Christine (Christine and the Queens song)

"Christine"
Single by Christine and the Queens
from the album Chaleur humaine
Released 13 October 2014 (2014-10-13)
Format
Recorded 2014
Genre
Length 3:54
Label Because
Songwriter(s) Héloïse Letissier
Producer(s) Letissier
Christine and the Queens singles chronology
"Saint Claude"
(2014)		 "Christine"
(2014)		 "Paradis perdus"
(2015)

"Saint Claude"
(2014)		 "Christine"
(2014)		 "Paradis perdus"
(2015)
"Jonathan"
(2015) Jonathan2015
"Tilted"
(2016) Tilted2016
"Saint Claude"
(2016) Saint Claude2016
Alternative cover

"Tilted" cover art
Music video
"Christine" on YouTube

Music video
"Tilted" on YouTube

"Christine", also released under the titles "Cripple" and "Tilted", is a song by Héloïse Letissier who records under the name Christine and the Queens. "Christine", which is recorded in French, was released for download on 13 October 2014 through Because Music as the third single from her debut studio album Chaleur humaine (2014). It was, however, originally titled "Cripple" in 2012, and a later English version was released as "Tilted" in 2015.[1] It was named one of the ten best songs of 2015 by Time magazine.[2] "Christine" was a number one hit on both of Belgium's Ultratop charts and peaked at number 3 in France, while "Tilted" became a top 20 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom. "Tilted" remixes were released digitally on 8 April 2016.

Background

According to Heloise Letissier, when she first wrote the song, it was written in English. It was originally recorded under the title "Cripple" for an EP, Mac Abbey, in 2012. However, when she performed the song in Brighton in May 2013, the chorus "I actually do enjoy being a cripple" was poorly received by the audience. Letissier said: "... there was a huge embarrassed silence. I thought it was really ambiguous! But it's not."[3][4] She reworked the lyrics in French as "Christine" for her 2014 debut album, and from this she made another English version, "Tilted".[5] The English and French versions are not an exact translation and have significant differences in their lyrics, for example the English version begins with “I will die before Methuselah / So I’ll fight sleep with ammonia,” while the French version may be translated as "I start books at the end / And I hold my head high for nothing " (Je commence les livres par la fin / Et j'ai le menton haut pour un rien).[6]

Letissier said that the song is "an easy song with an uneasy subject. It’s about feeling out of place, not finding your balance, or being depressed even, but with playful images, with a song you can dance on." She explained that the song is about "embracing the fact that you can't really find your balance", which in her case is embracing her own awkwardness and the feeling of being imperfect. It would therefore be about "embracing who you are", and "being proud of who you are and where you stand".[1] She also explained the English title of the song: "The French song is talking about the same difficulty of turning on your feet. I was searching for lots of images or words that could fit, and I just stumbled upon this word, to tilt or be tilted, and I was exactly trying to find this image. It’s literally talking about not finding your balance with a playful image."[1]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Christine" was first released onto YouTube on 18 December 2014 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-six seconds.[7] The minimal and largely blue and black visuals in the videos for "Christine" and the English version "Tilted" are identical, and feature Letissier and her dancers performing intricate dance routines on a platform.[8]

Track listings

"Christine"

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Christine"3:54

"Tilted"

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Tilted"3:54
Remixes digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Tilted" (MS MR Remix)3:46
2."Tilted" (Clock Opera Remix)3:39
3."Tilted" (Bayonne Remix)4:05
4."Tilted" (Paradis Remix)5:50
5."Tilted" (Danny L Harle Remix)2:31

Chart performance

"Christine"

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[10] 1
France (SNEP)[11] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 41
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 32

Year-end charts

Chart (2015) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[14] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[15] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Belgium (BEA)[16] 2x Platinum 60,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

"Tilted"

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 54
Iceland (RÚV)[18] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[19] 13
New Zealand Heatseekers (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 1
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[21] 18
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 20
UK Indie (Official Charts Company)[23] 2

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Gold 400,000double-dagger

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
France 13 October 2014 Because Music [25][11]
United Kingdom 15 January 2016 Digital download [26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nolan Feeney (December 21, 2015). "Here’s How Christine and the Queens Wrote One of the Year’s Best Songs". Time.
  2. ↑ Nolan Feeney; Maura Johnston (December 1, 2015). "Top 10 Best Songs". Time.
  3. ↑ Snapes, Laura (4 September 2016). "Christine and the Queens: 'I just want to shatter everything'". The Observer.
  4. ↑ MOoveVevo (23 June 2015). "Christine And The Queens - Cripple (Audio)" – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Nick Williams (June 11, 2015). "Christine and The Queens's 'It Girl' Heloise Letissier on Her A-List Fans and Her Drag Queen-Inspired Alter Ego". Billboard.
  6. ↑ Hann, Michael (7 December 2016). "Best albums of 2016: No 8 Chaleur Humaine by Christine and the Queens". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ Christine and the Queens (18 December 2014). "Christine and The Queens - Christine (Clip Officiel)" – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Hunt, El (18 January 2016). "Christine and the Queens Gets Blue-Hued in Her 'Tilted' Video". DIY.
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  11. 1 2 "Lescharts.com – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Les classement single.
  12. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Christine and the Queens – Christine". Swiss Singles Chart.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 september 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 september 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop Belgian Flanders Charts – Goud en Platina Singles 2017". ultratop.be. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  17. ↑ "CHART WATCH #376". auspOp. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  18. ↑ "Tilted". RÚV. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 31, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2016-08-05.
  20. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  21. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-07-29". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  22. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-08-12" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  23. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2016-07-22" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  24. ↑ "British single certifications – Christine and the Queens – Tilted". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 March 2017. Enter Tilted in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  25. ↑ "Christine And The Queens – Christine (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  26. ↑ "Tilted – Christine and the Queens". Qobuz. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
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