THIS CORROSION (Video Version)
“This Corrosion” is a song from the album Floodland by The Sisters of Mercy. It was released as a single in 1987 reaching number 2 in the UK Charts. The song was written by Andrew Eldritch and produced by Jim Steinman, and is recognised as 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 (the single versions are substantially shorter). Eldritch’s lyrics concern his previous band members leaving The Sisters of Mercy to form The Mission. The lead singer of The Mission, Wayne Hussey was once a guitarist for the Sisters of Mercy, and Andrew Eldritch once described his lyrics as being “a string of cliches”. The lyrics of the song are meant to be a parody of Hussey’s lyrics. (More from Wikipedia)
The Sisters of Mercy (named for a well-known Irish religious order) was one of my favorite bands of the 1980’s alternative rock explosion, particularly their video of “This Corrosion” that I saw numerous times on the late-night MTV alternative rock showcase 120 Minutes. (The extended version of “This Corrosion” on their album Floodland was not nearly so effective). Andrew Eldritch is the only continuous member of the band (along with a drum machine called Doktor Avalanche that really is something special), though the grim visage of Patricia Morrison on the video for “This Corrosion” is at least as memorable as his own.
(October 2014)
