"Eloise" is a song first released in 1968 on the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

label. It was sung by Barry Ryan, and written by his

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...

brother

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member of the ...

. Running for over five minutes, it features strong

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

tion, melodramatic

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

, and a brief slow

interlude Interlude may refer to: *a short play or, in general, any representation between parts of a larger stage production *''Entr'acte'', a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production *a section in a movement of a musical piece, se ...

. It sold three million copies worldwide, and reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart as published by ''

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'', but hit No. 1 in the ''

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'' and ''

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charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent t ...

. It topped the chart in 17 countries, including Italy, the Netherlands and Australia. The single was released as "Barry Ryan with the Majority". The Majority were a pop band who, for a period, were the backing band for Ryan and who, after renaming to Majority One, had some success in Europe. Ryan also released an Italian-language version of the song, "Eloise (Versione Italiana)", in 1968.

Background and recording

After not being able to cope with the success of some of his hits as a duo with Barry, Paul decided to take a step away from the limelight and to concentrate on songwriting. "Eloise" was the second song he wrote and was influenced by Richard Harris's arrangement of "

MacArthur Park MacArthur Park (originally Westlake Park) is a park dating back to the late 19th century in the Westlake, Los Angeles, Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In the early 1940s, it was renamed after General Douglas MacArthur, and la ...

" after listening to a rough mix of it at a party at Harris's house. After listening to it, Paul locked himself away and wrote "Eloise" in three days. The song was then recorded at

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists such ase Status Quo, the Kinks ...

at the end of a recording session with their mother

Marion Marion or MARION may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Marion (band), a British alternative rock group * ''Marion'' (miniseries), a 1974 miniseries * ''Marion'' (1920 film), an Italian silent film * ''Marion'' (2024 film), a UK short People a ...

and they had only two takes to do it due to the length of the song. The session musicians included

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

and

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

, both of whom went on to form

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

, and Glenn Ross Campbell. Everyone then wanted to go to the mixing desk to listen to the result because it was so unusual and they said it was going to be a big hit. According to Barry Ryan, the record influenced

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. He said in a 2017 interview: "I remember reading Freddie’s memoirs. He was influenced by it. He really, really liked it and also he used it as an argument to release '

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Queen (band), Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''A Night at the Opera (Queen album), A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by Queen's lead si ...

' because his record company didn’t want to release it but he said “That Barry Ryan had a big five and half minute hit. Why can’t we do it too?”"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

The Damned version

On the back of the commercial success of the 1985 ''

Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (), alternatively fantasmagorie and/or fantasmagoria, was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images – such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts – typicall ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, the Damned released their cover of the track as a single in 1986. It reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart.

Background and release

Dave Vanian David Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is an English rock musician, and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, release an album, have ...

had been thinking about doing a cover of the song from at least 1980 and in 1985 wanted to do a non-album single.

Rat Scabies Christopher John Millar (born 30 July 1955), known by his stage name Rat Scabies, is a musician best known as the drummer for English punk rock band the Damned. Career Millar was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. He played drums with Tor ...

did not want a third single released from ''Phantasmagoria'', which

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

wanted to do. It was decided that "Eloise" could be recorded as long as "

Is It a Dream? ''Phantasmagoria'' is the sixth album by English rock band the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12-inch of their UK No. 3 hit " Eloise". It i ...

" was released as the third single. The single was released in the UK with two different 12" mixes. The first was nine and a half minutes long and is known as the 'Extravagant Mix'. The second was shorter, lasting less than seven minutes and was released with the parenthesised 'No Sleep Until Wednesday Mix'. It was also a limited release of 2,000 copies. "Eloise" was not included on any

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albums, but has since been issued on several Damned compilations, and it appeared as a bonus track on the 1986 reissued LP versions of ''

'' in Australia, Germany and Italy. MCA also issued the single in

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and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. At the same time, a version of "Eloise" by Far Corporation singer

Robin McAuley Robin McAuley (born 20 January 1953) is an Irish singer. He is best known as the vocalist for the rock band McAuley Schenker Group from 1986 to 1993, during which time the band released three studio albums: '' Perfect Timing'', '' Save Yoursel ...

was released. McAuley said that the Damned's version had "got absolutely no chance of making it in the charts". Of the two competing versions at the time, Barry Ryan said that "I like the Damned's version best, it's even better than mine".

Recording

The backing track was recorded at Music Works Studios in London on 14 and 15 October 1985. There were due to be a further two days of recording at the studios, but they were cancelled due to a death in one of the band's family. The band were very committed to touring, so were unable to continue recording for a while. Recording finally continued on 23 November at

Eel Pie Studios Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, was a recording studio located in The Boathouse, Twickenham on the banks of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that f ...

, and was finished by the next day. It was then mixed at Swanyard Studios with the help of Stuart Bruce. Steve Kutner, who signed the Damned to MCA, has said that "it was a nightmare track to record", being "originally twice as long as what came out". Scabies was not convinced by the song and has said that "it never sounded finished to me" and

Roman Jugg Roman Jugg (born 25 July 1957 in Caerphilly, South Wales) is a British keyboard player and guitarist. He began his career in the Welsh punk band Victimize in the late 1970s. An acquaintance of Paul Gray, Jugg was originally hired in late 1981, ...

has said that Vanian had ended up calling MCA to ask them not to release it.

Track listing

7": MCA / GRIM 4 (UK) # "Eloise" ( Ryan) – 5:10 # "Temptation" ( Jugg,

Scabies Scabies (; also sometimes known as the seven-year itch) is a contagious human skin infestation by the tiny (0.2–0.45 mm) mite ''Sarcoptes scabiei'', variety ''hominis''. The word is from . The most common symptoms are severe itchiness a ...

, Vanian, Merrick) – 4:05 12": MCA / GRIMT 4 (UK) # "Eloise" – 9:31 # "Beat Girl" ( Barry,

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

) – 2:21 # "Temptation" – 4:12 12": MCA / GRIMX 4 (UK) # "Eloise" (No Sleep Until Wednesday Mix) – 6:50 # "Beat Girl" – 2:21 # "Temptation" – 4:12 12": MCA / MCA-23625 (US & Canada) # "Eloise" – 5:10 # "Beat Girl" – 2:16 # "Temptation" – 4:05 A shorter extended version of the song has also since been released, with a duration of 7:46.

Production credits

Musicians *

− vocals *

− drums *

− guitar, keyboards *

Bryn Merrick Bryn Merrick (12 October 1958 – 12 September 2015) was a bassist who was a member of Cardiff-based punk band Victimize and then heavy-metal band Stormqueen. He later joined the Damned between 1983 and 1989, replacing Paul Gray, who had lef ...

− bass Technical *Jon Kelly – producer ("Eloise" only) *The Damned – producer ("Temptation" and "Beat Girl") *Martin Jackson – design, illustration *The Leisure Process – design, illustration

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Tino Casal version

Spanish musician Tino Casal recorded a techno-pop version in 1987 for his album ''Lágrimas de Cocodrilo'' and it was released as the first single from the album in 1988. "Eloise" was one of his biggest hits, managing to be number one for several weeks in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and reaching number one on

Los 40 Principales Los 40 (stylized as LOS40, formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', ) is a Spanish Top 40-themed music radio station that broadcasts current and recent music, primarily focusing on genres such as pop, dance, electropop, Electro Latin, and Reggaeton. Th ...

in June 1988 . After a long convalescence after having suffered

necrosis Necrosis () is a form of cell injury which results in the premature death of cells in living tissue by autolysis. The term "necrosis" came about in the mid-19th century and is commonly attributed to German pathologist Rudolf Virchow, who i ...

in both legs due to a badly treated

sprain A sprain is a soft tissue injury of the ligaments within a joint, often caused by a sudden movement abruptly forcing the joint to exceed its functional range of motion. Ligaments are tough, inelastic fibers made of collagen that connect two or ...

resorting to

self-medication Self-medication, sometime called do-it-yourself (DIY) medicine, is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological conditions, for example headaches or ...

, Casal's friend, the announcer and producer Julián Ruiz, suggested that he record "Eloise" to return to the stage. Over time this song has become a classic of Spanish pop and one of Casal's most remembered songs. The vocals for this song took a week to record in Studio 1 of

Abbey Road ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

with the

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, conducted by

Andrew Powell Andrew Powell (born 18 April 1949) is a British musical composer, arranger and performer, born of Welsh parents. He moved to Wales in 2003. Early life Powell was born in Surrey, England. He began piano lessons at the age of four and later atte ...

. The budget for the recordings was approximately €12,000. The lyrics were adapted by Casal, as well as the costumes for the recording of the videoclip, an aquamarine blue sequin suit. After the success of the song, Tino Casal recorded an extended version of the song at the Eurosonic Studio. A remix by Pumpin' Dolls was released as a promo single in 2000 by Chrysalis Records to promote the compilation album ''Casal Vive''.

Track listings

7": EMI / 006 12 2255 7 # "Eloise" – 5:28 # "Angel Exterminador" – 4:45 12": EMI / 052 12 2274 6 # "Eloise" (Version Maxi) – 5:42 # "Eloise" – 6:08 # "Angel Exterminador" – 4:45 Promo CD: Chrysalis / PE00061 (2000) # "Eloise" (Pumpin' Dolls Radio Edit) – 4:25 # "Eloise" (Pumpin' Dolls Hyperdrama Club Mix) – 9:08 # "Eloise" – 5:23

Charts

Other versions

* In 1968, French pop star

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of " Comme d'habitude" ( ...

released a French-language version, which was a top 10 hit in France and Belgium, and charted at the same time as Ryan's version. This version was then covered the following year by Donald Lautrec and released in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, where it was a number one hit. * Also in 1968, Argentine band Los Náufragos released a Spanish-language version as a non-album single. * In 1969,

Tapani Kansa (9 March 1949 – 25 March 2025) was a Finnish singer. Life and career Born in Hamina, Tapani Kansa made his first record deal in 1967 and had a breakthrough the next year, with his version of the hit song " Delilah", translated into Finnish ...

released a Finnish-language version on his eponymous debut album, which went to number 3 in the Finnish charts. * Johnny Dynamo and Los Leos recorded a Spanish version for Discos Orfeón in 1969 that was very successful in the Mexican market. * In 1970,

Karel Gott Karel Gott (14 July 1939 – 1 October 2019) was a Czech singer, considered the most successful male singer in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. He was voted the country's best male singer in the annual ''Český slavík'' (''Czech Nighti ...

released a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

-language version as a single from his 1969 album ''Poslouchejte! Karel Gott zpívá Lásku bláznivou a další hity''. * In 1981, German band, the Teens covered the song as a non-album single, which reached number 55 in the

German charts The GfK Entertainment charts are the official charts for music, home video, and video games in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on be ...

. * In 2006,

the Turtles The Turtles are an America, American Band (rock and pop), rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965. The band achieved several Top 40 hits throughout the latter half of the 1960s, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby (song), ...

lead singer

Howard Kaylan Howard Kaylan (born Howard Lawrence Kaplan; June 22, 1947) is an American retired musician and songwriter, who was a founding member and lead singer of the 1960s rock band The Turtles, and, with bandmate and friend Mark Volman, a member of the 1 ...

covered the song for his 2006 solo album ''Dust Bunnies''. * In 2016, a previously unreleased cover of the song was included on the Associates' album ''The Very Best Of'', and is a punky version from an early demo of their debut album '' The Affectionate Punch''.

References

{{authority control 1968 songs 1968 singles 1986 singles The Damned (band) songs Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Switzerland Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Zimbabwe MGM Records singles Songs written by Paul Ryan (singer)