Released February 1988 Genre Gothic rock
dark wave | Format 7"
12"
CD
cassette | |
B-side "Untitled"
"Sandstorm"
"Emma"
"Ozymandias" Recorded 1987 at Power Station Studios (Manhattan, New York) Length 7:00 (album version)
5:10 ("Dominion")
1:50 ("Mother Russia")
3:43 (short edit) | ||
"Dominion" is a song by English rock band The Sisters of Mercy. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Floodland, in February 1988. The version on Floodland, titled "Dominion/Mother Russia", features "Dominion" as well as an outro piece titled "Mother Russia". It was written by band frontman Andrew Eldritch and produced by Larry Alexander, Eldritch, and Jim Steinman.
Contents
The song peaked at number 7 on the Irish Singles Chart, number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, and number 30 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It was also featured on the fictional Liberty Rock Radio 97.8 radio station in the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
Background and composition
Eldritch has revealed the song disguises an anti-American diatribe flavoured by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. At the time of release he also claimed that the second part of the song "Mother Russia" was a call for the West to give up Berlin to the Soviets, "because in reality they already control the city. It's only stupid to pretend otherwise".
Recording of the song took place in 1987 at Power Station Studios in Manhattan, New York. Like its Steinman-produced twin "This Corrosion", "Dominion/Mother Russia" features vocals from the New York Choral Society. The full version comprises two main parts, "Dominion" and "Mother Russia", with "Dominion" being released as a standalone single.