Double was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

music duo best known for their hit single "

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 interna ...

Biography

The duo was formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland, by

Felix Haug Felix Haug (March 27, 1952 – May 1, 2004) was the drummer and keyboardist for the Swiss band Double from the time of its creation in 1981 to its disbandment in 1987. He died of a heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as ...

(drums and keyboards) and

Kurt Maloo Kurt Maloo (born Kurt Meier, April 16, 1953, in Zurich, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first achieved international success in 1986, as the singer and front man of the group Double (band), Double wit ...

(guitar and vocals) out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members. Ping Pong formed in 1981, and had some early success with a single entitled "Rhythm Walk". They also recorded with Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, though due to legal issues none of their collaborations were able to be released. Ping Pong had some success with singles and several appearances around Europe in

music festival A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...

s. Prior to releasing their debut album, the duo issued a few singles, of which "Naningo", "Rangoon Moon", and "Woman of the World" were the most popular. The duo were initially into experimental rock with ''

Naningo ''Naningo'' is the debut and only EP by Swiss band Double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), some ...

'', unlike their later albums. The high point of the duo's career came shortly after the late 1985 release of their first full-length album, '' Blue''. The album contained two of the band's earlier singles as well as the international smash hit, "The Captain of Her Heart"; a plaintive, atmospheric ballad, which was an immediate success throughout Europe upon its 1986 single release. It reached No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart, and eventually hit the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at the end of the year, climbing to No. 16. Their next album, '' Dou3le'', followed in 1987, but, despite including the acclaimed single "

Devils Ball "Devils Ball" is a song by the Swiss duo Double, released in 1987 as the lead single from their second studio album ''Dou3le''. It was written and produced by Kurt Maloo and Felix Haug. The song featured a guest appearance from Herb Alpert, who ...

", it failed to emulate the success of its predecessor. The pair began work on a third album, but split by early 1989 due to musical differences, though they remained friends. Haug began to compose music for films and advertising, while Kurt Maloo pursued a solo career, in the course of which he has released five albums – ''Single'' (1990), ''Soul and Echo'' (1995), ''Loopy Avenue'' (2006), ''Summer of Better Times'' (2009) and ''What About'' (2014). During the late 1990s the pair reunited in Can Studio in Cologne to record nine new tracks. The duo were happy with the results, but it was felt there was not enough material for an album, and the project was postponed. In 2003, for the 20th anniversary of the band, the pair attempted to complete the project; however, Felix Haug died following a heart attack on 1 May 2004. Maloo took the results of this session and gave the tracks to Pit Baumgartner for remixing. These were included on Maloo's 2006 album ''Loopy Avenue''.

Members

– vocals, acoustic guitar (1983–1987) *

– drums, keyboards, piano (1983–1987) (died 2004)

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1983 establishments in Switzerland Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 Swiss pop rock music groups Male musical duos Pop music duos Swiss musical duos A&M Records artists Polydor Records artists English-language singers from Switzerland