Heavy_Cross

Heavy Cross

Heavy Cross

2009 single by Gossip

"Heavy Cross" is a song by American band Gossip. It was released on April 28, 2009, as the first single from the band's fourth album Music for Men. The song was the first international hit for Gossip, reaching the top ten across Europe, with a massive commercial success in Germany. When writing it, the band was influenced by Donna Summer and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band recorded a studio version of the song in early 2009, but they had already been playing it live for two years.

Quick Facts Single by Gossip, from the album Music for Men ...

Background and writing

Singer Beth Ditto explained to the NME that the song is: "about recreation and my friends, who I feel like are the ultimate creative re-creators."[3] Composer and guitarist Nathan Howdeshell explained: "Heavy Cross' was an attempt to make my guitar sound like an Italo synth line. I had been listening to Charlie's 'Spacer Woman' and still can't get over the arpeggiated synth, so I detuned my strings to be the same notes and muted it and then came that song. Beth [Ditto] busted some Donna Summer elements, and since I have been listening to lots of darkwave, I put a bass synth on the track as opposed to a real bass: we wanted something steeped in '80s darkwave. I can't stop listening to 'Red Light' by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Hannah [Blilie] decided to stay on the drum rims for the majority of the track, making it more of a Creatures-type track (another Siouxsie Sioux reference)."[4] "Heavy Cross" was recorded in a studio in early 2009, although the band had already been playing the song live for two years. They had started their 2007 Glastonsbury concert at the John Peel stage, performing an early version of it which was broadcast on BBC television.[5] The song, especially the intro, has considerable similarities with the Knight Rider Theme [6]

Commercial performance

The single was a commercial success. It reached the top 10 in Australia and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart from mid- to late 2009. It peaked just outside the top 10 in New Zealand, and made the top 40 in Ireland and the UK; Gossip had already achieved two top 40 singles in the latter region, with "Standing in the Way of Control" and "Listen Up!" in 2006.

The single was especially successful in Germany, where it was certified triple gold for selling over 450,000 copies[7] and is, as of September 2010, the "most successful internationally produced single of all time".[8] As of April 2011, the single had spent 97 weeks on the German Singles Chart without ever reaching No. 1, staying for 27 weeks in that chart's top 10. In 2011, it was included in a J'Adore advert from Dior, making it rise to fame again.

Track listings

UK CD

  1. "Heavy Cross"
  2. "Heavy Cross" (Fred Falke Remix)

Australia CD

  1. "Heavy Cross" (radio edit)
  2. "Heavy Cross"
  3. "Heavy Cross" (Fred Falke Remix)
  4. "Heavy Cross" (Burns Remix)

Personnel

Charts

More information Chart (2009–2010), Peak position ...

NRJ Session

More information Chart (2012), Peak position ...

Year-end charts

More information Chart (2009), Year-end position ...

Decade-end charts

More information Char (2000–2009), Position ...

Certifications

More information Region, Certification ...

References

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    Pareles, Jon (October 4, 2009). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. [2]
    "Heavy Cross". RYM. June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  3. [3]
    Heavy Cross Songfacts Archived June 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
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    "Hot 100: Heavy Cross Gossip". Abc.net.au. January 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
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    "Gossip Glastonbury June 2007 -BBBC TV broadcast". YouTube. June 24, 2007. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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    "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Gossip; 'Heavy Cross')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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    "Gossip – Heavy Cross". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
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    "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
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    "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
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    "Hits of the World: European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 45. November 14, 2009. p. 51.
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    "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in French). Les classement single.
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  27. [27]
    "Gossip – Heavy Cross NRJ Session" (in French). Les classement single.
  28. [28]
    "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2008". ARIA. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
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    Archived February 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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    Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
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    "European Hot 100". Billboard.com. December 31, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
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    "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  42. [42]
    "Austrian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  43. [43]
    "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2011". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  44. [44]
    "Italian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Heavy Cross" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  45. [45]
    "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. August 21, 2011. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011.
  46. [46]
    "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Heavy Cross')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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