"Shadow on the Wall" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1983 by Virgin Records. English rock singer Roger Chapman performs vocals on the song and it is taken from Oldfield's Crises album.[3] The song was a hit single especially in Germanic countries.
| "Shadow on the Wall" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Mike Oldfield | ||||
| from the album Crises | ||||
| B-side | "Taurus 3" | |||
| Released | September 1983[1] | |||
| Studio | Denham | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[2] | |||
| Length | 3:09 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Mike Oldfield | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Mike Oldfield singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Shadow on the Wall" on YouTube | ||||
The music video for "Shadow on the Wall" depicts an interrogation scene and was directed by Keith McMillan.[4] The song also features on Roger Chapman's compilation albums, such as 1994's King of the Shouters where the song has been 'remastered'.
An "acoustic" mix and a 5.1 surround sound mix were released on the 2013 reissue of Crises.
The song has been covered by a number of artists including Swedish metal band Arch Enemy.[5]
B-side
The B-side is "Taurus 3", a short, fast-paced flamenco-guitar piece, which is notably different from Oldfield's long multi-themed pieces, "Taurus" and "Taurus 2", on QE2 and Five Miles Out respectively.
Track listing
7 inch
- "Shadow on the Wall" – 3:09
- "Taurus 3" – 2:25
12 inch
- "Shadow on the Wall" (Extended version) – 5:07
- "Taurus 3" – 2:25
Chart positions
Year-end charts
| Chart (1983) | Position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 88 |
| Chart (1984) | Position |
|---|---|
| Germany (Official German Charts)[14] | 69 |
Personnel
- Mike Oldfield – guitars, banjo, bass, Fairlight C.M.I., Roland strings
- Roger Chapman – vocals
- Ant – guitars
- Simon Phillips – Tama drums
- Phil Spalding – backing vocals (extended version)[15]