Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) (song)
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
| cover = Eurythmics Sexcrime.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Eurythmics
| album = 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)
| B-side = "I Did It Just the Same" (LP version)
| released = 22 October 1984
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre =
| length =
- 3:56
- 8:01 (extended Version)
| label = Virgin
| writer =
| producer = David A. Stewart
| prev_title = Here Comes the Rain Again
| prev_year = 1984
| next_title = Julia
| next_year = 1985
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|yudmtYsv_oU|"Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)"}}|type=song}}
}}
"Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" is a song written and performed by the British duo Eurythmics. It was released as the first single from their album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother), which served as the soundtrack to the film Nineteen Eighty-Four, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by George Orwell. The song was produced by Dave Stewart.
Background and performance
"Sexcrime" is a song which features heavy sampling of Lennox's voice, utilizing snippets of her vocal performance to produce a stuttering effect. Also prominently featured is the voice of Stewart, with the aid of a vocoder, uttering the phrase "nineteen eighty four". It was the first of two singles released from the soundtrack album. The term "sexcrime" is one of several Newspeak words found within the novel.
The song was originally intended to appear in the film 1984, but was dropped prior to the film's release. However, it was used as background music for the film's trailer, and the song's promotional video was included on home video releases of the film.
In addition to the standard 7" and 12" formats, the song was also released as a limited edition 12" picture disc.
Cash Box called it a "fascinating song" that is "somewhat constrained" by the Eurythmics' practice of writing songs using few notes.{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cashbox|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-11-17.pdf|date=17 November 1984|accessdate=2022-07-26|page=7}} Billboard called it a "compelling dance track...with its aura of doomy foreboding [and] touches of humor."{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|title=Reviews|date=24 November 1984|accessdate=2023-02-10|page=64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nyQEAAAAMBAJ}}
=Chart performance=
The single peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Eurythmics' sixth consecutive top 10 hit. It was one of the duo's biggest selling singles in the UK, being certified silver by the BPI for sales in excess of 250,000 copies. It was also a big hit throughout Europe, a top 10 hit in New Zealand, a top 20 hit in Canada, and one of the duo's biggest selling singles in Australia.
"Sexcrime" met with strong resistance on United States radio and on video outlets such as MTV – the song's title was particularly controversial to those who were not aware of the meaning of the word in Orwell's novel. The music video (featuring a straightforward performance of the song by Lennox and Stewart) had limited rotation on MTV. "Sexcrime" peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was much more successful on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart, where it reached number 2.
Track listings
7"
- A: "Sexcrime (1984)" (LP Version) – 3:57
- B: "I Did It Just the Same" (LP Version) – 3:32
12"
- A: "Sexcrime (1984)" (Extended Mix) – 8:01
- B1: "Sexcrime (1984)" (LP Version) – 3:57
- B2: "I Did It Just the Same" (LP Version) – 3:32
3" CD reissue
- A: "Sexcrime (1984)" (Extended Mix) – 8:01
- B1: "Julia" (LP Version) – 6:38
- B2: "I Did It Just the Same" (LP Version) – 3:32
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Weekly chart performance for "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" !scope="col"|Chart (1984–1985) !scope="col"|Peak |
| scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|first= David |last= Kent |author-link= David Kent (historian) |title= Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition= illustrated |publisher= Australian Chart Book |location= St Ives, N.S.W. |year= 1993 |page= 105 |isbn= 0-646-11917-6}}
|5 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Flanders|3|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|Canadatopsingles|18|chartid=9577|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| scope="row"|Europe (European Top 100 Singles){{cite magazine |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/80s/84/M&M-1984-12-17-OCR-Page-0006.pdf |title= European Top 100 Singles |magazine= Eurotipsheet |volume= 1 |issue= 38/39 |date= 17 December 1984 |page= 14 |oclc= 29800226 |via= World Radio History}}
|7 |
| {{single chart|France|7|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|4|song=Sex Crime (1984)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| scope="row"| Italy (Musica e dischi){{cite web |url= http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php |title= Classifiche |work= Musica e dischi |language= it |access-date= 2 June 2022}} Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Eurythmics" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
| 19 |
| {{single chart|Dutch40|10|year=1985|week=2|rowheader=true|access-date=20 October 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|12|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|8|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|Norway|9|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|3|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|Switzerland|6|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013}} |
| {{single chart|UK|4|date=19841202|rowheader=true|access-date=25 July 2013|refname="UK"}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|81|artist=Eurythmics|rowheader=true|access-date=20 October 2016}} |
| {{single chart|Billboarddanceclubplay|2|artist=Eurythmics|rowheader=true|access-date=20 October 2016|note=with "I Did It Just the Same"}} |
| {{single chart|West Germany|3|artist=Eurythmics|song=Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|songid=1194|rowheader=true|access-date=20 October 2016}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1984 year-end chart performance for "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" !scope="col"|Chart (1984) !scope="col"|Position |
| scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders){{cite web|title= Jaaroverzichten 1984 – Singles |publisher= Ultratop |access-date= 13 July 2014 |url= https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1984 |language= nl}}
|84 |
|---|
| scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100){{cite web|title= Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984 |publisher= Dutch Charts |access-date= 13 July 2014 |url= https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1984&cat=s |language= nl}}
|95 |
| scope="row"|UK Singles (Gallup){{cite magazine |url= https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Week-IDX/IDX/1985/Music-Week-1985-01-26-I-IDX-55.pdf |title= Top 100 Singles (January 3–December 29, 1984) |magazine= Music Week |date= 26 January 1985 |page= 37 |issn= 0265-1548 |via= World Radio History}}
|58 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)"}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Eurythmics|title=Sexcrime|award=Silver|relyear=1984|certyear=1984|id=5790-73-1|date=1 December 1984|access-date=2 June 2022|refname="BPI"}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}