The Captain of Her Heart

"The Captain of Her Heart" is a song by the Swiss duo Double (Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo) from their debut studio album, Blue (1985). The song is a ballad about a woman 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"
Single by Double
from the album Blue
B-side	"Your Prayer Takes Me Off"
Released	September 1985 15 November 1985 (UK)^[1]
Recorded	1985
Genre	Jazz-rock soft rock sophisti-pop
Length	4:02 (Single Version) 4:34 (Album Version)
Label	Double City Metronome Polydor A&M
Songwriter(s)	Kurt Maloo Felix Haug
Producer(s)	Double
Double singles chronology
"Woman of the World" (1984) "The Captain of Her Heart" (1985) "Devils Ball" (1987)
Music video
"The Captain of Her Heart" on YouTube "The Captain of Her Heart (U.S. Version)" on YouTube

Background

Keyboardist Felix Haug had recorded a demo melody on his Oberheim synthesizer, "very '80s style", several months before Double went into the studio to record their first album. In the studio, singer Kurt Maloo heard this melody and was interested. The sound engineer suggested Haug play it on a grand piano, instead of '80s-style synthesizer, as a guide for Maloo's vocals. However, when the piano melody was recorded, Maloo wanted it left in the way it was.^[2]

Maloo said in 2013, "I wrote the lyrics to the playback in no time in the studio. Like a ghost writer. They were just there out of the blue. It was almost spooky. I never thought the lyrics would touch so many hearts around the world and I’m still overwhelmed from all the positive feedback I get through the internet."^[2]

The prominent saxophone on the song was played by Christian Ostermeier.

Reception

Jerry Smith of the Music Week magazine considered "The Captain of Her Heart" a surprising "Euro-pop number song that doesn't rely on a tasteless disco beat", and noted that the "sparse arrangement of synths and a recurring piano motif is competently put together behind a dramatic vocal".^[3] 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."^[4]

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.^[5] The US version of the video incorporates more of a storyline, with alternating location shots featuring the band members and various female models. A TV program incorporating elements from the US video made the band appear as having four 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 two of them at the same time, but a few were composite and showed all four. 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.

Track listings

• 7-inch single (Polydor)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:02 (Single Version)
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

• 7-inch single (A&M)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:02 (Single Version)
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

• 7-inch single (Metronome)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

• 12-inch maxi single

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
3. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part I) – 6:30

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "The Captain of Her Heart" Chart (1986) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6] 64 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[7] 15 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[8] 17 Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[9] 17 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)^[10] 4 Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)^[11] 19 France (SNEP)^[12] 9 Ireland (IRMA)^[13] 6 Italy (Musica e dischi)^[14] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[15] 37 Netherlands (Tipparade)^[16] 11 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[17] 32 Norway (VG-lista)^[18] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[19] 11 UK Singles (OCC)^[20] 8 US Billboard Hot 100^[21] 16 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[22] 4 West Germany (Official German Charts)^[23] 10

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for "The Captain of Her Heart" Chart (1986) Position Europe (European Hot 100)^[24] 41 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[25] 33

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 the song his 2001 album Good to Go.^[26]

References

1. Smith, Robin (9 November 1985). "News Digest". Record Mirror. p. 39. ISSN 0144-5804.
2. "Interview with Kurt Maloo of Double". Kickin' it Old School. June 21, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
3. Smith, Jerry (25 January 1986). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 10. Retrieved 7 September 2023 – via World Radio History.
4. Mason, Stewart. "The Captain of Her Heart – Double". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
5. Double - The Captain Of Her Heart (Official Video) on YouTube, Kurt Maloo
6. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 93. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
8. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0676." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
10. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8188." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
11. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 3, no. 11. 22 March 1986. p. 13. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
12. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Captain of Her Heart". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
14. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 15. 19 April 1986. p. 14. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
15. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
16. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
17. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
18. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
19. "Double – The Captain of Her Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
20. "Double: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
21. "Double Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
22. "Double Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
24. "Eurochart Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51–52. 27 December 1986. p. 28-29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 4 October 2021 – via American Radio History.
25. "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1986". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
26. "Good to Go overview". Allmusic.com.
    • A Spanish version called "Ancló su Corazón" was written by Cristian Rosemary in August 2016.