 87 |
References
- ^ a b "Kent Music Report No 628 – 28 July 1986 > Singles: New Releases". Imgur.com (original document published by Kent Music Report). Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives: Australian Chart Book. p. 145. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b Adams, Cameron (13 April 2018). "The rise, fall and rebirth of Melbourne 80s band I'm Talking". Hearld Sun. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Track by Track - I'm Talking - Bear Witness". Bloodlinesdate. 23 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 March 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
- ^ "Howling III (1987) - IMDb".
- ^ "Brand New I'm Talking "Holy Word" Remixes Released". noise11. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "I'm Talking – Holy Word". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 650 – 29 December 1986 > National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 8 June 2021 – via Imgur.com.
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