Eighteen Strings

"Eighteen Strings" is a song by English house music producer Tinman. It was released in August 1994 by Polydor Records, reaching number nine in the United Kingdom and peaked atop the UK Dance Chart. Outside the UK, "Eighteen Strings" topped the Canadian RPM Dance chart and reached the top 20 in Australia, Finland, Ireland and Italy.

"Eighteen Strings"
Single by Tinman
Released	8 August 1994 (1994-08-08)[1]
Length	3:48
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Tommy Boyce Bobby Hart Paul Dakeyne
Producer(s)	Tinman
Tinman singles chronology
"I Got You (I Feel Good)" (1992) "Eighteen Strings" (1994) "Gudvibe" (1995)

Critical reception

Music writer and columnist James Masterton described 'Eighteen Strings' as a "mainly instrumental track", "using a guitar figure that is startlingly similar to 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Closer examination reveals it is actually a slightly different sequence of chords, but not enough to dull recognition."^[2] Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "The strings attached to this dance bopper are direct quotes from Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. Sequencers and the "rock da house down" one-line chorus finish it off."^[3] Mark Frith from Smash Hits gave it a full score of five out of five, writing, "A furious, pounding guitar dance tune with some samples and hooks that is even better than that one. One minute it's all mellow, then it zooms in on a complete full-on blast. Wonderful."^[4]

Track listings

• CD single – Netherlands

1. "Eighteen Strings" (radio edit) – 3:48
2. "Free" (Freedom to Party edit) – 5:07

• CD maxi – Netherlands

1. "Eighteen Strings" (radio edit) – 3:48
2. "Eighteen Strings" (Full On Kitchen mix) – 7:10
3. "Eighteen Strings" (Chris & James remix) – 7:24
4. "Free" (Freedom to Party mix) – 5:07

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994–1995) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 16 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[6] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[7] 29 Europe (European Dance Radio)[8] 10 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 19 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 9 Italy (Musica e dischi)[11] 20 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[12] 25 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 21 Scotland (OCC)[14] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[15] 9 UK Dance (OCC)[16] 1 UK Dance (Music Week)[17] 1 UK Club Chart (Music Week)[18] 14 US Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[19] 46

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[20] 30 UK Singles (OCC)[21] 91

References

1. "Single Releases". Music Week. 6 August 1994. p. 21.
2. Masterton, James (14 August 1994). "Week Ending August 20th 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
3. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 31. 30 July 1994. p. 5. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
4. Frith, Mark (3 August 1994). "New Singles". Smash Hits. p. 53. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
5. "Tinman – Eighteen Strings". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
6. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2664." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
7. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 36. 3 September 1994. p. 12. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
8. "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 42. 15 October 1994. p. 29. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 18 Strings". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
11. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 8 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Tinman".
12. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 39, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
13. "Tinman – Eighteen Strings" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
14. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
16. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
17. "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 20 August 1994. p. 28. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
18. "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 6 August 1994. p. 4. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
19. "Tinman Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
20. "Top 50 Dance Tracks of 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
21. "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. 14 January 1995. p. 9.