Blood and Honey explained

Blood and Honey
Cover:Amanda Lear - Blood and Honey.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Amanda Lear
Album:I Am a Photograph
B-Side:She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes
Released:December 1976
Recorded:1976
Genre:Euro disco
Length:4:45
Label:Ariola Records
Producer:Anthony Monn
Prev Title:La Bagarre
Prev Year:1975
Next Title:Tomorrow
Next Year:1977

"Blood and Honey" is a song performed by French singer Amanda Lear, released as a single in 1976 by Ariola Records and later included on her debut album I Am a Photograph. The song was a chart success in Europe and now remains one of Lear's trademark hits.

Background

The song was composed and produced by Anthony Monn, who would remain Amanda Lear's musical partner for the next five years. The lyrics were written by Amanda Lear herself and were inspired by Salvador Dalí's 1927 painting Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood (La miel es más dulce que la sangre).[1]

"Blood and Honey" was released in December 1976. The B-side of the 7" single was "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes", in fact an instrumental version of "Blood and Honey" and a line taken from the chorus of the song. On the 12" version, released in the English-speaking countries, an extended, almost 9 minute-long mix of "Blood and Honey" was included. An alternative extended version was released in the USA and received a positive review from Billboard.[2]

Amanda Lear promoted the song by numerous TV performances, among others Discoring in Italy.[3] The single was met with a chart success in 1977, becoming Lear's first notable hit and one of her most popular songs of the disco era. The song was then included as the opening track on her debut album I Am a Photograph.

In 1998 the song was re-recorded for the album Back in Your Arms. The original song was subsequently remixed and released on a single to promote the compilation Amanda '98 – Follow Me Back in My Arms, in fact a re-worked edition of Back in Your Arms. In the same year, the 7" single cover picture was used on the cover of The Collection album. In 2000, the song inspired the title of the compilation Made of Blood & Honey.

Music video

Amanda Lear shot a music video for "Blood and Honey" for a German TV show Musikladen. It pictures the singer dancing and performing the title song against a big painting. Two backup dancers accompany her, with their faces painted white.[4] The music video was released on a 3-DVD box set Das beste aus dem Musikladen Vol. 1 in 2012, together with ten other videos that Lear made for Musikladen.[5]

Track listing

A. "Blood and Honey" – 4:45

B. "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" – 3:05

A. "Blood and Honey" – 3:10

B. "Blood and Honey" – 4:50

A. "Blood and Honey" – 8:58

B. "Blood and Honey" – 4:50

A. "Blood and Honey" – 8:58

B. "She's Got the Devil in Her Eyes" – 3:05

A. "Blood and Honey" – 7:14

B. "Blood and Honey" – 7:14

  1. "Blood and Honey" (New Remix Version) – 3:59
  2. "Blood and Honey" (Club Mix) – 4:21
  3. "Rien ne va plus" – 3:41

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1977)! scope="col"
Peak
position
scope=row Italy (Musica e dischi)[8] 11

Year-end charts

Chart (1977)! scope="col"
Peak
position
scope=row West Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 36

Cover versions

Notes and References

  1. Book: Lear, Amanda . Amanda Lear . My Life with Dalí . 1985 . . London . 0-86369-095-5 . 267.
  2. 1978-01-21 . Top Single Picks — Disco . . . 137 . 0006-2510 . 2019-03-16.
  3. Web site: VIDEOGRAPHY 1977 by Salvo Guercio . amandalear_tv.tripod.com . 2013-08-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040610192919/http://amandalear_tv.tripod.com/televisione_1977.htm . June 10, 2004 .
  4. Web site: Amanda Lear Blood And Honey . . www.youtube.com . 23 August 2013.
  5. Web site: Various Artists - Das beste aus dem Musikladen, Vol. 1 3 DVDs: Amazon.de: Roger Whittaker, The Manhattans, The Jacksons, Diverse: Filme & TV . . 16 November 2012 . www.amazon.de . de . 2013-08-24.
  6. Web site: BLOOD & HONEY 1976 Germany . amandalear_singoli.tripod.com . 29 April 2011.
  7. Web site: BLOODAND HONEY 1977 U.K. . amandalear_singoli.tripod.com . 29 April 2011.
  8. Book: Racca, Guido. M&D Borsa Singoli 1960–2019. it. 2019. 9781093264906.
  9. Web site: Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts . www.offiziellecharts.de . de . 2017-12-24.
  10. Web site: Fancy - Blood And Honey . swisscharts.com . 2011-04-29.
  11. Web site: Pedro Marin Diamonds (cd) Disco Compact Discs & MP3s . www.discomusic.com . 2011-04-29 . dead . https://archive.today/20120728223455/http://www.discomusic.com/cds-more/9107_0_3_0_C/ . 2012-07-28 .