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Heavy Cross

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"Heavy Cross"
Single by Gossip
from the album Music for Men
ReleasedApril 28, 2009
StudioShangri La Studios, Malibu
GenreDance-rock[1]
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
Gossip singles chronology
"Jealous Girls"
(2007) 		"Heavy Cross"
(2009) 		"Love Long Distance"
(2009)
Music video
"Heavy Cross" on YouTube

"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.

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."[2] 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)."[3] "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.[4]

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[5] and is, as of September 2010, the "most successful internationally produced single of all time".[6] As of April 2011, the single had spent 97 weeks on the German Singles Chart without ever reaching No. 1, making it the second-longest running single ever there.[7] It spent also 27 weeks in that chart's top ten, making it the ninth-longest run there.[8] 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

Chart (2009–10) 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
France (SNEP)[14] 23
Invalid chart entered Germany2 2
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 38
Israel (Media Forest)[16] 7
Italy (FIMI)[17] 4
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[18] 2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 12
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21] 16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[23] 37
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[24] 8

NRJ Session

Chart (2012) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[25] 82

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Year-end
position
Australian Singles Chart[26] 48
Austrian Singles Chart[27] 14
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[28] 9
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[29] 16
German Singles Chart[30] 8
Italian Singles Chart[31] 23
Swiss Singles Chart[32] 9
Chart (2010) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[33] 24
European Hot 100 Singles[34] 44
German Singles Chart[35] 26
Swiss Singles Chart[36] 21
Chart (2012) Position
Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Flanders)[37] 5
Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Wallonia)[37] 1

Decade-end charts

Char (2000–2009) Position
German Singles Chart[38] 33

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[40] Platinum 30,000*
Belgium (BEA)[41] Platinum 0*
Germany (BVMI)[5] 3× Gold 450,000^
Italy (FIMI)[42] Platinum 20,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[43] Gold 7,500*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44] Platinum 30,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 4, 2009). "New CDs". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Heavy Cross Songfacts Archived 2011-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Hot 100: Heavy Cross Gossip". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Gossip Glastonbury June 2007 -BBBC TV broadcast". YouTube. 24 June 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Gossip; 'Heavy Cross')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  6. ^ "Single-Rekord für Gossip - media control" [Single Record for Gossip]. media-control.de (in German). 2010-09-13. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  7. ^ Chartsurfer.de (2012-02-17). "Dauerbrenner Top 100 Auswertung (ab Monat 06/1959)". Chartsurfer.de. Archived from the original on 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  8. ^ "Dauerbrenner Top 10 Auswertung (ab Monat 06/1959)". Chartsurfer.de. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  9. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  10. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 46. týden 2009 in the date selector.
  14. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in French). Les classement single.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Gossip". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "Media Forest: Airplay chart". mediaforest.biz. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16.
  17. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross". Top Digital Download.
  18. ^ "Luxembourg Digital Songs - October 17, 2009". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Gossip" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  20. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross". Top 40 Singles.
  21. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross" Canciones Top 50.
  22. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross". Swiss Singles Chart.
  23. ^ "Gossip: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  24. ^ "Gossip Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  25. ^ "Gossip – Heavy Cross NRJ Session" (in French). Les classement single.
  26. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2008". ARIA. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  27. ^ "oe3.ORF.at / SingleCharts 2009". Charts.orf.at. Archived from the original on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  28. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  29. ^ "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  30. ^ [1] Archived February 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. 2010-01-19. Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  32. ^ Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  33. ^ Steffen Hung (2010-12-24). "Jahreshitparade 2010". austriancharts.at. Archived from the original on 2011-02-27. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  34. ^ "European Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  35. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2011-02-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2010". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  37. ^ a b http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2012&cat=a
  38. ^ "Die ultimative Chart Show | Hits des neuen Jahrtausends | Download". RTL.de. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  39. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  40. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  41. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2011". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "Italian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Heavy Cross" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  43. ^ THE FIELD id (chart number) MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION.
  44. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Heavy Cross')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
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