"Dark Entries" is a song by the English gothic rock band Bauhaus, released as a stand-alone single in January 1980 by Axis (an early name for 4AD) and later issued on 4AD and Beggars Banquet.[1] It features the 1944 painting Sleeping Venus by Paul Delvaux as cover art.[2]
Content
Dave Thompson of AllMusic noted that the "Dark Entries" was outside of the band's normal reputation, being "far punkier" and played at a "breakneck pace". A storm of feedback and percussion starts the song, continuing for 45 seconds before vocalist Peter Murphy "finally unveils one of his most breathless vocals".[1]
Release
The single was released six times, the first in January 1980 on Axis with the catalogue number AXIS 3.[3] When Axis realized that there was another company claiming that name, it changed the label's name to 4AD.[4] The single was reissued in February 1980 on Beggars Banquet (BEG 37) and later in several editions on 4AD (BEG 37 and AD 3).
Legacy
In a feature for The Quietus, Mick Mercer included "Dark Entries" at No. 4 on his list of "The Thirty Best Goth Records of All Time".[5]
The band Hole used the song's main riff for their song "Mrs. Jones" on their first album, Pretty on the Inside (1991).
The band Preoccupations released a cover of "Dark Entries" as the penultimate track of their debut EP, Cassette (2013).
"Dark Entries" was featured on an episode of Superman & Lois.