"Constant Craving" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter k.d. lang and

Ben Mink Benjamin Mink (born January 22, 1951) is a Canadian songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer best known as a longtime collaborator of Canadian singer k.d. lang. He plays several string instruments, notably the guitar, violin, and the m ...

, performed by lang and included on her second solo album, '' Ingénue'' (1992). The song was released in the United Kingdom in April 1992 and won lang a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

in the category for

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

in 1993, as well as an MTV Video Music Award for

Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Y ...

. "Constant Craving" peaked at number eight on Canada's ''RPM'' Top Singles chart and number 38 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving lang her only US top-40 hit to date. It also reached number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. In the United Kingdom, the song was a modest hit when released in 1992, but following a reissue in 1993 in the wake of its American success, it reached a new peak of number 15 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Song information

English rock band

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

used a refrain very similar to that of "Constant Craving" in their 1997 single "

Anybody Seen My Baby? "Anybody Seen My Baby?" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as the first single from their 21st British and 23rd American studio album, '' Bridges to Babylon'' (1997). It was written by band vocalist Mick Jagger and guitari ...

." They later gave writing credits on that song to k.d. lang and Mink, shared with the original authors

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and Keith Richards.

Critical reception

Mark Deming from

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felt that "the emotional core" of songs like "Constant Craving", "was obvious even when their surfaces were evasive." Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' stated that "there is no denying the rootsy, down-home quality of this wonderfully produced tune. Lang's distinctive voice is woven into spiraling multitracked harmonies, wafting over a base of acoustic guitar strumming and subtle and

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

interludes." Randy Clark and Bryan DeVaney from '' Cash Box'' picked it as a "standout" cut from the '' Ingénue'' album. A reviewer from ''

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'' described it as "haunting". The Daily Vault's Jason Warburg viewed it as a "dynamite single", that "manages to meld the spiritual with the physical while conveying a feverish desire for both kinds of fulfillment." He also noted it as "upbeat", "expansive and full of simmering appeal". Diane Rufer and Ron Fell from the '' Gavin Report'' commented, "k.d.'s foresaken

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

for a straight

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format that will finally win her the mass audience she's deserved. This track showcases her wonderful voice in solo and multi-part harmonies." Pan-European magazine '' Music & Media'' described it as "a Brecht/ Weil on the prairie type of song—is likely to be lang's first hit in the UK and in Ireland". On the album review, a reviewer from the magazine wrote, "Tales from the new west. La lang has changed her position on horseback for a more comfortable seat on the coach. In mind, she's singing in some

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

café in the decadent '20s."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the song was filmed in

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. ...

. It presents a fanciful recreation of the premiere of Samuel Beckett's play '' Waiting for Godot'' in Paris, 1953. Here, she is depicted singing backstage while the actors perform. The director, Mark Romanek, says the song's lyrics of desperation and waiting fit well with the themes of Beckett's play. VH1 added the video to its playlist in mid-April 1992. The clip won

at the 1993 MTV Video Music Awards.

Track listings

1992 release

* US 7-inch and cassette single :A. "Constant Craving" (album version) – 4:38 :B. "Season of Hollow Soul" (album version) – 4:56 * UK 12-inch and CD single # "Constant Craving" (edit) # "Barefoot" (rhythmic version) # "Season of Hollow Soul" * UK 7-inch and cassette single # "Constant Craving" (edit) # "Barefoot" (rhythmic version) * European CD single # "Constant Craving" (radio edit) – 3:45 # "Constant Craving" (album version) – 4:38 # "Tears of Love's Recall" – 3:48

1993 release

* UK 7-inch and cassette single # "Constant Craving" (edit) – 3:45 # " Miss Chatelaine" (live) – 4:28 * UK CD1 and Australian CD single # "Constant Craving" (edit) – 3:45 # "Wash Me Clean" (live) – 3:28 # "The Mind of Love" (live) – 3:17 * UK CD2 # "Constant Craving" (live) – 4:18 # "Miss Chatelaine" (live) – 4:28 # "Big Boned Gal" (live) – 3:47 # "Outside Myself" (live) – 5:03

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

Cover versions

Abigail Abigail () was an Israelite woman in the Hebrew Bible married to Nabal; she married the future King David after Nabal's death ( 1 Samuel ). Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later ma ...

covered the song on her 1994 album, '' Feel Good''. *

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

based electropunk band

Lesbians on Ecstasy __NOTOC__ Lesbians on Ecstasy is a Canadian electronic band formed in 2003 in Montreal, Quebec. The band toured across Canada and the U.S. with Le Tigre before the release of their first recording. The first album, the self-titled '' Lesbians ...

reworked the song as "Kündstant Krøving" on their 2004 album ''

''. *

Charlotte Martin Charlotte Ann Martin (born October 31, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter and voice coach, who performs predominantly on the piano. She has written several studio albums, two of which have received mainstream commercial releases, 2004's '' ...

has also recorded a cover of the song on her album ''Reproductions''. * In 2011, the song was featured in the '' Glee'' episode " I Kissed a Girl" with vocals by Naya Rivera, Idina Menzel and Chris Colfer.

Track listings (Abigail version)

* 12-inch vinyl single (Klone Records – 1993) # "Constant Craving" (Vocal Version) # "Constant Craving" (Instrumental) # "Don't Tell Me Why" (Vocal Version) # "Don't Tell Me Why" (Instrumental) * CD maxi-single (Klone Records – 1993) # "Constant Craving" (Radio Version) – 4:06 # "Constant Craving" (Original Mix) – 6:24 # "Constant Craving" (Trade Mix) – 9:34 # "Don't Tell Me Why" – 4:50 * 12-inch vinyl single (ZYX Music – 1995) (title was changed to Constant Craving '95) # "Constant Craving '95" (Illusive Mix) – 8:01 # "Constant Craving '95" (Gailforce Mix) – 8:01 # "Constant Craving '95" (Original Mix) # "What Goes Around Comes Around" (Ace Mix) – 6:03 * CD maxi-single (ZYX Music – 1995) # "Constant Craving '95" (Radio Edit) – 4:04 # "Constant Craving '95" (Illusive Mix) – 8:01 # "Constant Craving '95" (Gailforce Mix) – 8:01 # "What Goes Around Comes Around" (Ace Mix) – 6:03

References

{{Authority control 1992 singles 1992 songs 1993 singles 1995 singles Abigail (singer) songs Black-and-white music videos Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance K.d. lang songs MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video Music videos directed by Mark Romanek Sire Records singles Songs written by Ben Mink Songs written by k.d. lang Warner Records singles ZYX Music singles