| "Heavy Cross" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byGossip | ||||
| from the albumMusic for Men | ||||
| Released | April 28, 2009 | |||
| Studio | Shangri La Studios, Malibu | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Rick Rubin | |||
| Gossip singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Heavy Cross" onYouTube | ||||
"Heavy Cross" is a song by American bandGossip. It was released on April 28, 2009, as the first single from the band's fourth albumMusic 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 byDonna Summer andSiouxsie 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.
SingerBeth Ditto explained to theNME 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 myguitar sound like anItalosynth line. I had been listening to Charlie's 'Spacer Woman' and still can't get over thearpeggiated synth, so I detuned mystrings to be the same notes and muted it and then came that song. Beth [Ditto] busted someDonna Summer elements, and since I have been listening to lots ofdarkwave, I put abass 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' bySiouxsie and the Banshees.Hannah Blilie decided to stay on thedrum rims for the majority of the track, making it more of aCreatures-type track (anotherSiouxsie 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 their2007 Glastonsbury concert at theJohn Peel stage, performing an early version of it which was broadcast onBBC television.[5] The song, especially the intro, has considerable similarities with theKnight Rider theme song.[6]
The single was a commercial success. It reached the top 10 in Australia and on the USBillboardHot 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[update], the "most successful internationally produced single of all time".[8] As of April 2011, the single had spent 97 weeks on theGerman Singles Chart without ever reaching No. 1, staying for 27 weeks in that chart's top 10. In 2011, it was included in aJ'Adore advert fromDior, making it rise to fame again.
UK CD
Australia CD
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 7 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[12] | 3 |
| Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[13] | 63 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[14] | 6 |
| France (SNEP)[15] | 23 |
| Germany (GfK)[16] | 2 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[17] | 38 |
| Israel (Media Forest)[18] | 7 |
| Italy (FIMI)[19] | 4 |
| Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[20] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[21] | 20 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] | 12 |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[23] | 16 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[24] | 2 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[25] | 37 |
| USDance Club Songs (Billboard)[26] | 8 |
NRJ Session
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[27] | 82 |
| Chart (2009) | Year-end position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart[28] | 48 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[29] | 14 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[30] | 9 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[31] | 16 |
| German Singles Chart[32] | 8 |
| Italian Singles Chart[33] | 23 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[34] | 9 |
| Chart (2010) | Position |
| Austrian Singles Chart[35] | 24 |
| European Hot 100 Singles[36] | 44 |
| German Singles Chart[37] | 26 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[38] | 21 |
| Chart (2012) | Position |
| Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Flanders)[39] | 5 |
| Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Wallonia)[39] | 1 |
| Char (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart[40] | 33 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[41] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[42] | Platinum | 30,000* |
| Belgium (BEA)[43] | Platinum | |
| Germany (BVMI)[7] | 3× Gold | 450,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[44] | Platinum | 20,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[45] | Gold | 7,500* |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[46] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[47] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
