The Psychedelic Furs traditionally opened their live shows with "Sister Europe" during the early part of their career.[1]
Composition
Singer Richard Butler recalled Lillywhite's directions to him regarding the vocals: "He told me, 'Go down to the pub, have a couple of beers, and when you come back, I want you to sing like it's three in the morning, and you're talking on the telephone to someone'".[1]
According to Butler, the lyrics conveyed sadness over his then-girlfriend moving away, and were written using imagery, "instead of saying 'My bird's gone to Italy and I miss her'".[1]
Release
"Sister Europe" was first released as a single in the UK in February 1980. The initial 7-inch release was on the Epic label, but this was withdrawn and replaced by a CBS version. Both releases had the unusual feature of a double A-side featuring two versions of the song, short (3:45) and long (4:13).[2] In the US, the song was not released as a single but was used as the B-side for Columbia's 12-inch promo single of "We Love You".[3]
An official music video was produced in 1980, directed by British filmmakers Don Letts and Mick Calvert.[4]
AllMusic writer Dave Thompson described Butler's vocal as "a masterpiece of understatement, whispered intimacy".[1] The Record Mirror said, "Unpromising start is saved by some "Man Who Sold The World" vocals. In fact, the vocals are the only interesting bit of this, which sets a heavy atmosphere that I find really listenable."[6]
Foo Fighters released a cover of "Sister Europe" as the B-side to the 2002 single "All My Life," which also appeared as a bonus track on the French release of the band's One by One album,[9] and on their 01020225 EP released in 2019 as part of their "Foo Files" archival series.[10]