The inclusion of a song on the soundtrack of a cult director’s film is a powerful catalyst in the birth of a worldwide hit. Without belittling the merits of the wonderful composition Wicked Game by American musician Chris Isaak, it must be admitted that it would hardly have been able to reach the hearts of music lovers on all continents if David Lynch had not liked it before.
The story of the creation and washed away songs of Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
But first, let’s talk about the history of the song. Chris Isaac detailed under what circumstances he composed it in an interview with Songfacts.com:
I wrote this one very late at night, and it was written in a short time, because, I remember, a girl called me earlier and said: “I want to come and talk to you,” and this “talk” turned out to be a euphemism. So she said, “I want to come and talk to you until you have the strength left to get up.” And I said, “Okay, come on.” As soon as I hung up the phone, I thought, “Oh my God, she’s going to be a lot of trouble. She was always in trouble. She is like a wild cat. That’s the way things are. I’m done, but I’ll do it.” And I wrote Wicked Game…
I just started thinking about it, and by the time she [девушка] came, I had a song written. I think she may have been upset because I was more turned on by the song. I was like, “Yeah, you’re stunning, baby, but listen to this song!”
Songfacts.com, November 2011
So Wicked Game is about unrequited love. True, the main character is not tormented by an unrequited feeling, as in many songs on this topic, but is weighed down by the passion that they experience for him.
Release and achievements of Wicked Game
The song was included in Isaac’s third studio album Heart Shaped World and was released as a single in 1989. This is not to say that the public did not pay attention to it, but the song became a hit only after David Lynch included it in the soundtrack of the film “Wild at Heart”. The track was liked by Lee Chesnut, the director of a radio station in Atlanta, who was very fond of Lynch’s work, and he began to actively put it on the air.
As a result, Wicked Game peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number ten on the UK Singles Chart. Such are the unexpected successes a year and a half after the release of the single.
Subsequently, the song was recorded by many famous artists and groups: HIM, REM, Gregorian and others.
Video of Wicked Game by Chris Isaak
Two videos were shot for the song Wicked Game. The first version with footage from Wild at Heart was created by David Lynch.
But the video presented by the fashion photographer and clip maker Herb Ritz is more popular. His music video, in which model Helena Christensen seduces Chris Isaac on a Hawaiian beach, won three MTV Video Music Awards and was included in various authoritative lists of the best works in this genre.
Interesting Facts
- In addition to Wild at Heart, the song has featured in many other films, including The Family Man (2000) and The Great Scam (2003), Beverly Hills, 90210, Friends, and The Mentalist, as well as various commercials.
Wicked Game Lyrics by Chris Isaak
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It’s strange what desire will make foolish people do
I’d never dreamed that I’d meet somebody like you
I’d never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you
No, I don’t want to fall in love
No, I don’t want to fall in love
with you
With you
What a wicked game you played to make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do to let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say you never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do to make me dream of you
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It’s strange what desire will make foolish people do
I’d never dreamed that I’d love somebody like you
I’d never dreamed that I’d lose somebody like you
Lyrics Wicked Game by Chris Isaak Alternate
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It’s strange what passion pushes stupid people
I never dreamed of meeting someone like you
I never dreamed of losing someone like you
No I don’t want to fall in love
No I don’t want to fall in love
into you
into you
It was mean to play like that to make me feel this way
It was mean to do so so that I dreamed of you
It was mean to say that you never felt the same
It was mean to do so so that I dreamed of you
The world was on fire and no one could save me but you
It’s strange what passion pushes stupid people
I never dreamed of loving someone like you
I never dreamed of losing someone like you
