"Cross My Heart" is a song recorded by English pop band Eighth Wonder, released in June 1988 by CBS as the second single from their debut album, Fearless (1988), and the group's sixth single. It proved to be almost as successful chartwise as "I'm Not Scared", reaching the top ten in Italy, Norway and Switzerland, and the top twenty in France, West Germany and United Kingdom. It was a minor success in the US, peaking at number 56, but remains the band's only American top 75 hit single. The music video was directed by Dieter 'Dee' Trattmann. The song was also notably recorded by American singer Martika.
| "Cross My Heart" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Eighth Wonder | ||||
| from the album Fearless | ||||
| B-side | "Let Me In" | |||
| Released | June 1988 | |||
| Recorded | The Workhouse Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Jay | |||
| Producer(s) | Pete Hammond | |||
| Eighth Wonder singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Cross My Heart" on YouTube | ||||
Overview
editSongwriter Michael Jay says the track was originally written for Martika, who he was planning to produce and launch as a pop star.[1] However, his publishing deal at the time required that his songs not be withheld exclusively for one artist, and were to be shopped around for placement with other acts.[1] Eighth Wonder's version of "Cross My Heart" followed Tracie Spencer's January 1988 version which featured on her self-titled debut album. During that year, the song was also released by Martika on her eponymous debut album. Also in 1988, Hong Kong pop singer Sandy Lam recorded a Cantonese version of the song, titled "Once We've Touched (一接觸)" for her sixth album City Rhythm.[2][3]
Critical reception
editIn his review of the song, Chris Roberts from Melody Maker declared it as "a fantastic single".[4] Jerry Smith of Music Week considered "Cross My Heart" an "irritatingly catchy and strikingly vapid pop number".[5] Barry Egan from NME viewed it as "a disc of untouchable magnificance, a wondrous piece of neo-poetry."[6] British synth-pop duo the Communards reviewed the single in Smash Hits, and while Richard Coles did not like it as much as "I'm Not Scared", Jimmy Somerville noted that it sounds like a Stock Aitken Waterman production, that Kensit's voice is stronger than on her previous single, and stated: "This is a fab record, actually. I love it".[7]
Track listings
editThese are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Cross My Heart":[8]
- 7" single
- "Cross My Heart" — 3:26
- "Let Me In" — 4:35
- 12" maxi 1
- "Cross My Heart" (dance mix) — 7:06
- "Cross My Heart" — 3:26
- "Let Me In" — 4:35
- 12" maxi 2
- "Cross My Heart" (club mix) — 6:50
- "Cross My Heart" (house mix) — 7:29
- "Cross My Heart" (dub mix) — 6:00
- CD maxi
- "Cross My Heart" (dance mix) — 7:08
- "Cross My Heart" — 3:27
- "Let Me In" — 4:37
- "Cross My Heart" (instrumental) — 4:31
Credits
edit- Design – Stylorouge
- Photography – Eamon J. McCabe
- Edited by Chep Nunez
- Engineer assistant – Jeff Abikzer
- Engineer (remix) – Hugo Dwyer
- Keyboards – Mac Quayle
- Producer – Pete Hammond
- Remix – "Little" Louie Vega
Charts
edit| Chart (1988-1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[9] | 116 |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] | 3 |
| France (SNEP)[11] | 13 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 16 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi)[13] | 10 |
| Japan (Japanese Singles Chart)[citation needed] | 42 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[14] | 6 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[15] | 2 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] | 6 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[18] | 56 |
| US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[18] | 10 |
| US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[18] | 15 |
| West Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)[19] | 17 |
References
edit- ^ a b "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 34: Mind Over Matter to Maybe (We Should Call It A Day) on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
- ^ "Tracie Spencer: Cross My Heart". Second Hand Songs.com.
- ^ "88 - Martika" (in French). Classic Rock Highway. 10 May 2005. Retrieved 16 April 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Roberts, Chris (30 July 1988). "Albums". Melody Maker. p. 31. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Smith, Jerry (25 June 1988). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 29. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Egan, Barry (18 June 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 17. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ The Communards (29 June – 12 July 1988). "Singles reviewed by the Communards" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 10, no. 13. p. 56. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 16 November 2023 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Eighth Wonder — "Cross My Heart", formats and track listings". discogs. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Imgur.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Eighth Wonder". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 70. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ "Eighth Wonder – Cross My Heart" (in French). Les classement single.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Eighth Wonder (from irishcharts.ie)". Imgur.com (original source published by Fireball Media). Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 29 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Eighth Wonder".
- ^ "Eighth Wonder – Cross My Heart". VG-lista.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "Eighth Wonder – Cross My Heart". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b c Cross My Heart at AllMusic
- ^ "Eighth Wonder – Cross My Heart (single)" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
