"The Heart of Me" | ||||
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Single by Miike Snow | ||||
from the album iii | ||||
Released | 15 November 2016 | |||
Genre | Chillwave | |||
Length | 3:59 | |||
Label |
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Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Miike Snow | |||
Miike Snow singles chronology | ||||
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"The Heart of Me" is a song by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow from their third studio album, iii (2016). Written and produced by the band, the song was initially issued as a buzz single on 19 February 2016, in anticipation of the album's release. Subsequently, Atlantic Records sent it to alternative radio in the United States on 15 November 2016, as the fourth and final single off the album. Musically, "The Heart of Me" is a synth-laden chillwave song with indie rock elements and emotional lyrics. It features background vocals by English singer Charli XCX.
"The Heart of Me" received generally positive reviews from music critics, some of whom complimented its upbeat production. The single became Miike Snow's first to lack an accompanying music video. The song is included on the soundtrack for the racing video game Forza Horizon 3 (2016). In March 2017, a deep house remix of the track by Dutch DJ duo The Him was released digitally.
"The Heart of Me" was written by Miike Snow's three members, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt, for the band's third studio album, iii (2016). [1] Wyatt conceptualized the melody of the song's intro while walking over a bridge in Australia. [2] The recording sessions for the album took place in different studios in California, New York, and Sweden, from 2014 to 2015. [1] In an interview for the Los Angeles Times , Wyatt said he adapted his singing based on the needs of each song throughout the album. [3] He had previously aimed to present a "consistent character" during concerts, which resulted in the band's second studio album Happy to You (2012) holding a "more uniform sound". [3] For iii, Wyatt switched focus to his performance in the studio rather than on stage, which resulted in a "lighter, airier quality" to his voice on "The Heart of Me". [3] He said he learned a lot about how he wanted to sing and "how the softer you sing the bigger it sounds". [4]
English singer Charli XCX, who contributed guest vocals on the album track "For U", provided background vocals on the song alongside Winnberg and Wyatt. [1] The two previously worked with the singer on her album Sucker (2014), for which Wyatt sang background vocals on two tracks. [5] [6] "The Heart of Me" and other album tracks include sections of computerized vocals. [4] [7] Karlsson explained in an interview for Electronic Musician that "I never like any vocal when it just sounds like a normal vocal. Ever. Sometimes I feel like I spend 50 percent of my time on the treatment of the vocals and 50 percent of the time I spend on the rest of the song." [4] The live instruments in "The Heart of Me" were played by Winnberg, Wyatt, and Homer Steinweiss. The band handled its production, engineering with S. Vaughan Merrick, and mixing with Niklas Flyckt. Digital mastering was performed by Kevin Grainger. [1]
Musically, "The Heart of Me" is a chillwave song with indie rock elements. [10] [11] Its instrumentation is primarily provided by drums, a piano, and a synthesizer. [1] [10] The song begins with a manipulated vocal hook. [7] Music critics likened the song to works by American bands MGMT, Passion Pit, and Spoon. [11] [12] [13] Earmilk writer Steph Evans characterized it as "upbeat" and rock and roll-infused, [14] while Neil Z. Young of AllMusic defined it as "peppered with fuzzy synths". [15] According to James Grebey of Spin , the production displays a "cool aloofness" that is "betrayed, sublimely, by the more emotional vocals". [8] Similarly, Dancing Astronaut writer Alex Hitchcock observed the contrast between the "high-spirited, synth-filled melody" and the "brooding, emotionally-charged vocals". [9] In the bridge, he sings about "standing in a cathedral in Europe and feeling at one with the universe", as interpreted by Spectrum Culture writer Josh Goller. [16] The writer noted the song's theme of love, sentimentalism, and relationship melodrama. [16] musicOMH 's Ben Hogwood perceived the lyrics as commentary on fame and "the trappings of it"; the writer singled out the first verse's line "I can't stop this hurtful shit from happening" as alluding to fame having personal consequences. [17]
"The Heart of Me" premiered on 18 February 2016, on the radio show Advanced Placement on Sirius XM's station Alt Nation. [18] [19] The next day, it was released for digital download through Jackalope and Atlantic. [20] It followed "I Feel the Weight" as the second buzz single to premiere in the weeks leading up the March release of iii. [14] [21] Atlantic later selected the song to serve as the album's fourth and final single; it was sent to alternative radio in the US on 15 November 2016. [22] [23] It was the second single overall from the album to be serviced to radio in the U.S., following "Genghis Khan". [24] Two months prior to its radio impact, the song appeared in the racing video game Forza Horizon 3 (2016) on the in-game radio station Horizon Pulse. [25] On 3 March 2017, a deep house remix of the song, produced by Dutch DJ duo The Him, was digitally released through Jackalope and Atlantic. [26] [27]
The Heart of Me received generally positive reactions from music critics. Hitchcock of Dancing Astronaut regarded the single a "testament to how much Miike Snow have evolved" since Happy to You. [9] The writer deemed it a suitable for "the year's warmer days" and concluded that it "highlights the group's ability to purvey upbeat, intricate production with aplomb". [9] While reviewing iii, The Line of Best Fit 's Grant Rindner noted that the song and "Genghis Khan" exhibit "earworm melodies and inescapable hooks". [13] Rindner recognized the former's "powerful piano chords and crunchy drums", which they felt evoked "a stripped-down Passion Pit at their absolute peak". [13] PopMatters critic Ryan Dieringer felt "The Heart of Me" recalled Spoon's album They Want My Soul (2014), writing that "Miike Snow do Eno-esque drums almost better than Eno". [11] Eric Renner Brown, writing for Entertainment Weekly , deemed the song "vibrant", elaborating that it "sounds perfectly engineered for Spotify's running feature or the sprawling pastures of a music festival". [28]
While reviewing the album, Dylan Stewart of The Music named "The Heart of Me" as "proof" that the band has "lost little ground in delivering their latest record". [29] Comparing it to previous singles "Genghis Khan" and "My Trigger", Sean Maunier of Metro Weekly opined that while the song is not as memorable as the former two, "it pulses with synths and some interesting swells". [30] DIY critic David Beech felt "The Heart of Me", along with the two aforementioned singles, "possess a pop pomp that's been hinted at only slightly in the past". [31] He concluded, "Though there's a definite confidence in their composition, they certainly feel less organic, more contrived than before." [31] In a negative review, Rachel Brodsky of Spin dismissed its "cheery falseness", stating that it "sounds ready to be slapped into a Target commercial, as if its only sincere yearning is for royalty checks". [32]
At the time of its initial release, both Ilana Kaplan of New York Observer and Anders Nunstedt of Expressen named "The Heart of Me" one of the best songs released that week. [10] Swedish magazine Café selected it as the 37th best song of 2016. [33]
Credits are adapted from the iii liner notes. [1]
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various countries | 19 February 2016 | Digital download (promotional) |
| [20] |
United States | 15 November 2016 | Alternative radio | [22] | |
Various countries | 3 March 2017 | Digital download (The Him remix) | [26] |
Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Katy Perry, Kelis, Girls' Generation, Christina Milian, Sky Ferreira, Hikaru Utada and BoA. In addition to their production work, Karlsson and Winnberg are also members of the synth-pop group Miike Snow, alongside lead vocalist Andrew Wyatt.
Andrew Wyatt Blakemore is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, New York, he began his career playing in New York bands such as The A.M. and Black Beetle. He gained wider notability as the frontman of the Swedish electronic pop band Miike Snow, which released its acclaimed debut album in 2009. Since that time, Wyatt has released two other albums with the band as well as his solo debut Descender on Downtown Records in 2013.
Miike Snow is a Swedish indie pop band formed in 2007. The band consists of producing team Bloodshy & Avant and American singer Andrew Wyatt. The band is often represented by a silhouette image of a jackalope. In their career, the band has released three studio albums: Miike Snow (2009), Happy to You (2012), and iii (2016).
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Lars Christian Karlsson, also known by his stage name Bloodshy, is a Swedish DJ, percussionist, record producer and remixer known for his work with the musical groups Bloodshy and Avant, Miike Snow, Ingrid, and Galantis. He started his international music career as one half of the electro pop duo Bloodshy & Avant with Pontus Winnberg, producing and co-writing tracks for pop stars such as Madonna, BoA, Kylie Minogue, and Katy Perry. Bloodshy & Avant notably co-wrote and produced Britney Spears' single "Toxic", which earned them a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 2005. While continuing to work with Bloodshy and Avant, Karlsson also became a member of the indie pop band Miike Snow around 2007. Miike Snow, the group's debut album, was released in 2009, and peaked at number 11 on the Top Electronic Albums chart in the United States. Miike Snow won the 2011 European Border Breakers Award, and their second album Happy to You reached No. 1 on the Belgian Heatseekers Albums Chart and 43 on the Billboard 200.
Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, Charli XCX began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. She signed a recording contract with Asylum Records in 2010, releasing a series of singles and mixtapes throughout 2011 and 2012. She later featured on "I Love It" with Swedish duo Icona Pop, with the song becoming her first number-one in the UK and receiving global success. Her debut studio album, True Romance (2013), was released to positive reviews but failed to meet commercial expectations.
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The discography of Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow consists of three studio albums, two extended plays (EPs), twelve singles, fifteen music videos, and ten remixes for other artists. Formed in Stockholm in 2007, the band consists of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg of production duo Bloodshy & Avant and American vocalist Andrew Wyatt. The band began by sharing tracks and remixes on the free music website RCRD LBL that proved successful in the music blogosphere. The act preserved its anonymity by using a silhouetted jackalope avatar before revealing itself as a three-man band. The band released the debut studio album Miike Snow (2009) through Downtown Records to favorable reviews from music critics. The album spawned three commercial singles, two of which—"Animal" and "Black & Blue"—had moderate impact on charts in Belgium and the United Kingdom in 2009. The debut single "Animal" subsequently received a platinum certification in the United States.
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English singer Charli XCX has released six studio albums, five mixtapes, three extended plays, one live album, one soundtrack album, one remix album, two DJ mixes, 48 singles, and 13 promotional singles. In 2007, XCX began recording her debut album on a loan granted by her parents. Titled 14, after her age at the time, it received only a restricted public release. Two singles, "!Franchesckaar!" and double A-side "Emelline" / "Art Bitch", were released in late 2008 under Orgy Music. In June 2012, Charli XCX released her first mixtape, titled Heartbreaks and Earthquakes, a one-track file consisting of eight songs. A second mixtape, titled Super Ultra, was released in November of the same year. Charli XCX's major-label debut studio album, True Romance, was released in April 2013, and peaked at number 85 on the UK Albums Chart. While failing to appear on any main album charts internationally, the album reached number five on the Heatseekers Albums chart in the United States and number 11 on the ARIA Hitseekers chart in Australia. The album spawned five singles—"Stay Away", "Nuclear Seasons", "You're the One", "You " and "What I Like". In 2012, Charli XCX was featured on Icona Pop's song "I Love It", which peaked at number one in the UK and reached the top 10 in various countries including the US, Canada, Ireland and Germany.
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"My Trigger" is a song performed by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow from their third studio album, iii (2016). Written and produced by the band, the song contains elements from J Dilla's "The Diff'rence" (2006), which samples "Fruitman" (1974) by Kool & the Gang. The writers of both compositions obtained writing credit. "My Trigger" is an electropop and indie pop song, the lyrics of which speak of spending a weekend with a stripper. Lead singer Andrew Wyatt also revealed that it comments on the sex industry in the United States. The song was released on 9 September 2016, through Jackalope and Atlantic as the third single from iii.
"Heart Is Full" is a song recorded by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow for their third studio album, iii (2016). Written by the band alongside Vincent Pontare, the song contains elements from Marlena Shaw's 1967 recording of "Waiting for Charlie to Come Home", penned by Bob Hilliard and Burt Bacharach. "Heart Is Full" is an electropop and hip hop song with instrumentation provided by drums, horn and Wurlitzer electric piano. Described by the band as different from their other work, the song was selected as the album's lead single as vocalist Andrew Wyatt deemed it a "jarring reintroduction" following the band's three-year break. The single was released on 30 October 2015 through Jackalope and Atlantic.
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"Click" is a song by English singer Charli XCX featuring German singer Kim Petras and Estonian rave rapper Tommy Cash from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli (2019).
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