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Sign Your Name

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"Sign Your Name" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby (now known as Sananda Maitreya), released as the fourth single (third in the US) from his debut album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby (1987). The song was an international success, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 1988 and number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was remixed by Lee "Scratch" Perry for some European releases. The music video was directed by Vaughan Arnell and was premiered in January 1988.[3] The music video features model Kelly Brennan.[4]

"Sign Your Name"
Single by Terence Trent D'Arby
from the album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby
B-side"Greasy Chicken"
ReleasedDecember 1987 (UK)
May 1988 (US)[1]
Recorded1987
GenreSoul
Length4:37
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Terence Trent D'Arby
Producer(s)Martyn Ware, Terence Trent D'Arby, Howard Gray
Terence Trent D'Arby singles chronology
"Dance Little Sister"
(1987) 		"Sign Your Name"
(1987) 		"Rain"
(1988)
Music video
"Sign Your Name" on YouTube
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Number One[2]

Critical reception edit

Max Bell from Number One noted that the song finds D'Arby "in his quiet, sensitive, loving disguise, as opposed to his crafty, naughty, whoopsadaisy ma'am alter ego." He also felt that "Sign Your Name" "testifies at least to a knowledge of soul", and concluded, "From a Heaven 17 influenced beginning a fair single starts to brood but this could be a sucker punch rather than a knockout."[2] Roger Morton from Record Mirror commented, "'Bop shoo wop wop/Bop shoo wap wap'. Terence has joined Showaddywaddy? Sadly not. This is the fourth single from the Hardline album, a crooner not a rasper, with some fine quavering from Tel's tonsils and a rhythm closely related to that of Scritti Politti's 'The Sweetest Girl'."[5] Another editor, James Hamilton, wrote in his dance column, "Moodily shuffling sad 109/54+1⁄2-0bpm lament, not really for floors".[6]

Track listings edit

  • 7" single
  1. "Sign Your Name" – 4:45
  2. "Greasy Chicken" – 4:40

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sheryl Crow version edit

"Sign Your Name"
 
Single by Sheryl Crow
from the album 100 Miles from Memphis
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2010
GenrePop rock, soul
Length5:38
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Terence Trent D'Arby
Producer(s)Sheryl Crow, Doyle Bramhall II, Justin Stanley
Sheryl Crow singles chronology
"Summer Day"
(2010) 		"Sign Your Name"
(2010) 		"Coal Miner's Daughter"
(2010)

Sheryl Crow released her rendition of the song in 2010 as the second single from her eighth studio album, 100 Miles from Memphis. It features Justin Timberlake on background vocals.[29] The music video, directed by Wayne Isham, was released on September 16, 2010 through Crow's VEVO account.[30]

Charts edit

Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Adult Album Alternative (Billboard)[31] 18

References edit

  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 201.
  2. ^ a b Bell, Max (9 January 1988). "Singles". Number One. p. 42. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Terence Trent d'Arby – "Sign your name"". www.mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2005. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Sign your name - Terence Trent D'Arby - 80sneverend". www.80sneverend.com. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  5. ^ Morton, Roger (16 January 1988). "Singles". Record Mirror. p. 13.
  6. ^ Hamilton, James (16 January 1988). "BPM". Record Mirror. p. 19.
  7. ^ "Australian Top 50 Singles Chart — Week Ending 8th May, 1988". ARIA. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. ^ ""Sign Your Name", Austrian Singles Chart" (in German). Austriancharts. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  9. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
  10. ^ ""Sign Your Name", Dutch Mega Top 100" (in Dutch). Dutchcharts. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  11. ^ ""Sign Your Name", French Singles Chart" (in French). Lescharts. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  12. ^ "Irish Singles Chart, database". Irishcharts. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  13. ^ ""Sign Your Name", New Zealand Singles Chart". Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  14. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  15. ^ ""Sign Your Name", Swedish Singles Chart" (in Swedish). Swedishcharts. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  16. ^ ""Sign Your Name", Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). Hitparade. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  17. ^ "Official Charts > Terence Trent D'Arby". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  18. ^ a b c d "Billboard charts". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  19. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 13, 1988
  20. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart 1988". ARIA. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  21. ^ "1988 Belgian Flanders Singles Chart" (in Dutch). ultratop.be. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  22. ^ [1][dead link] ent&task=view&id=175&Itemid=49
  23. ^ "Single top 100 over 1988" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
  24. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts" (PDF). Music & Media. January 1, 1988. p. 30. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  25. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1991). "Top 100 Singles: 1988". BPI YearBook 1989/90. London, England: British Phonographic Industry. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-0-9061-5410-6.
  26. ^ Top 100 Hits of 1988/Top 100 Songs of 1988
  27. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 31, 1988". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Terence Trent D'arby – Sign Your Name". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  29. ^ Sign Your Name Single and Video Archived September 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ Sign Your Name Music Video Interscope Retrieved 2010-10-14
  31. ^ Reba McEntire Extends Country Songs Record | Billboard
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