"Wicked Game" | ||||
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Single by Chris Isaak | ||||
from the album Heart Shaped World | ||||
B-side | "Don't Make Me Dream About You" | |||
Released | July 14, 1989 [1] | |||
Length | 4:46 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | Chris Isaak | |||
Producer(s) | Erik Jacobsen | |||
Chris Isaak singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Wicked Game" on YouTube |
"Wicked Game" is a song by American rock musician Chris Isaak, released from his third album, Heart Shaped World (1989). Released as a single in July 1989, it became a sleeper hit after being featured in the 1990 David Lynch film Wild at Heart , starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta radio station music director who loved David Lynch films, began playing the song, and it quickly became an American top-10 hit in March 1991, [2] reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, the single became a number-one hit in Belgium and reached the top 10 in several other nations.
"Wicked Game" has been covered by many other artists and been featured in numerous movies and television series and advertisements, so much so that Dazed magazine questioned whether it might be the most influential love song in modern music. [3] It has subsequently received retrospective critical acclaim, being listed in the 2010 book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, and noted by Dave Marsh in an updated edition of his 1989 book The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made.
The song is in B Dorian, [4] performed in what AllMusic describes as a "brooding, sorrowfully conflicted" tone. [5]
Although it is often interpreted as a ballad about unrequited love, [6] [7] Isaak has said that the song was inspired by a telephone call from a woman seeking to arrange a hook-up and is about "what happens when you have a strong attraction to people that aren't necessarily good for you". [8] It was written shortly after the call. [9]
During the sessions for Isaak's third album, many different versions and arrangements of the song were made before the final version was completed. James Calvin Wilsey wrote and played the distinctive guitar lead using a Fender Stratocaster's vibrato arm; [10] [11] [12] both the bassline and drums were sampled from previous recordings of the song and looped. [13]
The Aberdeen Evening Express extolled the "haunting strains" of "Wicked Game." [14] Grant Walters of Albumism praised the song as a "pristine union of Isaak's aching vocal and the desolate wail of James Calvin Wilsey's '65 Stratocaster." He added, "Underneath, the brushed drum loop, simple bass line, and muted background vocals create a simmering atmospheric buzz." [12] Steve Huey of AllMusic described it as a "shimmering," "spare," "smoky," and "moody masterpiece." [15] Larry Flick from Billboard called it "[a] delicious treat." [16] Alaister Moughan from Dazed wrote, "Some songs are masterpieces, some represent moments in time, and others are simply good jams. Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" is all three." [17] Joe Rhodes from Entertainment Weekly stated that this is "perhaps the album's darkest mood piece," noting its "otherworldly" opening guitar line. [18] Pan-European magazine Music & Media described it as "[a] laid-back C&W tinged song featuring Isaak's Orbison-esque vocals." [19] Duncan Holland from Music Week felt that its "dexterity and panache is something rarely heard. The touches of Roy Orbison only make it stronger and given the right airplay, Isaak should score a significant, if unpredictable hit." [20] A reviewer from Sunday Life complimented it as "[a] brooding ballad, image-laden, and worthy of Roy Orbison in his heyday." [21]
There are two different music videos for this song. The more well-known video was directed by Herb Ritts and shot in Hawaii at the short-lived Kamoamoa Beach in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. The newly formed black-sand beach was created from lava from Kilauea volcano flowing into the ocean about a mile away. The beach was covered by lava not long after the video was shot. The video features supermodel Helena Christensen rolling and frolicking on the beach with Isaak. It was mostly filmed in black and white. Christensen is topless through most of the video, although her nudity is concealed by camera angles. In the middle of the video, Christensen is seen only in her black lace bra and panty; other times, she wears only a men's white brief. The video achieved heavy rotation on MTV and MTV Europe, [22] [23] winning the MTV Video Music Awards for Best Male Video and Best Cinematography. It was ranked number 13 on VH1's "100 Greatest Videos", number four on VH1's "50 Sexiest Video Moments", number 73 on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 100 Top Music Videos", number one on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time", and number one on Fuse's "40 Sexiest Videos" in 2010.
Another video was commissioned for the Wild at Heart VHS release and was directed by David Lynch. [24] [25] It features scenes of Lula (Laura Dern) and Sailor (Nicolas Cage) from the film, interspersed with black-and-white footage of Isaak and his band performing the song. This video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [62] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI) [63] | Gold | 300,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [64] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [65] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [66] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [67] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Germany | July 14, 1989 | 7-inch vinyl | Reprise | [1] |
United Kingdom | November 12, 1990 |
| London | [68] |
"Wicked Game" | ||||
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Single by HIM | ||||
from the album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 and Razorblade Romance (UK and US releases) | ||||
Released | September 28, 1998 | |||
Genre | Gothic metal | |||
Length | 3:54 | |||
Label | BMG | |||
HIM singles chronology | ||||
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The Finnish band HIM remade this song, first using it in their demo This Is Only the Beginning, then on their EP 666 Ways To Love: Prologue , followed by another recording of it on their first album Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 , and again on the British and American versions of their second album Razorblade Romance . The last recording they made of it then reappeared on their compilation album And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004 . "Wicked Game" became the band's breakthrough song in their native Finland. [69] Their version appeared on an episode of Smallville .
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"Wicked Games" | ||||
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Single by Parra for Cuva featuring Anna Naklab | ||||
Released | October 14, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2013 | |||
Length | 3:15 | |||
Label | Spinnin' Deep | |||
Parra for Cuva singles chronology | ||||
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Anna Naklabsingles chronology | ||||
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In 2013, German house producer Parra for Cuva released a cover version that featured Anna Naklab. The single was re-titled as "Wicked Games" in plural. It was first released on Beatport worldwide as a digital download in August 2013, then a mainstream release as a digital download in France in October 2013 and in Germany on February 14, 2014. The song has charted in Australia, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [85] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [86] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
On June 26, 2007, Stone Sour released a cover of the song on the special edition version of the album Come What(ever) May . [87] It was certified Gold by ARIA in 2024. [88]
Australian indie folk band Boy & Bear recorded a cover of this song which was released as a single on February 14, 2020 [89] and was later included on their album Boy & Bear at Golden Retriever Studio. It was certified Gold by ARIA in 2023. [90]
Marcus & Martinus
In 2022, Norwegian dance-pop duo Marcus & Martinus released their version after performing it on Masked Singer Sweden. The song was later included on their album Unforgettable. [91]
On June 1, 2023, American comedy rock duo Tenacious D released a cover of the song as a single, with an accompanying music video. [92]
In 2024, English-Irish girl group Girls Aloud released a cover of "Wicked Game" as part of a 20th anniversary reissue of their 2004 studio album What Will The Neighbours Say? [93] While the track was originally intended to serve as a lead single for their 2005 studio album Chemistry , it was scrapped in favor of the single "Long Hot Summer" and eventually excluded from the album upon its release.
Along with the two other songs released as part of the album's reissue, "Disco Bunny" and "Baby When You Go," the track is notable as the first posthumous release of material containing vocals from Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding, who died of breast cancer in 2021. [94]
In 2024, Texan heavy-metal band Oceans of Slumber released a cover of "Wicked Game" on their album Where Gods Fear to Speak.
"Wild Wild West" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith from the 1999 film of the same name, in which he also starred. The song plays during the film's closing credits. The single includes parts of the chorus from Kool Moe Dee's song of the same name, and samples Stevie Wonder's 1976 hit song "I Wish". Kool Moe Dee re-performed the chorus for the song, and additional guest vocals are provided by Dru Hill. The album version of the song is introduced by a brief spoken-word interlude where Smith asks his infant son Jaden what song he should play next, interpreting Jaden's repeated non-verbal response as "Wild Wild West".
"Caribbean Blue" is a song by Irish musician Enya, included as the second track on her third studio album, Shepherd Moons (1991). It follows a waltz time signature, and mentions the Anemoi : Boreas, Afer Ventus (Africus), Eurus, and Zephyrus. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 7 October 1991 by WEA.
"Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" is a song by American musician Chris Isaak, released as the first track to the 1995 album Forever Blue. Filled with sensuality and erotic imagery, the song was described by Isaak as a declaration to "Somebody who is so evil and twisted and bad, and yet, you still want them." The title evokes how "That's a bad bad thing" is used both by parents scolding misbehaving children and by adults during sexual intercourse. In September 1999, a remix of the song peaked at number nine on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, outperforming the number-27 peak of the original. In the United States, the 1999 reissue reached number three on the Billboard Triple-A chart.
"Opposites Attract" is a song by American singer Paula Abdul from her debut album, Forever Your Girl (1988). It was written and produced by Oliver Leiber. Vocals on the song, in addition to Abdul, were provided by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, also known as the Wild Pair. "Opposites Attract" was the sixth and final single from the album in November 1989 and achieved success in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, where it was a number-one hit. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who love each other despite being different in almost every way possible.
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"Disappear" is a song by Australian rock band INXS, released as the second single from their seventh studio album, X (1990), in November 1990. The song was written by Jon Farriss, Michael Hutchence and Garry Gary Beers while they were living together in Hong Kong in 1989.
"No Son of Mine" is a song by British rock group Genesis, released in October 1991 by Atlantic and Virgin as the lead single from their 14th album, We Can't Dance (1991). The song, written by Phil Collins and composed by him with Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford, reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was also a top-10 hit in several European countries and peaked atop Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart for five weeks.
"Electric Blue" is a song by Australian rock band Icehouse. It was co-written by Iva Davies of Icehouse and John Oates of US band Hall & Oates. Oates became involved with Davies after contacting him to state he was a fan. The resulting collaboration produced this song and Oates has stated that if Davies had not released the song under the Icehouse name, then it would have been a Hall & Oates track.
"One More Try" is a song by American musician Timmy T. The song was both written and produced by Torres, who was inspired to create the song after breaking up with a girlfriend. Released in October 1990, it topped the US Billboard Hot 100 on March 23, 1991, and entered the top 10 in Belgium, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden. It was the first single to top the Hot 100 on an independent record label since Lionel Richie's "Truly" in 1982.
"The Power of Love" is a pop song co-written and originally recorded by American singer-songwriter Jennifer Rush in 1984. It was released in December 1984 by CBS Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Jennifer Rush (1984), and has since been covered by Air Supply, Laura Branigan, and Celine Dion.
"To the Moon and Back" is a song by Australian pop duo Savage Garden, released in Australia on 4 November 1996 as the second single from their self-titled 1997 album. It was the follow-up to their first hit "I Want You", and won the 1997 ARIA Music Award for Song of the Year. The song became the band's first number-one single in their native country, reached number three on the UK Singles Chart, and peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Every Heartbeat" is a song by American Christian singer Amy Grant. It was released in June 1991 by A&M Records as the third single from her ninth studio album, Heart in Motion (1991), though it was the second from the album to be released to mainstream pop radio. It reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the Adult Contemporary chart for one and six weeks, respectively. Charlie Peacock wrote the song's music and chorus lyrics, with Grant and Wayne Kirkpatrick composing the remaining lyrics.
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"Sacrifice" is a song by British musician Elton John, written by John and Bernie Taupin, from John's 22nd studio album, Sleeping with the Past (1989). It was first released in October 1989 as the second single from the album. It achieved success in 1990, particularly in France and the United Kingdom, becoming John's first solo chart-topper in both nations. The song describes how hard it is to stay faithful and devoted in a marriage, challenging the mantra that a successful union requires sacrifice. Due to the song's success, John has played this song in various locations in the years since it was released.
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Nicolas Demuth, known by his stage name Parra for Cuva is a German electronic music producer and DJ.
"Auberge" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in February 1991 by East West as the lead single from his eleventh studio album, Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Auberge" reached No. 16 in the United Kingdom and remained on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Nigel Dick and shot at Bray Studios, Berkshire.
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