Julia (Eurythmics song)

"Julia" is a song performed by British pop duo Eurythmics. Written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart, the song was the second and final single released from their album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother), which served as the soundtrack to the film Nineteen Eighty-Four, an adaptation of George Orwell's political novel of the same name, and plays during the film's ending credits. The band were controversially chosen alongside the Dominic Muldowney orchestral composition.

"Julia"
Single by Eurythmics
from the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)
B-side"Ministry of Love"
Released7 January 1985
Recorded1984
GenreNew wave, synthpop
Length4:05 (single version)
6:37 (album version)
LabelVirgin Records (UK)
RCA Records (US)
Songwriter(s)Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart
Producer(s)David A. Stewart
Eurythmics singles chronology
"Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)"
(1984)		 "Julia"
(1985)		 "Would I Lie to You?"
(1985)
Audio
"Julia (Extended Mix)" on YouTube

Song information

Musical concept

The song is a ballad with very sparse electronic instrumentation and an almost a cappella performance by Lennox. Her vocals are accentuated by vocoder effects in the background. The title and lyrics of the song are based upon the novel's heroine and love interest, Julia. The cover artwork for the single is a still image from the film, featuring English actress Suzanna Hamilton as Julia.

Midway through the song, an instrumental line based on J. S. Bach's "Fugue #2 in C Minor" from The Well Tempered Clavier, Book 1, can be heard.

Reception

Cash Box said that the song is "a dreamy and ethereal piece which is almost exclusively Lennox’ airy vocals and David Stewart’s synthesizer meanderings."[1]

Breaking a string of six consecutive Top 10 hits, "Julia" peaked at number 44 on the UK singles chart.

Other versions

The version of "Julia" found on the soundtrack differs from the one being played during the end-credits of the film - which is more string based with less synthetic arrangements. This is also the case for many of the other songs on the soundtrack versus their version used in the film.

Music Video

The music video for Julia was directed by Chris Ashbrook (who had directed the previous promo for Sexcrime) and was filmed towards the end of 1984. The video consists simply of a closeup of Lennox's face whilst she sings and was later included on the VHS/DVD Eurythmics Greatest Hits, even though the song itself wasn't included on the compilation album of the same name.

Track listings

7"

  • A: "Julia" [edited]
  • B: "Ministry of Love"

12"

  • A: "Julia" (extended mix) *
  • B: "Ministry of Love" (extended)

* this version although labelled as "extended" is the same as the one found on the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)

Charts
Chart performance for "Julia"
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Europe (European Top 100 Singles)[2] 97
Ireland (IRMA)[3] 17
UK Singles (OCC)[4] 44

References
  1. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 9 February 1985. p. 7. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  2. "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 4. 28 January 1985. p. 7. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Julia". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
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