Eighth Day (Hazel O'Connor song)

"Eighth Day" is a song by British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor, released in August 1980 as the second single from her debut and soundtrack album, Breaking Glass. It reached no. 5 on the UK Singles Charts, making it her first top-ten hit and her highest chart placing to date.[1] The song was also certified silver in the UK by the BPI.[2]

"Eighth Day"
Single by Hazel O'Connor
from the album Breaking Glass
B-side"Monsters in Disguise"
ReleasedAugust 1980
Recorded1980
StudioGood Earth Studios, London
Genre
Length3:11
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Hazel O'Connor
Producer(s)Tony Visconti
Hazel O'Connor singles chronology
"Writing on the Wall"
(1980)		 "Eighth Day"
(1980)		 "Give Me an Inch"
(1980)
Audio
"Eighth Day" on YouTube

O'Connor wrote the song twelve hours before it was recorded as a parallel story of the Book of Genesis where Man made the Earth in his own image, and "having unleashed elements he cannot control, the Man-made Machine Monster takes over".[3]

Reception

Writing in Record Mirror, Simon Ludgate described the song as "the worst track from the album" with its release "something to do with a strong visual appeal because of the accompanying film clip". He said it "sounds like a latter-day 'Messiah'" and that "Monsters in Disguise" should have been released as a single instead. However, in the same magazine issue, reviewer Gill Pringle said "I'm impressed. Because I'm enjoying this record so much, I've suppressed the cringe that keeps welling up inside of me, everytime I think too hard about the modernistic touch of this record."[4]

Charts
Chart (1980) Peak

position

Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 78
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[1] 5

References
  1. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  2. "BRIT Certified Award – Hazel O'Connor – Eighth Day". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  3. "Eighth Day by Hazel O'Connor". songfacts.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. "Record Mirror" (PDF). Record Mirror. 9 August 1980. pp. 5, 10, 12. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 221. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hazel O'Connor". Irish Singles Chart.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.