The Blood That Moves the Body

"The Blood That Moves the Body"
Single by A-ha
from the album Stay on These Roads
B-side"There's Never a Forever Thing"
Released6 June 1988
Length4:06
LabelWarner Bros.
SongwriterPål Waaktaar
ProducerAlan Tarney
A-ha singles chronology
"Stay on These Roads"
(1988) 		"The Blood That Moves the Body"
(1988) 		"Touchy!"
(1988)
1992 reissue
CD single cover
Music video
"The Blood That Moves the Body" on YouTube

"The Blood That Moves the Body" is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha, released on 6 June 1988 by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, Stay on These Roads (1988). The song was written by bandmember Pål Waaktaar and produced by Alan Tarney. It peaked at number one in Iceland, and was a top 20 hit in Belgium, Ireland, Italy and South Africa. The music video was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed in Austria and France. On 30 March 1992, the song was re-released with the remixes by Alan Tarney. The video remained unchanged. The dark, enigmatic lyrics of this song have been attributed to many things, including teen suicides in Japan and literary references to Eyes of a Blue Dog. The "Two-Time Gun mix" was later included on A-ha's 2010 compilation album, 25, which features all of the band's hits, across two CDs.

Critical reception

Bob Stanley from NME wrote, "In the absence of any Stock Aitken Waterman product this is far and away the best chart pop single of the week. Morten Harket's voice ranges from gruff 'n' moody to its more familiar velveteen lilt, backed by a string arrangement John Barry would be proud of — very good indeed."[1]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "The Blood That Moves the Body" was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed in and around Hotel Regina Louvre[citation needed][2] in Paris, France. Some additional scenes were filmed in Vienna.[3]

Track listings

  • 7-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 7840 United Kingdom (1988)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (album version) – 4:06
  2. "There's Never a Forever Thing" – 2:50
  • 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 7840 TW United Kingdom (1988)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (extended version) – 5:25
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (album version) – 4:06
  3. "There's Never a Forever Thing" – 2:49

Track 1 is also known as "extended remix" or "extended mix". Also released as a 12-inch picture disc (W 7840 TP).

  • CD single: Warner Bros. / W 7840CD United Kingdom (1988)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" – 4:07
  2. "There's Never a Forever Thing" – 2:51
  3. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (extended version) – 5:25
  4. "The Living Daylights" (James Bond version) – 4:11
  • 7-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 0089 United Kingdom (1992)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (The Gun mix) – 4:15
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Two-Time Gun mix) – 4:17

Remixes by Alan Tarney.

  • 12-inch single: Warner Bros. / W 0089T United Kingdom (1992)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (The Gun mix) – 4:15
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Two-Time Gun mix) – 4:17
  3. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (The Second Gun Around mix) – 5:56

Remixes by Alan Tarney.

  • CD single: Warner Bros. / W 0089CD United Kingdom (1992)
  1. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (The Gun mix) – 4:15
  2. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (Two-Time Gun mix) – 4:17
  3. "The Blood That Moves the Body" (The Second Gun Around mix) – 5:56

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "The Blood That Moves the Body"
Chart (1988) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 16
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)[5] 36
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 10)[6] 1
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 11
Italy (Musica e dischi)[8] 13
Italy Airplay (Music & Media)[9] 3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] 28
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] 24
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[12] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 29
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 25
West Germany (GfK)[15] 23

References

  1. ^ Stanley, Bob (11 June 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 16. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  2. ^ Administrateur (1988-06-05). "the blood that moves the body". a-ha France (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  3. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "a-ha – "The blood that moves the body"". mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  4. ^ "a-ha – The Blood That Moves the Body" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 27. 2 July 1988. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 10". DV (in Icelandic). 24 June 1988. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  7. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Blood That Moves the Body". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "A-Ha".
  9. ^ "Playlist Report: RAI - Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 23. 4 June 1988. p. 5.
  10. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – a-ha" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ^ "a-ha – The Blood That Moves the Body" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  12. ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts A". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. ^ "a-ha – The Blood That Moves the Body". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  14. ^ "a-ha Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts (West Germany)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blood_That_Moves_the_Body