The Captain of Her Heart
"The Captain of Her Heart" is a song by the Swiss duo Double from their debut studio album, Blue (1985). The song is a ballad about a girl who stops waiting for her absent lover to return. The single was an international success, reaching No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, thus making Double the first Swiss act to reach the top 40 on the latter chart.
"The Captain of Her Heart" | ||||
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Single by Double | ||||
from the album Blue | ||||
B-side | "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" | |||
Released | September 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Double | |||
Double singles chronology | ||||
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In a retrospective review of the song, AllMusic journalist Stewart Mason suggested that the song is "one of the great lost one-hit wonders of the mid-1980s." Mason wrote: "The Swiss duo never managed to capitalize on this song's casual sophistication and melodic grace, but it remains a glorious anomaly."[1] The prominent saxophone on the song was played by Christian Ostermeier.
Music video
There were two different music videos produced for the song. The original Swiss version features the band performing the song in a darkened room.[2] The US version of the video incorporates more of a storyline, with alternating location shots featuring the band members and various female models.[3] Although 15-year-old Denise Richards appears to be featured early in the video, she stated on the April 10, 2019 broadcast of The Morning Show that she did not appear in the video [4]. The Richards lookalike was model Mickey Monroe. A TV program incorporating elements from the US video made the band appear as having 4 members, with Felix Haug either playing drums or piano depending on the shot, and Kurt Maloo either playing guitar and singing or playing saxophone. Most shots of playing musicians just showed 2 of them at the same time, but a few were composite and showed all 4. The original Swiss video uses a similar idea, but also sometimes makes two incarnations of the same artist appear together and does not attempt at realism. The album cover also represents each artist twice.
Cover versions
The song has been covered by Randy Crawford, Laurent Voulzy, Koto, Roland Kaiser, Ronnie Jones and Beauty & Deep. Contemporary jazz pianist Duncan Millar offered his take on his 2001 album Good to Go.[5]
A Spanish version called "Ancló su Corazón" was written in August 2016 by Cristian Rosemary.
Track listings
- 7-inch single (Polydor)
- "The Captain of Her Heart" – 3:59
- "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
- 7-inch single (A&M)
- "The Captain of Her Heart" – 3:59
- "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
- 7-inch single (Metronome)
- "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
- "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
- 12-inch maxi single
- "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
- "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
- "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part I) – 6:30
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- Mason, Stewart. "The Captain of Her Heart – Double". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
- Double - The Captain Of Her Heart (Official Video) on YouTube, Kurt Maloo
- Double - The Captain Of Her Heart (Official U.S. Version) on YouTube, Kurt Maloo
- The Morning Show (10 April 2019) https://mobile.twitter.com/morningshowon7/status/1116126076118290432?lang=en
- "Good to Go overview". Allmusic.com.. A Spanish version called Ancló su Corazón was write by Cristian Rosemary in August 2016.
- "australian-charts.com – Forum – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Austriancharts.at – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Ultratop.be – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0676." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8188." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 3 no. 11. 22 March 1986. p. 13. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "Lescharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Captain of Her Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
- "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3 no. 15. 19 April 1986. p. 14. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 March 2020 – via American Radio History.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Charts.nz – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Swisscharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Double: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Double Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Double Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2020.