Love Song for a Vampire
"Love Song for a Vampire" is a song composed and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. It was recorded for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula based on the 1897 gothic horror novel, where it plays during the end credits. Released as a double A-side with "Little Bird" in Ireland, the United Kingdom and several other countries in Europe, the single was a hit, peaking at number three on the UK and Irish Singles Charts. "Love Song for a Vampire" by itself reached number four in Spain and number 10 in France.
"Love Song for a Vampire" | ||||
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Single by Annie Lennox | ||||
from the album Bram Stoker's Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
A-side | "Little Bird" | |||
Released | 13 February 1993 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 4:17 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Annie Lennox | |||
Producer(s) | Stephen Lipson | |||
Annie Lennox singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Love Song for a Vampire" on YouTube |
Critical reception
HuffPost noted that in "Love Song for a Vampire", "Lennox sings the poem, "Once I had the rarest rose that ever deigned to bloom, cruel winter chilled the bud and stole my flower too soon", slyly transporting us from Bram Stoker's world to that of Anne Rice's without our realizing."[1]
Music video
The video features a pregnant Annie Lennox, seen in a dark garden very similar to Lucy Westenra's in the film, and wearing a similar white dress. As she sings, several excerpts from the film are shown, and the video ends as what appears to be holy light shines upon her, very similar to what happens during Dracula's death at the film's end.
Release
In the UK, the song was the bigger hit of the double-A sided single with Lennox's track "Little Bird" from her album Diva. It reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in early 1993, while in the US, it reached number 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.
It reappeared in 1995 on the UK CD single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (RCA 74321 284822), alongside Lennox's covers of the Psychedelic Furs' "Heaven" and Blondie's "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear".
Track listing
All tracks written by Annie Lennox unless otherwise noted.
CD: Arista / 07822 12522 2 (US)
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Little Bird" (Edit) | 4:32 | |
2. | "Love Song for a Vampire" (from Bram Stoker's Dracula) | 4:16 | |
3. | "Why" | 5:04* | |
4. | "The Gift" | Lennox/Buchanan, Bell, Moore | 4:36* |
5. | "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" | Lennox/Stewart | 4:06* |
- The final three tracks were recorded live for MTV Unplugged at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, 3 July 1992.
CD: BMG / 74321 13383 2 (UK)
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Little Bird" | 4:39 |
2. | "Love Song for a Vampire" (from Bram Stoker's Dracula) | 4:17 |
3. | "Little Bird" (Utah Saints Version) | 6:35 |
4. | "Little Bird" (N'Joi Version) | 4:46 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Silver | 200,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- "HuffPost Reviews : The Annie Lennox Collection". HuffPost. 27 March 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- "Lescharts.com – Annie Lennox – Love Song for a Vampire" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Little Bird / Love Song for a Vampire". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
- "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 19. 8 May 1993. p. 24. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- "Notowanie nr580" (in Polish). LP3. 26 March 1993. Retrieved 9 March 2019. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Swisscharts.com – Annie Lennox – Little Bird / Love Song for a Vampire". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- "Annie Lennox: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- "Annie Lennox Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- "1993 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
- "Top 100 Singles 1993". Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 24.
- "British single certifications – Annie LennoxDion – Little Bird / Song for a Vampire". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Little Bird / Song for a Vampire in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.