UK London NANA14
Released: September 1987
UK chart position: 3

Love In The First Degree was a title that Siobhan invented for a song during the recording of their fourth album Wow with producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman (the song was co-written by Bananarama & S/A/W). Many of Bananrama's ideas for song start out based on a catchy title which are often sourced from old country songs, and Bananarama's Love In The First Degree shows remarkable resemblance to America's song of the same name (some argue both lyrically and melodically). Whether this is a coincidence or flagrant plagarism is unknown, but the differences between the tracks are arguably significant to deter any lawsuits.

This song was first released as a single and also appears on the 'Wow' album. Since that time it has been included on The Greatest Hits Collection and Bunch Of Hits compliations (and its various manifestations) and has been covered by assorted bands including Sushi (1998), Jemma & Elise, Wink, and Lemon Angel. English girlie-group Vanilla were also rumoured to be releasing a cover-version of this song in 1998, and it is uncertain whether they recorded this track or not, as they were dropped from their record company's rota.

Bananarama's most successful single in the U.K. is suprisingly not Venus which must stand as their biggest international hit, but rather the co-written Bananarama composition Love In The First Degree which sold over 300,000 copies in the UK and earnt a gold disc. The single first charted on 10/8/87 and peaking at #3 spending 12 weeks in UK charts. Part of the success of the Love In The First Degree single is atrributed to its peculiar b-side track Mister Sleaze which was often marketed as a double A side.

For the U.S. release, PolyGram records sought to issue I Can't Help It as the second single from Wow, instead of Love In The First Degree but both charted poorly in comparison to their predecessor I Heard A Rumour by stalling in the high 40s. Also, the sleeves for the singles were interchanged, so that the UK sleeve for I Can't Help It was supplanted onto the US single for Love In The First Degree. To add to the inconsistency, the b-sides were also swapped so that Ecstasy was flip side for Love In The First Degree when issued in the US in April 1988 - two months after Siobhan announced her departure from the band.

Written by: Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Keren Woodward, Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Peter Waterman
Produced by: Stock, Aitken, Waterman
Published by: In A Bunch (Warner)/All Boys Music
Copyright owned by: London Records 1987
Featured on: Wow (1987), The Greatest Hits Collection (1988), Bunch Of Hits (1993), Single (1987)
Chart Peaks: UK#3 (12 wks, Sept 1988); USA #48 (Apr 1988), Spain #12, Australia #5 (Jan 1988), New Zealand #11 (7 wks, Feb 1988)
Reincarnated by: Sushi (1997), Jemma & Elise, Wink, Lemon Angel.

Love In The First Degree is available as five officially commissioned remixes, and three known DJ-remix service versions. The album version is the same as the standard single version, and two extended mixes are also available Jailers Mix and Eurobeat style which were originally issued as separate 12" singles. Both of the 12" mixes have been consequently issued on CD as the Jailers Mix was included on the double-CD UK issue of Please Yourself and the Eurobeat Syle is included on the european 18 and 19 track issues of The Greatest Hits Collection. Another remix, House Mix, was exclusively issued on the I Want You Back UK CD-single and is not available on any other release. Finally, the Escapee Instrumental was also issued on the first UK 12" and is not available on CD. The unofficial remixes are issued as 'promotional-only' versions that were restructured by assorted DJ-remix services including Disconet and Razormaid. Little detail is available about these tracks at present.

Bananarama Versions

Love In The First Degree (7" Versions) 3:29
Love In The First Degree (Jailers Mix) 6:06
Love In The First Degree (Escapee Instrumental) 4:20
Love In The First Degree (Eurobeat Style) 7:17
Love In The First Degree (House Remix) 5:45


DJ Remix Service Versions

Love In The First Degree (Disconet Version) 8:03
Love In The First Degree (Penthouse Dub) 4:47
Love In The First Degree (Razormaid Re-edit)