"I Surrender" | ||||
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Single by Rainbow | ||||
from the album Difficult to Cure | ||||
B-side | "Vielleicht Das Nächster Zeit (Maybe Next Time)" | |||
Released | 23 January 1981[1] | |||
Genre | Hard rock | |||
Length | 4:01 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Russ Ballard | |||
Producer(s) | Roger Glover | |||
Rainbow singles chronology | ||||
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"I Surrender" is a song written by former Argent guitarist and singer Russ Ballard and first released by Head East as a single in October 1980 from their sixth album U.S. 1. It is better known for being a hit for Rainbow the following year, reaching number 3 on the UK Singles Charts.[2]
Released in January 1981, the song became the band's biggest hit in the UK. Originally, some backing vocals were recorded by Graham Bonnet, but after he quit the band, lead and backing vocals were sung by his replacement Joe Lynn Turner.[3]
Heavy metal band Praying Mantis were originally in the running to release the song and had already recorded the backing track and were adding the vocals when they were told to stop as Rainbow, being the bigger name, had been given the nod to record and release the song.[4][5] Praying Mantis eventually made their version for their 2024 album Defiance.
The B-side "Vielleicht Das Nächster Zeit" is an instrumental song written by Ritchie Blackmore and Don Airey and was titled with the English equivalent in brackets, "Maybe Next Time". Blackmore made a grammatical error with the German title, which was corrected for later releases as "Vielleicht das nächste mal".[4]
In 2017, the revived band, under the name Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, released a re-recording of the song as a digital single, with vocals from the current lead singer Ronnie Romero.[6]
7": Polydor / POSP 221 (UK)
12" Promo: Polydor / PRO 147 (US)
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 250,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |