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Crucified (Army of Lovers song)

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"Crucified"
Single by Army of Lovers
from the album Massive Luxury Overdose
B-side"Love Revolution"
ReleasedMay 1991, April 1992 and July 2013
StudioSonet Studios, Stockholm
Genre
Length3:32
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Alexander Bard
  • Anders Wollbeck
Army of Lovers singles chronology
"Supernatural"
(1990) 		"Crucified"
(1991) 		"Obsession"
(1991)
Army of Lovers (2013) singles chronology
"Signed on my Tattoo (feat. Gravitonas)"
(2013) 		"Crucified 2013"
(2013) 		"People are Lonely (Gravitonas feat. Army of Lovers)"
(2014)
Music video
"Crucified" on YouTube
Music video
"Crucified 2013" on YouTube
Alternative Cover
1992 U.K cover
Alternative cover
1992 U.S cover
Alternative cover
2013 cover

"Crucified" is a 1991 song by Swedish band Army of Lovers. It is the first single from their second album, Massive Luxury Overdose and the seventh single to be released by the band. It was released in May 1991 (in Sweden), February–April 1992 (in the UK and US), and July 2013 (Crucified 2013). It was written by Alexander Bard, Anders Wollbeck and Jean-Pierre Barda and features Barda (vocals, drums), Bard (vocals, computer) and La Camilla (vocals, bass). The song was successful in several European countries, including Belgium, where it reached the number-one,[1] and Germany, Sweden, Austria and Switzerland, where it reached the Top 10. In the United States, "Crucified" became a huge club hit and radio favorite, debuting at number six on the Billboard Dance singles chart and spending a total of 14 weeks in the Top 20. The initial remixes available on the CD maxi and vinyl 12" maxi are by Nuzak. The track samples the drum break from James Brown's Funky Drummer.

In 2013, Army of Lovers made a new version of the song, simply called 'Crucified 2013'. It contained new vocals from Camilla Henemark, and then a second version with new vocals from Dominika Peczynski was issued.[2]

Bard's music project, Gravitonas uses a sample of this song on the track "Sacrifice" from their 2012 Black Ceremony EP.[citation needed]

In 2021, Azerbaijani singer Efendi sampled the first few seconds of Crucified for her track "Mata Hari", which would represent Azerbaijan in Eurovision 2021.

Kurt Cobain of the hugely successful alternative rock group Nirvana praised the band in his posthumously published journals, specifically the song "Crucified."[3]

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Ned Raggett described the song as a "totally over-the-top disco anthem on all fronts that takes ABBA's winning combination of memorable hooks and harmonies as inspiration and slathers a load of glitter and make-up over the whole thing." He noted further that "having ultracampy lyrical asides like "I cry, I pray, mon dieu" doesn't hurt the sheer giddiness at work, and neither do the "I'm crucified like my saviour" chorus, church organ and twangy Duane Eddy guitar."[4] Larry Flick from Billboard said it is a "super-hot slammin' houser".[5] Bevan Hannah from The Canberra Times wrote, "Judging by the video for their first single release Crucified, their image was carefully plotted, combining cabaret style costumes and graphics with groovy European dance rhythms."[6] A reviever from Music Week viewed the song as "a bizarre pop/dance confection, both commercial and camp."[7]

James Hamilton from the magazine's RM Dance Update commented that it is "camp and corny party fun from Sweden, this Abba-ishly chorused, phonetic guy rapped, strings swirled and — just to cap it all! — Duane Eddy-ish guitar twanged 0-122bpm jiggly jumper sounds like a pop hit with wide gimmick appeal".[8] Newcastle Evening Chronicle called it a "clever almost choral rock approach on a lively danceable number."[9] They noted "the ebullient bounce" of the track.[10] A reviewer from People Magazine said that "disco goes to church in this hip-hop hallelujah".[11] Sophie Lawrence reviewed the song for Smash Hits, writing, "It's one of those records where you can imagine everyone at a disco dancing around with their hands in the air, isn't it? I like it. It's got a gospel feel and really good harmonies on it."[12]

Chart performance

"Crucified" became very successful on the charts in Europe, peaking at number-one in Belgium. It remains to date one of the bands biggest hits, reaching the Top 10 also in Austria, Germany, Greece (number two), the Netherlands (number two), Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in 1991. In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart on February 23, 1992.[13] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it climbed to number 14. Outside Europe, "Crucified" was successful in the US, where it peaked at number six on both the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and the Billboard Dance/Electronic Singles Sales chart.

Music video

A music video was made to accompany the song. It was directed by Swedish directors Fredrik Boklund and Martin Persson. The video was later published on YouTube by Vevo in May 2016. It has amassed more than 10.7 million views as of November 2021.[14]

Usage in media

The music video of "Crucified" was used in an episode of American animated television series Beavis and Butt-Head.[15]

The song was played in Gabriel Aghion's 1996 film, Pédale douce, and was thus included in the track listing of the soundtrack. It was also played in the film Marock (2005),[citation needed] and was in the video game Just Dance 4 on the Wii.[16]

Covers by other artists

The song has been covered by the Swedish band Ghost in their extended play titled If You have Ghost.

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Charts

References

  1. ^ Number One hits in Belgium, 1991
  2. ^ Army of Lovers: ‘Crucified 2013′
  3. ^ Felix Burrichter. "Kitsch of the Day | Army of Lovers", tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com, 18 May 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  4. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Army of Lovers - Massive Luxury Overdose". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  5. ^ Flick, Larry (1991-08-24). "DANCETRAX" (PDF). Billboard. p. 24. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  6. ^ Hannah, Bevan (1992-03-05). "Future dag music should be enjoyed". The Canberra Times. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
  7. ^ "Mainstream: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1992-02-08. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  8. ^ Hamilton, James (1991-08-03). "DJ Directory: Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  9. ^ "ALBUMS/SINGLES". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 1991-08-13. page 33. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  10. ^ "ALBUMS/SINGLES". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. 1991-12-03. page 28. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
  11. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Prime Cuts". People. 1992-06-15. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  12. ^ Lawrence, Sophie (1991-08-21). "Review: Singles". Smash Hits. p. 41. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 23 February 1992 - 29 February 1992". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  14. ^ "Army Of Lovers - Crucified". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 19 November 2021 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD - ARMY OF LOVERS". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  16. ^ "'Just Dance 4' full track list unveiled". Polygon. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  17. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  18. ^ a b "JAHRESHITPARADE 1992" (in Austrian German). Top30. Retrieved 2020-01-26.
  19. ^ "Army of Lovers – Crucified" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 46. 16 November 1991. p. 29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 20 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Single" (PDF). Music & Media. 1992-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
  22. ^ a b c d "Crucified", in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved 10 February 2008)
  23. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. 1992-01-18. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  24. ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1991" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
  25. ^ "Army of Lovers – Crucified" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 23. 6 June 1992. p. 21. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 20 September 2021 – via World Radio History.
  27. ^ "Official Charts > Army of Lovers". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  28. ^ "crucified full Official Chart History". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  29. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 15 February 1992. p. 22. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  30. ^ "Army of Lovers Crucified Chart History | Billboard". Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  31. ^ "Army of Lovers Crucified Chart History | Billboard". Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  32. ^ "Army of Lovers Crucified 2013 Chart History | Billboard". Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  33. ^ "Army of Lovers Crucified (2013) Chart History | Billboard". Archived from the original on October 10, 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  34. ^ "1992 Year-End Sales Charts" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 17. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 17 September 2021 – via American Radio History.
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