"Elastic Heart" is a song written by Australian singer Sia, featuring Canadian singer

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, romance, and ...

and American record producer

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD wit ...

, for the soundtrack of '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'', a film based on the novel of the same name by

Suzanne Collins Suzanne Collins (born August 10, 1962) is an American author and television writer. She is known as the author of the book series '' The Underland Chronicles'' and ''The Hunger Games''. Early life Suzanne Collins was born on August 10, 1962, i ...

. Andrew Swanson assisted the artists in writing the song, with production handled by Diplo and US producer Greg Kurstin. It was released on 1 October 2013 as a single from ''Catching Fire'' by

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

and

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

. "Elastic Heart" peaked at number 7 on the

singles chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

of New Zealand and was

certified gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

. It also appeared on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In 2014, Sia re-recorded a solo version of "Elastic Heart" for her sixth studio album '' 1000 Forms of Fear''. The solo version was released in 2015 as a single from the album and was accompanied by a controversial

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 ...

that features actor Shia LaBeouf and dancer

Maddie Ziegler Madison Nicole Ziegler (; born September 30, 2002) is an American actress and dancer. She was initially known for appearing in Lifetime's reality show '' Dance Moms'' from 2011 (at age 8) until 2016. From 2014, she gained wider recognition fo ...

. The clip was the eighth most viewed YouTube music video in 2015, while the single peaked within the top 10 in Australia and the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in the United States.

Release and composition

"Elastic Heart" was released as the second single from the soundtrack for '' The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' (2013). The song was made available for digital download on 1 October 2013. It was sent to US

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

radio by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

and

Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the la ...

on 8 October 2013. A

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. ...

, Hilary Hughes of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' named "Elastic Heart" a "grand, full

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

production," while Aimee Cliff from ''

Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scie ...

'' characterised the song as "a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

song that bounces like rubber." Meanwhile, ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' reviewer Julianne Shepherd called it a trap song. Its lyrics address "the overwhelming strength Sia needed to convince herself that life was worth living after coming out of a crushing relationship." Having the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of D–A–E–F♯m, the song is composed in the key of

A major A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A major is the only k ...

and a tempo of 65/130 beats per minute.

Reception

Blue Sullivan of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

'' wrote that "'Elastic Heart' is a seamless and highly successful team-up that reads like a grimier after-market version of

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

's ' Do What U Want'." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' magazine's Chris Martins stated that "Sia soared" and it was a "bubbling ballad," and Bradley Stern of MuuMuse claimed it was "a perfectly chaotic combination." "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 67 on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts on the chart issue dated 14 October 2013. The single also charted at number 27 on the Walloon Ultratip, and number 36 in Switzerland. The song fared better in New Zealand, peaking at number 7 on the national singles chart and was

by the

(RMNZ). In the United Kingdom, "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 79 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 ...

on 12 October 2013. On 17 January 2015, the single re-entered the chart at number 61.

Credits and personnel

Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, lead vocals – Sia Furler, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Andrew Swanson * Producing – Greg Kurstin,

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

– Greg Kurstin * Additional engineering – Alex Pasco * Vocal recording – Rob Kleiner * Mixing – Manny Marroquin * Additional mixing – Chris Galland, Delbert Bowers * Mastering – Brian "Big Bass" Gardner *

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 ...

programming – Andrew Swanson, Diplo Credits for "Elastic Heart" are adapted from ''The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'' soundtrack digital inlay cover.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Sia solo version

In 2014, Sia recorded a solo version of "Elastic Heart" for her sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

, '' 1000 Forms of Fear''. It was released on 9 January 2015 by

as the third single from the album.

Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won fir ...

from '' The A.V. Club'' labelled "Elastic Heart" a "striking power ballad," while

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

's Heather Phares picked the song as one of the three standouts from the album, alongside "

Chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent ...

" and " Eye of the Needle". Aimee Cliff from ''Fact'' named it a "great example of how only Sia can truly rock a song written for (rather than by) Sia." The deluxe version of ''1000 Forms of Fear'' includes a piano version of the song. In Italy, "Elastic Heart" impacted

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

on 9 January 2015. "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 8 on the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

on the chart issue dated 19 January 2015. The following week, the song rose to number 5. The

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

certified it 3×

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

, which denotes shipments exceeding 210,000 copies in Australia. In the United States, "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue chart dated 24 January 2015, becoming the week's "Hot Shot Debut". The song was later certified double platinum for combined sales and streaming of 2 million units in the United States.RIAA's Gold and Platinum Program
/ref> In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number 10 on the

on 5 April 2015 and has since been certified double platinum by the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

Music video

On 7 January 2015, the music video for the song was released. Directed by Sia and Daniel Askill, shot by cinematographer Sebastian Wintero and choreographed by

Ryan Heffington Ryan Heffington (born June 7, 1973) is an American dancer and choreographer based in Los Angeles. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards for choreographing the music videos for Arcade Fire's " We Exist" (2013) and Sia's "Chandelier" (2014), winnin ...

, the video features

, who recently appeared in the video for Sia's single "

" and "

Big Girls Cry "Big Girls Cry" is a single by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, from her sixth studio album ''1000 Forms of Fear'' (2014). The single was not released internationally; it was only released in Australia and some parts of Europe. It charted in Be ...

", and actor Shia LaBeouf. In the video, Ziegler and LaBeouf perform an

interpretive dance Interpretive dance is a family of modern dance styles that began around 1900 with Isadora Duncan. It used classical concert music but marked a departure from traditional concert dance. It seeks to translate human emotions, conditions, situation ...

in nude and dirt-smeared outfits. Justine Harman from ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' likened the concept of the video to the plot of ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, Unite ...

''. Jason Lipshutz from ''Billboard'' summarised: "The entirety of the video features the surprising pair interpreting the song through different body contortions: they dance-fight, collapse in the middle of the cage, crawl toward and away from each other, and make some wildly fantastic facial expressions." The video was nominated for the 2015 VMA Award for Best Female Video. ''Billboard'' selected the video as one "of the 10 best music videos of 2015 (so far)", as did ''PopCrush'', commenting that the video's "lopsided choreography and filthy warfare yields a raw, junkyard beauty that doesn't ask who will make it out alive, but whether escape is ever really on the table." ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' magazine's Vulture.com ranked it number 6 on its list of 2015's top 10 music videos. As of July 2020, the video had received more than 1.1 billion views on YouTube. It was the eighth most viewed YouTube video in 2015.

Controversy

The video "courted controversy and plaudits in equal measure", with some commentators perceiving it to have

pedophilic Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty a ...

undertones because it features an adult and child dancing together clad only in beige dancewear. Sia explained that the two dancers represented "warring 'Sia' self states," but she apologized on Twitter to anyone who was upset by the video:

I anticipated some "pedophelia!!!" Cries for this video. All I can say is Maddie and Shia are two of the only actors I felt could play, these two warring 'Sia' self states. I apologize to those who feel triggered by "Elastic Heart". My intention was to create some emotional content, not to upset anybody.

Live performances

On 17 January 2015, Sia performed "Elastic Heart" on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...

'' with

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

hosting and

and Denna Thomsen dancing. For the performance, Sia sang the song with a short black veil covering the top half of her face, while Ziegler and Thomsen recreated the dance routine in the music video wearing nude leotards and blonde wigs. Later that month, Sia made a live rendition of the song on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was pro ...

''. She also performed the song on ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

'' on 28 March and ''

The Voice US ''The Voice'' is an American singing reality competition television series broadcast on NBC. It premiered during the spring television cycle on April 26, 2011. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'' and part of ''The Voice'' franchise ...

'' on 7 April 2015. Sia also performed this song on the Nostalgic for the Present Tour in 2016.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{authority control 2010s ballads 2013 singles 2013 songs Sia (musician) songs Number-one singles in Poland Song recordings produced by Diplo Songs written by Sia (musician) Electropop ballads The Hunger Games music The Weeknd songs 2015 singles Songs written by Diplo Songs written by the Weeknd Songs written for films Music video controversies Music videos directed by Daniel Askill Obscenity controversies in music Songs about dreams RCA Records singles Republic Records singles

Release and composition

Reception

Credits and personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Sia solo version

Music video

Controversy

Live performances

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References

External links