1987 Bryan Ferry – Bête Noire

Bête Noire is the seventh solo studio album by English singer Bryan Ferry, released on 2 November 1987 by Virgin Records in the United Kingdom and by Reprise Records in the United States. It was a commercial and critical success, peaking at No. 9 in the UK and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

The first single, “The Right Stuff”—a collaboration with Johnny Marr adapted from the Smiths’ instrumental B-side “Money Changes Everything” —was the album’s only top-40 entry in the UK, peaking at No. 37. The second single, “Kiss and Tell”, narrowly missed the UK top 40 (peaking at No. 41), but made the U.S. top 40 (becoming Ferry’s only solo single to chart in the U.S. Top 40). The song also appeared in the drama film, Bright Lights, Big City (1988), starring Michael J. Fox. The third and final single, “Limbo”, peaked at No. 86 in the UK. The promotional video for the single “Kiss and Tell” features the models Denice D. Lewis (who is also featured on the single’s cover photograph), Christine Keeler and Mandy Smith.

After the success of his previous studio album, Boys and Girls (1985), Ferry decided that it was time for a change of style in his career. In an attempt to give his music a more danceable sound, he joined forces with Patrick Leonard who was notable for having worked with Madonna. Leonard went on to co-write five of the album’s songs. Guesting on the album would be Pink Floyd’s former guitarist, David Gilmour, session musicians Guy Pratt, Marcus Miller, David Williams, Abraham Laboriel Sr as well as Roxy Music’s former touring guitarist Neil Hubbard and drummer Andy Newmark.

Fans, and critics have often speculated that the song “Kiss and Tell”, was Ferry’s response to Jerry Hall’s tell-all book about their relationship published a couple of years earlier.