Great Forgotten Songs #82 – Mr Mister “Kyrie”

“Kyrie” is song by Mr. Mister, from their album Welcome to the Real World. Released in late 1985, it hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in March 1986, where it was number one for two weeks. It also hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart for one week. In the UK, the song peaked at number 11 in April 1986.

The lyrics to “Kyrie” were written by Arizona-born John Lang who co-wrote the songs on all of Mr. Mister’s albums. The music was composed by Richard Page and Steve George while on tour with Adam Ant.

Hear the song below:

Kýrie, eléison means “Lord, have mercy” in Greek, and is a part of many liturgical rites in Eastern and Western Christianity. Kýrie, eléison; Christé, eléison; Kýrie, eléison is a prayer that asks “Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy; Lord, have mercy. According to Page the entire song is, essentially, a prayer. Also, in contemporary Greek, one of the English translations of the root word, κύριος (kyrios) is “Mister”.

There is a myth that singer Richard Page wrote this song while lying in a hospital bed following being assaulted. John Lang has stated that he was the one who was assaulted, three years before “Kyrie” was written, and that the incident has nothing to do with the song.

The video for this song was directed by Nick Morris, and features the band in performance mixed with footage taken at the tail end of their Autumn 1985 tour with Tina Turner. The song was used in the hit US TV series Miami Vice during season two, episode fourteen “One-Way Ticket”. The U.S. 7″ single can be found pressed on transparent purple vinyl or polystyrene, depending on where it was manufactured.

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