"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" is a song by Scottish

Indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Glasvegas Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan (vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar) and Paul Donoghue (bass guitar), with Swedish drummer Jonna Löfgren joining the group in 2010 until her departure in 2020 ...

. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan. The lyrics explore the concepts of self-loathing, inevitable guilt and regret resulting from

infidelity Infidelity (synonyms include cheating, straying, adultery, being unfaithful, two-timing, or having an affair) is a violation of a couple's emotional and/or sexual exclusivity that commonly results in feelings of anger, sexual jealousy, and riva ...

within an

interpersonal relationship The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

. The

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

employed in the song is heavily guitar-based, making use of

delay Delay (from Latin: dilatio) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Delay 1968'', a 1981 album by German experimental rock band Can * ''The Delay'', a 2012 Uruguayan film People * B. H. DeLay (1891–1923), American aviator and acto ...

and

reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...

effects; and produced using the

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...

technique. "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" was originally released as a

download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...

single through Sane Man on 7 February 2008, and a limited edition 7" one week later. The song received mostly positive reception from music journalists, with single reviews praising its lyrical content and production and likening it to the work of

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. After signing to independent label Creation Records, they rele ...

Origins and recording

James Allan wrote and composed the song prior to the album recording sessions at Central Sound Studios in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland, where the band recorded their previous two singles, "

Go Square Go! "Go Square Go!" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan. It was released as the band's debut 7" single through WaKS on 30 October 2006, as well as a download. The b ...

" and " Daddy's Gone". Kevin Burleigh, who co-produced "Go Square Go!" with James Allan and engineered "Daddy's Gone", also engineered "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry". James Allan handled production duties whilst recording the song, as well as on the B-side to the single—a cover version of

The Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. The ...

' "

Be My Baby "Be My Baby" is a song by American girl group the Ronettes that was released as a single on Philles Records in August 1963. Written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector, the song was the Ronettes' biggest hit, reaching number 2 in ...

Formats

The song was first released as a digital download through Sane Man on 7 February 2008, and received a physical release one week later as a 7" single, limited to 2000 copies. A

promo CD A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

was also released. The artwork featured on the sleeve of the 7" is by

Rob Biddulph Rob Biddulph is a British children's author and illustrator. Early life Biddulph was born on 12 October 1972 in Barnet, London. He attended Dame Alice Owen's School. He graduated with a BA(Hons) degree in Visual Communication and Design from ...

, and was designed in the style of singles from the 1960s. Biddulph also designed the artwork for the previous single, "Daddy's Gone," in the same style.

Track listings

''All songs written by James Allan, except where noted.'' 7" single (SAN002); digital download # "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" – 4:45 # "Be My Baby" (

Barry Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 19 ...

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Spector Spector is a guitar manufacturing company. It has been based in Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders ...

) – 4:12 Promo CD # "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" – 4:45 # "Be My Baby" (

) – 4:12 # "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" (Clean Version) – 4:41

Critical reception

"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" received a positive reception in the music press. Mark Beaumont of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' named it Track of the Week, and praised the song, stating that it "stirs more emotion than a million candle-lit meals" and compares it to previous single, " Daddy's Gone", as well as the work of fellow Glasgow band The Jesus and Mary Chain, stating it "shimmers in the kind of elegiac-yet-filthy Wall of Sound thrum eminiscent_of_''Psychocandy''.html" ;"title="Psychocandy.html" ;"title="eminiscent of ''Psychocandy">eminiscent of ''Psychocandy''">Psychocandy.html" ;"title="eminiscent of ''Psychocandy">eminiscent of ''Psychocandy''[...] only this time even more dark, dolorous and redolent." John Murphy of musicOMH praised the song's composition, stating "[broad] Scottish brogues, lashings of feedback and multi-layered guitars and a massive dosage of self-loathing all combine here to produce one of the most compelling singles in months." Murphy hailed Glasvegas the "sound of young Scotland" and also compared the song to The Jesus and Mary Chain, stating "at times tsounds like a throwback to the days of The Jesus and Mary Chain." In February 2008, ''Q'' magazine listed the single at number 10 in their list of the 50 essential tracks you need to download.

Personnel and credits

;Glasvegas * James Allan –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, * Rab Allan –

* Paul Donoghue – bass * Caroline McKay –

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

;Production * James Allan - Producer * Kevin Burleigh –

Engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

References

External links

"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" lyrics
{{authority control 2008 singles Glasvegas songs Songs written by James Allan (musician) 2008 songs