True Confessions is the third studio album by the English pop group Bananarama. It was released on 30 June 1986 by London Records. The album was primarily produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, and also marked Bananarama's first collaboration with Stock Aitken Waterman, who produced two of the album's tracks.
Four singles were released from True Confessions: "Do Not Disturb", the Shocking Blue cover "Venus", "More Than Physical", and "A Trick of the Night". "Venus" became the group's most commercially successful single to date, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. True Confessions initially reached number 46 on the UK Albums Chart and number 15 on the US Billboard 200, becoming the group's highest-peaking album on the latter chart. Following the release of the album's 40th anniversary edition in September 2026, it finally hit the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart, reaching number six and making it the band's highest-charting album in their homeland.
Contents
Background and recording
All but two tracks on True Confessions were produced by Tony Swain and Steve Jolley, who had previously contributed production to Bananarama's 1983 debut album Deep Sea Skiving and subsequently co-produced the group's 1984 eponymous second album. "More Than Physical", later given a garage remix for its single version, was Bananarama's first songwriting collaboration with the Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) production team, who also produced "Venus", a cover of the 1969 Shocking Blue song. The Jolley and Swain production "A Trick of the Night" would later be re-recorded and remixed by SAW for its single release in the UK.
In contrast to the two dance-oriented songs produced by SAW, the majority of the songs produced by Jolley and Swain tend towards rock-based, serious-minded pop. The lyrical content addresses overcoming obstacles in relationships ("Ready or Not", "Promised Land") and tackles social issues such as the pitfalls of drug addiction ("Hooked on Love") and the struggles of overcoming generational disillusion ("In a Perfect World"). Two ballads are included: the aforementioned "A Trick of the Night", which is a cautionary midtempo number about a male friend trying to survive on city streets, and the jazzy, sophisti-pop track "Dance with a Stranger". Another ballad, "Ghost", was initially used as the B-side of the "Do Not Disturb" single, but eventually made its way onto various subsequent releases.
Critical reception
Critic Jerry Smith wrote a warm and positive review of True Confessions for British music newspaper Music Week: "... within the confines of what they do they're rather good—notice how they're always five minutes ahead of high street fashion, so maybe it's their suitability as teen role models that's kept them afloat on a tide of paper thin melodies for so long. Fashionable targets they may be, but their latest hit single says they still know what their public wants." In a review for Record Mirror, Lesley O'Toole was less enthusiastic, stating that the album, despite its title, is "no revelation whatsoever. Yet another slab of formula Bananas sees the girls executing cooing harmonies and fey storylines – all about as heavyweight as a mosquito, though marginally less bothersome." Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits praised the album as being "undeniably, convincingly listenable" and "a proper pop 'album'", adding that Bananarama "make 'intriguing' pop – and can even sustain the charm across an entire LP."
Track listing
Notes
† "More Than Physical" (Single Version) is actually the (Worldwide Single Version)
†† "A Trick of the Night" (Single Version) is actually the previously unreleased (UK Video Version)
2018 collector's edition and 2026 single CD bonus tracks
Sources:
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of True Confessions.
Bananarama
Keren Woodward
Sara Dallin
Siobhan Fahey
Artwork
Dennis Cockell – tattoos design
Martin Brading – photography
Peter Barrett – sleeve design