| "Kyrie" | ||||||||
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| Single by Mr. Mister | ||||||||
| from the album Welcome to the Real World | ||||||||
| Released | January 1986 | |||||||
| Format | 7", 12" | |||||||
| Recorded | 1984 - 1985 | |||||||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||||||
| Length | 4:25 | |||||||
| Label | RCA Records | |||||||
| Writer(s) | Richard Page Steve George John Lang |
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| Producer | Mr. Mister, Paul De Villiers | |||||||
| Mr. Mister singles chronology | ||||||||
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"Kyrie" was a #1 hit song by the 1980s pop/rock band Mr. Mister, from their 1985 album Welcome to the Real World. Released in late 1985, it hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in March 1986, where it was #1 for two weeks. It also hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart for one week, and was the band's only #1 single on this chart. In the UK the song peaked at #11 in April 1986.
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The words to "Kyrie" were written by lyricist John Lang who co-wrote the songs on all of Mr. Mister's albums. The music was composed by Richard Page and Steve George while on tour with Adam Ant.
Kýrie, eléison means "Lord, have mercy" in Biblical Greek, and is a part of many liturgical rites in Eastern and Western Christianity. Kýrie, eléison; Christé, eléison; Kýrie, eléison is a prayer that asks "Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy".[1] According to Page the entire song is, essentially, a prayer.[2]
There is a myth that singer Richard Page wrote this song while lying in a hospital bed following an unprovoked attack. John Lang has stated that he was the one who was attacked, three years before "Kyrie" was written, and that the incident has nothing to do with the song.[3]
The video for this song was directed by Nick Morris, and features the band in performance mixed with footage taken at the tail end of their Fall 1985 tour with Tina Turner.[4]
The single edit of the song ends with the a cappella phrase "Kýrie, eléison, down the road that I must travel", while the album version simply fades out.
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Year-end charts
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In 1993, Acapella Vocal Band, a traditional Southern gospel group, included a version of the song on their album U And Me And God Make 5 (Word). The cover turned into a hit on the Contemporary Christian Music charts of 1994, and the group later recorded a Spanish version of the song as well.
In 2002, Mark Schultz made a cover of the song on his Song Cinema CD.
| Preceded by "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single 1 March, 1986 – 8 March, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Sara" by Starship |
| Preceded by "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston |
Canadian RPM number-one single 8 March, 1986 – 15 March, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Sara" by Starship |
| Preceded by "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean |
Norwegian Singles Chart number one single 26 April, 1986 |
Succeeded by "A Different Corner" by George Michael |
| Preceded by "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)" by Mike + The Mechanics |
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single 1 February, 1986 |
Succeeded by "Stages" by ZZ Top |
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