"Heavyweight Champion of the World" is the debut single of English band Reverend and the Makers as well as the first single from their debut album, '' The State of Things'' (2007). The single was released on 6 May 2007 on download only and was subsequently released on CD and 7-inch vinyl on 28 May that year. The single was also released on a

white label A white label record is a vinyl record with white labels attached. There are several variations each with a different purpose. Variations include test pressings, white label promos, and plain white labels. Test pressings Test pressings, usua ...

which was limited to 800 copies; the track list for this release is the same as the standard vinyl. The song peaked at number eight 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 ...

and number 85 on the Australian

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 ...

. It was certified gold 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 th ...

in 2022 for sales and streams exceeding 400,000 units.

Inspiration

"Heavyweight Champion Of The World" tells a story of not just under-achievers, but the majority who are trapped within repetitive lives, with the ironic hook "just be like everybody else". Many songs by the band centre on the downward spiral of somebody's life. The song title is taken from a line of

Barry Hines Melvin Barry Hines, FRSL (30 June 1939 – 18 March 2016) was an English author, playwright and screenwriter. His novels and screenplays explore the political and economic struggles of working-class Northern England, particularly in his native W ...

book ''A Kestrel for a Knave''. Like the song, the book's main character is an under-achieving young boy growing up in Yorkshire. The song has received rave reviews, and appeared as

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

's 'Hottest Record In The World Today', and is equally liked by Radio 1 DJs

Nick Grimshaw Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), also known as Grimmy, is an English television and former radio presenter, podcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a t ...

and

Greg James Gregory James Alan Milward (born 17 December 1985) is an English radio and television presenter, comedian and author. He is the host of BBC Radio 1's breakfast show, co-presenter on the cricket podcast '' Tailenders'' alongside Felix White and ...

. The single is accredited to

Jon McClure Jon McClure (born 22 December 1981), known as The Reverend, is an English musician. He is the lead singer and frontman of Reverend and The Makers, and ex-vocalist of 1984 and Judan Suki. He says that the name "Reverend" became his moniker because ...

, Ed Cosens and

Alan Smyth Alan Smyth is an English record producer from Sheffield, England. He has worked with a number of bands, including Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and The Makers, The Long Blondes, Milburn, Richard Hawley, The Fever Club, The Scaramanga Six, Smok ...

, acknowledging the work that Smyth did towards the demo of the song. In addition to the reference to Barry Hines, the song's chorus includes another pugilistic reference, from the movie

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...

. The line, "I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody" spoken by

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

in the movie is closely paraphrased in the song's lyrics as "I could've been a contender/Could've been a someone

Track listings

UK 7-inch single :A1. "Heavyweight Champion of the World" :B1. "18-30" :B2. "The Last Resort" (with

John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with sev ...

) UK CD single # "Heavyweight Champion of the World" # "18-30" (extended) # "Heavyweight Champion of the World" (club mix) Australian maxi-CD single # "Heavyweight Champion of the World" # "18-30" # "Heavyweight Champion of the World" (club) # "Heavyweight Champion of the World" (dub) # "The Last Resort" (with John Cooper Clarke)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2007 debut singles 2007 songs PIAS Recordings singles Reverend and The Makers songs Songs written by Alan Smyth Wall of Sound (record label) singles