"This Corrosion" is a song by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame, the band experienced a commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s, sustaining their success until the early 1990s, when they halted th ...

, released as the lead single from their second studio album, '' Floodland'' (1987), in September 1987. The song peaked at number 6 in Ireland, number 7 in the UK, and number 17 in Germany.

Composition

"This Corrosion" was written by

Andrew Eldritch Andrew Eldritch (born Andrew William Harvey Taylor, 15 May 1959) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the Sisters of Mercy, a band that emerged from the British post-punk s ...

and produced by

Jim Steinman James Richard Steinman (November 1, 1947 – April 19, 2021) was an American composer, lyricist and record producer. He also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer. His work included songs in the adult contemporary, rock, dance, pop, mus ...

, and is one of the band's most well-known songs. It uses a 40-piece choir, and the LP version of the song lasts for nearly 11 minutes (with the myriad of single versions all substantially shorter.) Eldritch's lyrics concern his previous band members leaving the Sisters of Mercy to form the

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

band the Mission. The latter's lead vocalist, Wayne Hussey, was once a guitarist for the Sisters of Mercy. The lyrics of "This Corrosion" are a parody of Hussey's style.Ruff, ''Spex'', January 1988

Legacy

The track was featured in the 2013 science-fiction comedy film, '' The World's End'', with star

Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the ...

playing a 40-something who had been a "goth"/alternative rock fan in the 1980s as a youth who still styled himself on Eldritch. The song is heard twice in the film and in the film's closing credits. The 7" version/single edit (4:27) appears on the soundtrack to the film.

Track listing

While none of the mixes have names, the 7", 12", CD and cassette versions of "This Corrosion" are all different. "Colours" is an edited version on the CD and cassette singles.

Charts

Cover versions

The song has been covered by several artists, including: *

In Extremo In Extremo (Latin for ''At the Edge''; abbreviated InEx or IE) is a German medieval metal band originally from Berlin. The band's musical style combines metal with medieval traditional songs, blending the sound of the standard rock/metal instr ...

(1999) * Gerhard Potuznik (2002) * Lambchop on the bonus disc for their sixth studio album '' Is a Woman'' (2002) * Godhead (2004) *

Unheilig Unheilig (German for "Unholy") is a German band that draws from a variety of influences, including various Pop music, pop and Electronic music, electronic styles as well as heavier, Nihilism, nihilistic hard rock. The band was founded in Aache ...

(2004) * Dkay.com (2004) *

Diane Birch Diane Birch (born January 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter. Early life Birch was born in Michigan. At the age of seven she began studying piano using the Suzuki method. While growing up she listened to opera, classical and church musi ...

(2010) * Maryslim on their 2007 album ''A Perfect Mess'' with

Jyrki 69 Jyrki Pekka Emil Linnankivi (born 15 October 1968), known professionally as Jyrki 69, is a Finnish singer who is the lead vocalist of the gothic Rock music, rock band The 69 Eyes. In their early years, the band's sound was closer to glam metal, ...

provided guest vocals. Since 2012, some Sisters of Mercy shows feature a guest appearance by Irish singer Lisa Cuthbert who performs her cover version of "This Corrosion" on piano.

Sampling

The 2001 Most Precious Blood song "Shark Ethic" samples the song's introductory choir section in its opening and final breakdown.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:This Corrosion 1987 songs 1987 singles The Sisters of Mercy songs Song recordings produced by Jim Steinman Songs written by Andrew Eldritch Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements