Heartland

Terri Nunn, formerly the singer with Berlin (of "take my breathe away" fame), and laterly a solo artist performed backing vocals with Von on "Under The Gun".

With shared songwriting credits, many people have questioned how she came to work with Von on this song.

Pieced together from responses on Dominion, here would seem to be the answer:

She wasn't recruited. Eldritch used the vocals from her demo recording of UtG. He thought they were so good that they didn't need to be re-recorded, just rearranged them a bit. Anders Svensson

The story I read at the time was that the song was already written for Terri (minus the Eldo lyrics obviously) and had been shelved by the record company (there is supposedly a Japanese single of the Terri only version). When the record company demanded a single to promote "Slight Case" with, Eldritch pulled Under the Gun out of the bag (where he found it I have no idea), adding the doctor and some Guitar parts, oh and himself and some of his best lyrics too... He'd only met Terri once, during the mid-eighties, and only saw her again for Top-of-the-pops. I think even the video was made without them ever being in the same place.
I seem to remember Eldritch's comment on UTG and Temple 92 was that for both compilation albums, East west didn't: "...have the imagination to promote the album without a single".

Of course this is all a little hazy nigh on a decade after the fact. RobF

Also, the general consensus seems to be that Von wrote the last part of the lyrics (the spoken part) along with adding the odd line here and there to the first part, probably to stop it sounding quite so wet!

see I can be constructive when I want,

From Subline Interview 1993

Subline: In the credits of the only new song "Under the Gun" you name two
unknown persons. Who are `Hughes' and `Seeman'?
Andrew: `Hughes' is a man and `Seeman' a woman. They both are songwriters
and wrote ten years ago a song called `Two Worlds Apart'. With out
my contribution `Under The Gun' is `Two Worlds Apart'. I've
practically taken over the song from them.

Subline: Can `Under The Gun' be considered something like a coverversion?
Andrew: No, the word `coverversion' has a legal meaning. I've re-written
the song, made it a little longer there and a little shorter there
and I've given it a new end. The original was published ten years
ago in Japan, but it's almost unknown.


LOL the tag line

Subline: How would you personally chracterize "Under The Gun". It isn't a
typical Sisters-Song, more a Pop-song.
Andrew: "Under The Gun" is Jennifer Rush with an Uzi.

Shame UTG was such a load of old cack...

oooooooh.

Controversial.

hmmmmmm I liked UtG

Have to say I agree with Lars. Soppy old bollocks.

its magnificent.

it's just not what you're used to

ok, so 60% of it makes me cringe (no i am NOT living for love!) but von's little tirade at the end more than makes up for the MOR/AOR soft rock leanings of the first half....

...of the 12" version anyway.

the 7" is pap.

Billie Hughes' version of "Two Worlds Apart" is readily available through SoulSeek. Short review: It begins, doesn't go anywhere for five minutes, then ends.

see:
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/bands_reun ... sode.jhtml

Seams Two Worlds Apart was also used in an episode of santa Barbra!

headcleaner2k wrote:see:
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/bands_reun ... sode.jhtml

[/img]http://www.berlinpage.com/Images/Photos ... stic5.html

Damn, you're telling me Von didn't work, er, with Mizz Nunn? She looks even better today...

Electrochrome wrote:Damn, you're telling me Von didn't work, er, with Mizz Nunn? She looks even better today...

her hair needs a wash and she forgot her t-shirt, silly girl!

headcleaner2k wrote:see:
http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/bands_reun ... sode.jhtml

Was repeated again last night. The rest looked a bit washed-out - Ms Nunn looked very MILF-esque

James Blast wrote:hmmmmmm I liked UtG

I still like it. Especially the live performances of the song without female "backing" vocals.

Is that Terri Nunn herself in the UTG video, and if not, who? Just some random model chick Von or the record company found on the street?

H. Blackrose wrote:Is that Terri Nunn herself in the UTG video, and if not, who? Just some random model chick Von or the record company found on the street?

I think so, terry nunn is still working whit her group Berlin whit a new line up



she looks pretyer that 15 years ago

ah, and I forget it, for my Under The Gun is a great song

Under the Gun is s**t. End of.

Last seen playing Donald Trump's NYE bash at Mar-A-Lago, on the same bill as Vanilla Ice o.O

https://www.wonkette.com/trumpy-asshole ... -ice-covid

H. Blackrose wrote: ↑04 Jan 2021, 19:57 Last seen playing Donald Trump's NYE bash at Mar-A-Lago, on the same bill as Vanilla Ice o.O

https://www.wonkette.com/trumpy-asshole ... -ice-covid

“Nunn singing “Take Your Breath Away" at a COVID-19 giveaway gala is the true, hacking death of irony.”

I did not like UTG the first time I heard it, it was much too corny for my taste. But after several months I thought what the hey, let's give it another go. Kinda glad I did, because while the song definitely reeks of a verbose 80s power ballad, the contributions Von made to the original (Two World's Apart) really elevate the song to something a little more than a gimmick-y tune. Something about the build of being a standard 3 minute pop track, only to be assaulted by a tirade from Eldritch feels really brilliant to me.

TL;DR - I liked UTG because it bait and switches pretty good.

Gonna revive this thread since Berlin will be performing at the Cruel World festival at the Rose Bowl this weekend along with the Furs, The Church, Bauhaus, Morrissey, Missing Persons, etc and so on....

Still curious to see what the audience will be like. WIll it be all gen x'ers and late boomers who were young when that music was hip, or will a lot of retro kids show up as well. I mean Duran Duran played out here not too long ago, it was like soccer mom central, was kind of depressing.

It'll take your breathe away!

Permanently?

Planet Dave wrote: ↑11 May 2022, 22:21 Permanently?

Don't think so. I've heard that song numerous times and all it does is make me yawn, doesn't seem to impact my breathing capabilities.

That song will be hitting the radio a lot again soon, maybe. I've heard rumors that they recorded a new version of it for the Top Gun sequel, just a rumor however.. But it would amuse me if its true and it manages to give Berlin a renewed lease on mainstream success.