"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is the debut single by the English
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
band
Cutting Crew
Cutting Crew are an English rock band formed in London in 1985. They are best known for their debut album ''Broadcast'' and hit single, " (I Just) Died in Your Arms".
History 1985–1986: Formation
While still in his teens, Nick Van Eede (b ...
, released in July 1986 as a single from their debut studio album, ''
Broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
''. The song was written by
frontman
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
Nick Van Eede, produced by
Terry Brown, John Jansen and the band, and mixed at Utopia Studios in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
by
Tim Palmer
Timothy J. Palmer (born 4 October 1962, in North Shields) is an English record producer, audio engineer, guitarist and songwriter of rock music, rock and alternative rock, alternative music. He Audio mixing (recorded music), mixed Pearl Jam's d ...
.
The
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
is the band's biggest hit, peaking at number one in the United States, Canada, Norway, and Finland, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Background and writing
The words "I just died in your arms tonight" allegedly came to Van Eede while he was having sex with his girlfriend,
[Bronson, Fred (2001). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Hits''. . Retrieved 25 January 2007.] the French phrase ''
la petite mort
(; "the little death") is an expression that means "the brief loss or weakening of consciousness" and in modern usage refers specifically to "the sensation of post orgasm as likened to death."
The first attested use of the expression in English ...
'', or "the little death", being a metaphor for
orgasm
Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...
. After writing down his version of the phrase, he later used it as the opening line to the song as well as using it as the chorus.
Music video
There were two music videos produced. The North American version featured artistic fragmented shots using a model, with the band performing to camera. The UK version was filmed in a studio, both in color as well as
black and white
Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey.
Media
The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...
, while only the latter had been made available in
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
stores, from countries like
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
On 29 October 2020, Van Eede announced, through Cutting Crew's official
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
page, that a remastered
HD edition of the "UK version" music video was uploaded to the band's former
Vevo
Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
official account on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
2020 reissue
In early 2020, the song was rerecorded and reissued as in an orchestral incarnation as well as in several other versions as the lead single for the second Cutting Crew
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
, ''Ransomed Healed Restored Forgiven'',
accompanied by a new music video uploaded to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
,
through the official account of the band's new label, August Day. The new release for the hit has been through an 8-track EP released to digital platforms. There is also a physical release, on
CD, offered as a solo release and also included as part of the limited deluxe version of the new greatest hits album, both sold through the band's official webstore.
Chart performance
First released in Britain, the song peaked at number four on the UK charts in September 1986. Upon its release in the United States, the previously unknown band's debut single shot to number one on 2 May 1987, and stayed there for two weeks. It also reached number four on the
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart, number 24 on ''Billboard''s
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...
chart and (in a remix version) number 37 on the
Hot Dance/Club Play chart.
The song spent three weeks at number one in Canada.
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:I Just Died in Your Arms
1986 songs
1986 debut singles
1987 singles
1995 singles
Cutting Crew songs
Smokie (band) songs
Trust Company (band) songs
Jason Donovan songs
Bastille (band) songs
Songs written by Nick Van Eede
Rock ballads
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Number-one singles in Finland
Number-one singles in Norway
Number-one singles in Poland
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Virgin Records singles
Black-and-white music videos
1980s ballads