| "Love in the First Degree Bananarama" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bananarama | ||||
| from the album Wow! | ||||
| B-side | Mr. Sleaze | |||
| Released | October 1987 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | March 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop music | |||
| Length | 3:33 | |||
| Label | London Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Matt Aitken, Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Mike Stock, Pete Waterman, Keren Woodward | |||
| Producer | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
| Bananarama singles chronology | ||||
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"Love in the First Degree" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its second single except in the U.S., where it was the album's third single (following "I Can't Help It"). The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio.
The song is an uptempo pop tune similar to many hits produced by SAW during this time period. The surreal lyrics, composed by Siobhan Fahey and built upon by SAW and Bananarama members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, describes a dream in which they find themselves being tried in court for love. The musical structure could be compared to that of Pachelbel's Canon.
"Love in the First Degree" is Bananarama's biggest-selling single in their native UK. It holds a three-way tie for their highest UK singles chart placing (number three). The single also became a top-ten success in Australia and earned a top-twenty placing in New Zealand. In the United States the song just missed the top-forty, but was a top-ten club hit. The B-side was Mr. Sleaze in which Bananarama member Sara Dallin not only sang on that track but also played bass guitar like she did on "Love in the First Degree".
As one of their final performances with Fahey, the group performed the song at the BRIT Awards with a large entourage of male dancers dressed only in black bikini briefs. The song was nominated for best British single at the BRIT Awards, but lost to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up", also produced by Stock Aitken Waterman.
By the time "Love in the First Degree" was released in the United States, Fahey had already announced her departure from Bananarama.
In the late 80s the song was covered by a Japanese idol trio Lemon Angel and sung by Tomo Sakurai as one of the main theme-tunes for their titular anime, which appeared under a late night risque slot known more generally as Late night anime.
In 2007, a mash-up of the song with Basement Jaxx's 2005 hit "Oh My Gosh" became popular on the internet.
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The music video, directed by Andy Morahan, featured Bananarama (including a pregnant Fahey) performing the song in a jail cell, dressed in prison uniforms, as several male dancers perform around them. The imagery plays off of Elvis Presley's 1957 movie Jailhouse Rock.
On Bananarama's The Greatest Hits Collection video compilation, the videoclip for Love In The First Degree is intercut with the live performance of the song at the 1988 BPI awards, which was Siobhan Fahey's last performance with the group before her departure.
Bananarama
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
| U.S. Hot Dance Club Play | 10 |
| Australia ARIA singles | 5 |
| New Zealand singles | 11 |
| Switzerland singles chart | 18 |
| Spain singles chart | 12 |
| Dutch Singles chart | 12 |
In 2011, Slow Moving Millie did a cover of the song on her album Renditions