Heavy Cross

"Heavy Cross"
Single by Gossip
from the album Music for Men
Released	April 28, 2009
Format	CD, 7" vinyl
Recorded	Shangri La Studios, Malibu
Genre	Dance-punk, dance-rock
Length	4:02
Label	Columbia, Music with a Twist
Writer(s)	Beth Ditto, Brace Paine, Hannah Blilie
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, 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^[1] and is, as of September 2010, the "most successful internationally produced single of all time".^[2] 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.^[3] It spent also 27 weeks in that chart's top ten, making it the ninth-longest run there.^[4] In 2013, it was included in a J'Adore advert from Dior, making it rise to fame again.

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."^[5]

Music video

The video, directed by Price James, premiered on PerezHilton.com on June 12, 2009.

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

• Beth Ditto - vocalist
• Brace Paine - guitar, bass
• Hannah Blilie - drums

Charts

Chart (2009–10)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[6]	7
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7]	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8]	4
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9]	3
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[10]	63
France (SNEP)[11]	23
Germany (Official German Charts)[12]	2
Ireland (IRMA)[13]	28
Israel (Media Forest)[14]	7
Italy (FIMI)[15]	4
Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[16]	2
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17]	20
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18]	12
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[19]	16
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	2
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[13]	37
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[21]	8

NRJ Session:

Chart (2012)	Peak position
France (SNEP)[11]	82

Year-end charts

Chart (2009)	Year-end position
Australian Singles Chart[22]	48
Austrian Singles Chart[23]	14
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[24]	9
Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia)[25]	16
German Singles Chart[26]	8
Italian Singles Chart[27]	23
Swiss Singles Chart[28]	9
Chart (2010)	Position
Austrian Singles Chart[29]	24
European Hot 100 Singles[30]	44
German Singles Chart[31]	26
Swiss Singles Chart[32]	21
Chart (2012)	Position
Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Flanders)[33]	5
Belgian Backcatalogue Singles Chart (Wallonia)[33]	1

Decade-end charts

(2000–2009)	Position
German Singles Chart[34]	33

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[35]	Platinum	70,000^^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[36]	Platinum	30,000^*
Belgium (BEA)[37]	Platinum	30,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[1]	3× Gold	450,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[38]	Platinum	30,000^*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39]	Gold	7,500^*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[40]	Platinum	30,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Gossip; 'Heavy Cross')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
2. "Single-Rekord für Gossip - media control" [Single Record for Gossip]. media-control.de (in German). 2010-09-13. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
3. Chartsurfer.de (2012-02-17). " Dauerbrenner Top 100 Auswertung (ab Monat 06/1959)". Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
4. Chartsurfer.de (2012-02-17). " Dauerbrenner Top 10 Auswertung (ab Monat 06/1959)". Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
5. Heavy Cross Songfacts
6. "Australian-charts.com – Gossip – Heavy Cross". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
7. "Austriancharts.at – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
8. "Ultratop.be – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
9. "Ultratop.be – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in French). Ultratop 50.
10. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200946 into search.
11. "Lescharts.com – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in French). Les classement single.
12. "Musicline.de – Gossip Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
13. acharts.us
14. "Media Forest: Airplay chart". mediaforest.biz.
15. "Italiancharts.com – Gossip – Heavy Cross". Top Digital Download.
16. "Luxembourg Digital Songs - October 17, 2009". Billboard.
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Gossip search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
18. "Charts.org.nz – Gossip – Heavy Cross". Top 40 Singles.
19. "Spanishcharts.com – Gossip – Heavy Cross" Canciones Top 50.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Gossip – Heavy Cross". Swiss Singles Chart.
21. "The Gossip – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs for The Gossip.
22. "ARIA Top 100 Singles 2008". Aria.com.au. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
23. "oe3.ORF.at / SingleCharts 2009". Charts.orf.at. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
24. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
25. "Ultratop Belgian Charts". ultratop.be. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
26. Archived February 1, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
27. "FIMI - Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana - Ricerche e dati di mercato". Fimi.it. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
28. Steffen Hung. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2009". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
29. Steffen Hung (2010-12-24). "Jahreshitparade 2010". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
30. "European Hot 100". Billboard.com. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
31. http://www.viva.tv/charts/viva-single-jahrescharts-2010-2010-212/?start=20
32. Steffen Hung. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2010". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
33. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2012&cat=a
34. "Die ultimative Chart Show | Hits des neuen Jahrtausends | Download". RTL.de. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
35. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
36. "Austrian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Gossip in the field Interpret. Enter Heavy Cross in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
37. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2011". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
38. "Italian single certifications – Gossip – Heavy Cross" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Gossip in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
39. "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
40. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Gossip; 'Heavy Cross')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics