"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 bandrecorded 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." 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 busted some Donna Summer elements, and since I have been listening to lots of darkwave, I put a bass synthon 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 decided to stay on the drum rims for the majority of the track, making it more of a Creatures-type track." "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.
Commercial performance
The single was a commercial success. It reached the top 10 in Australia and on the US BillboardHot 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 and is,, the "most successful internationally produced single of all time". 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. It spent also 27 weeks in that chart's top ten, making it the ninth-longest run there. In 2011, it was included in a J'Adore advert from Dior, making it rise to fame again.
