"Love in the First Degree"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Wow!
B-side(s)	"Mr. Sleaze"
Released	October 1987
Format	7" single, 12" single
Recorded	1987
Genre	Pop, Dance
Label	London Records
Writer(s)	Matt Aitken, Sarah Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, Mike Stock, Pete Waterman, Keren Woodward
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Chart positions
#3 (UK) #48 (U.S.)
Bananarama singles chronology
"I Heard a Rumour" (1987)	"Love in the First Degree" (1987)	"I Can't Help It" (1987)

"Love in the First Degree" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It is included on their fourth studio album Wow! and was released as its second single except in the U.S., where it was the album's third single (following "I Can't Help It"). The track was co-written and produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) trio. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-side, often accompanied by several B-sides, usually remixes or other songs. ... Bananarama are an English girl group who found worldwide fame with their melodic pop and new wave songs. ... Wow! is the fourth album released by Bananarama. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... See also: 1986 in music, other events of 1987, 1988 in music, 1980s in music and the list of years in music // Events January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... For Popular music (music that is popular, rather than being of a specific genre or style), see Popular music. ... Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... London Records is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 through the 1980s. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Matt Aitken is a British songwriter best known as being one third of the 1980s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman. ... Sarah Dallin Sarah Dallin (born 17 December 1961) is a British singer and songwriter from the group Bananarama. ... Siobhan Fahey (born Siobhan Maire Deidre Fahey on September 10, 1958) was a founding member of the 1980s British girl group Bananarama. ... Mike Stock (born December 3, 1951) is a British song writer best known as being one third of the song writing trio Stock Aitken Waterman. ... Pete on the cover of his autobiography I Wish I Was Me Pete Waterman, OBE (born in Coventry on January 15, 1947) is a British record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. ... Keren Woodward in musical clip Nathan Jones Keren Woodward (born Keren Jane Woodward on 2 April 1961, in Bristol, England) is an English pop singer and songwriter from the girl-group Bananarama. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... (From left to right) Pete Waterman, Matt Aitken and Mike Stock in 1987. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Bananarama are an English girl group who found worldwide fame with their melodic pop and new wave songs. ... I Heard a Rumour is a song by Bananarama featured on their Wow! album. ... I Cant Help It is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. ... Girl group UC3 sing The Star-Spangled Banner for U.S. troops in Afghanistan A girl group, as the name implies, is a musical group featuring a group consisting usually of young female singers, singing mostly pop and R&B songs. ... Bananarama are an English girl group who found worldwide fame with their melodic pop and new wave songs. ... Wow! is the fourth album released by Bananarama. ... I Cant Help It is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. ... (From left to right) Pete Waterman, Matt Aitken and Mike Stock in 1987. ...

The song is an uptempo pop tune similar to many hits produced by SAW during this time period. The surreal lyrics, composed by Siobhan Fahey and built upon by SAW and Bananarama members Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward, describes a dream in which they find themselves being tried in court for love. Some of the musical structure mimics Pachelbel's Canon. Siobhan Fahey (born Siobhan Maire Deidre Fahey on September 10, 1958) was a founding member of the 1980s British girl group Bananarama. ... Sara Dallin Sara Dallin (born 17 December 1961 in Bristol, England) is a British singer and songwriter from the pop group Bananarama. ... Keren Woodward in musical clip Nathan Jones Keren Woodward (born Keren Jane Woodward on 2 April 1961, in Bristol, England) is an English pop singer and songwriter from the girl-group Bananarama. ... Canon in D Major is Johann Pachelbels most well-known work. ...

The music video featured Bananarama performing the song in a jail cell, dressed in prison uniforms, as several male dancers perform around them. The imagery plays off of Elvis Presley's 1957 movie Jailhouse Rock. As one of their final performances with Fahey, the group performed the song at the Brit Awards with a large entourage of male dancers dressed only in black bikini briefs. A frame from Bob Dylans Subterranean Homesick Blues video. ... Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), often known simply as Elvis and also called The King of Rock n Roll or simply The King, was an American singer and actor. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jailhouse Rock is a 1957 film starring Elvis Presley, as Vince Everett, an ex-convict working in the music industry. ... Kaiser Chiefs collecting one of their three Brit Awards, 2006 with Vic Reeves. ...

"Love in the First Degree" is Bananarama's biggest-selling single in their native UK. It holds a three-way tie for their highest UK singles chart placing (number three). The single also became a top-ten success in Australia and earned a top-twenty placing in New Zealand. In the United States the song just missed the top-forty, but was a top-ten club hit. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

By the time "Love in the First Degree" was released in the United States, Fahey had already announced her departure from Bananarama.

Charts