"Queen of No Heart / Spring is Coming With a Strawberry in the Mouth" - Operating Theatre

Single

U2 Related Content (7-Inch):

U2 Related Content (12-Inch):

Background Information

The fourth single on U2’s Mother Records label was this release under the name Operating Theatre. It was released on 7-inch vinyl with the title track “Queen of No Heart” and was released on 12-inch vinyl with the title track “Spring is Coming With a Strawberry in the Mouth”. The recording was produced by Bono, and he was credited as executive producer on the release for all five songs. A much later re-release of these tracks also revealed that Bono played guitar on “Queen of No Heart” as well as production on the other tracks. The single was released in 1986 in the UK.

The cover of the 7-inch features a sleeve cut to the shape of the Mother M in the center, and has the M printed in blue on a white background. The band name is across the top, and the title of the record “Queen of No Heart” at the bottom. The 12-inch has a very similar sleeve, except the name at the bottom is “Spring is Coming…” Bono also did production duties on “The Bridge“ by Cactus World News (MUM2) as part of the Mother Records label. These were the only two where U2 were involved in the recording sessions, although Larry was thanked on the two singles by The Subterraneans, “Slum” and “Maxi Joy”.

The 7-inch single contained two songs, “Spring is Coming With a Strawberry in the Mouth” (Shorter version) and “Queen of No Heart”. The 12-inch single contained five songs, including a longer version of “Spring is Coming With a Strawberry in the Mouth”, the same version of “Queen of No Heart” as the 7-inch, and three other songs, “Part of My Make-Up,” “Atlantean,” and “Satanasa”. Bono is listed as being executive producer for the entire 12-inch, however it is unlikely he had much to do with the three new tracks, as they were recorded separate from the songs on the 7-inch. The tracks on the 7-inch were recorded in Windmill Lane Studios in early 1986 with Kevin Moloney acting as engineer.

Operating Theatre was the brainchild of Roger Doyle and the actor / dancer Olwen Fouere. Operating Theatre was a musical theatre company first and a band second. They recorded a number of singles before being signed to Mother for this one-off release in 1986. A two disc retrospective of the recordings of Roger Doyle was released with the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival program in 2006. This release was titled “Operating Theatre: The Early Years“ and featured the release of “Queen of No Heart” and “Spring is Coming” on CD for the first time.

The 12-inch single was reissued in 2023.

Liner Notes

Queen of No Heart:
Written by Doyle / Fouere / Lopez. Vocals: Elena Lopez. Jap Rap: Olwen Fouere. Drums: Sean Devitt. Fairlight CMI: Roger Doyle.

Spring is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth:
Written by Doyle / Lopez. Vocals: Elena Lopez. Backing Vocals: Olwen Fouere, Elena Lopez. Drums: Sean Devitt. Farilight CMI: Roger Doyle.

Part of My Make-Up:
Written by Doyle / Fouere. Vocals: Olwen Fouere. Fairlight CMI: Roger Doyle.

Alantean:
From the theme music to the three part documentary “Atlantean”. Produced and directed by Bob Quinn. Fairlight CMI: Roger Doyle.

Satanasa:
From the Operating Theatre production “The Diamond Body” a 75-minute music / theatre collaboration with writer Aidan Matthews, performed by Olwen Fouere in Dublin, London and New Jersey USA. Fairlight CMI: Roger Doyle.

Produced by Operating Theatre. Executive Producer: Bono. Assistant Producer / Engineer on “Queen of No Heart” and “Spring is Coming”: Kevin Moloney. Above and beyond the call of duty: Pat McCarthy.

Artwork

Sleeve designed by Steve Averill for the Creative Dept. Ltd. Dublin. Photography and hand tinting by Amelia Stein.

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