My Delirium
Encyclopedia
"My Delirium" is a New Wave
song performed by New Zealander musician
Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album
, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008. The most commercially successful single of Ladyhawke's to date, "My Delirium" sold over 70,000 copies in Australia, peaked at number 9 on the New Zealand Music Charts, number 8 on the Australian ARIA
Singles Chart and has reached the Top 50 in UK and Denmark.
and Pascal Gabriel
, both of whom Ladyhawke worked with on her previous single. Ladyhawke later said she was looking for high-powered producers to collaborate with. Ladyhawke wrote "My Delirium" after suffering a lack of sleep due to jetlag and feeling a sense of homesickness
. According to co-writer Robinson
, 'My Delerium' and 'Dusk Till Dawn' were both written on their first and only session together. Ladyhawke, when describing her songwriting process, stated she tries "to keep simple hooky guitar riffs throughout the tracks..." and she "wanted to capture the 'happy sad' vibe that so many eighties classics had."
described the song as "brilliant", and Digital Spy
entertainment reporter David Balls labelled the song as a "glorious slice of indie-electronica". In its review, Allmusic said the song "echoes the power pop of The Bangles
and The Go-Go's
". Not all reviews were positive; Artistdirect
s Nathan Atnikov labelled the song, along with the entire Ladyhawke album, as "musically bland", and as "pedestrian dance music". Frazier McAlpine, on a BBC blog, described "My Delirium" as "grumpily delivered", and called Ladyhawke's voice "sulky" and "mardy-teen".
The video starts with Ladyhawke in a roadside motel
looking out the window while packing her bags. The video then transitions into an animated picture on the wall, depicting Ladyhawke leaving the motel and driving along a remote desert road in a Ford Thunderbird
. As the video continues, the desert road backdrop becomes more unusual, with landmarks such as Mount Rushmore
with the heads of cats being passed by, until the bridge
, where the car is seen to drive off a cliff and begins to fly. The video then continues with Ladyhawke playing the guitar in watercolour, and driving through space. The video finishes by fading out of the picture and back into the now-empty motel room.
When producing the music video, Frater collaborated with Sarah Larnach, who also drew the album cover for the Ladyhawke album and her singles. Larnach painted nearly all of the background scenes, and the images of Ladyhawke and the car were created using a rotoscope layering technique.
" and "Dusk Till Dawn
" on the UK, Australian, and New Zealand charts. The song started charting on digital downloads, debuting at number 119 on the UK Singles Chart
three weeks before its physical release. The next week it rose 44 places to number 75 with two weeks until its physical release, before continuing to rise to a peak of number 33 on 20 December. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number thirty on 2 February 2009 before peaking at number nine in its seventeenth week on the chart. It was certified Gold on 13 September 2009, selling over 7,500 copies. In Australia, the song peaked at number eight on 1 February after thirteen weeks. It has also been certified Platinum, selling over 70,000 copies. In Denmark, the song peaked at number 36, yet failed to beat "Paris is Burning" on the European charts, which had peaked at 33.
The release of "My Delirium" followed the release of "Dusk Till Dawn", which only managed to chart in the United Kingdom
at a peak of number 78. "Paris is Burning" was the most successful release previously - it had been featured on the TV show "Ugly Betty
", and peaked at number 40 on the New Zealand charts
. Following the release of "My Delirium", "Paris is Burning" was re-released and outperformed its previous chart positions.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
song performed by New Zealander musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album
Ladyhawke (album)
Ladyhawke is the eponymous debut album by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released on 22 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Produced by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates...
, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008. The most commercially successful single of Ladyhawke's to date, "My Delirium" sold over 70,000 copies in Australia, peaked at number 9 on the New Zealand Music Charts, number 8 on the Australian ARIA
ARIA Charts
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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
Singles Chart and has reached the Top 50 in UK and Denmark.
Background and writing
"My Delirium" was written by Ladyhawke, alongside Hannah RobinsonHannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson is a British songwriter. Her best known compositions include the "Some Girls", a UK #2 for British pop star Rachel Stevens and Ladyhawke's "My Delirium". She also a vocalist and in 2006 achieved a #1 on the U.S...
and Pascal Gabriel
Pascal Gabriel
Pascal Richard Marcel Gabriel is a Belgian-born musician based in London. His musical career began in 1977 in the punk rock band The Razors...
, both of whom Ladyhawke worked with on her previous single. Ladyhawke later said she was looking for high-powered producers to collaborate with. Ladyhawke wrote "My Delirium" after suffering a lack of sleep due to jetlag and feeling a sense of homesickness
Homesickness
Homesickness is the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from the specific home environment or attachment objects....
. According to co-writer Robinson
Hannah Robinson
Hannah Robinson is a British songwriter. Her best known compositions include the "Some Girls", a UK #2 for British pop star Rachel Stevens and Ladyhawke's "My Delirium". She also a vocalist and in 2006 achieved a #1 on the U.S...
, 'My Delerium' and 'Dusk Till Dawn' were both written on their first and only session together. Ladyhawke, when describing her songwriting process, stated she tries "to keep simple hooky guitar riffs throughout the tracks..." and she "wanted to capture the 'happy sad' vibe that so many eighties classics had."
Critical reception
"My Delirium" received several positive reviews from critics. Nisha Diu of The Sunday Telegraph described "My Delirium" as "...a moody, energetic anthem underscored by insistent drums and a soulful vocal..." PopjusticePopjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
described the song as "brilliant", and Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
entertainment reporter David Balls labelled the song as a "glorious slice of indie-electronica". In its review, Allmusic said the song "echoes the power pop of The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
and The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
". Not all reviews were positive; Artistdirect
ARTISTdirect
Founded in 1994, Artistdirect, Inc. is an online digital media entertainment company. It owns several websites including Artistdirect.com, UBL.com and the Artistdirect Network...
s Nathan Atnikov labelled the song, along with the entire Ladyhawke album, as "musically bland", and as "pedestrian dance music". Frazier McAlpine, on a BBC blog, described "My Delirium" as "grumpily delivered", and called Ladyhawke's voice "sulky" and "mardy-teen".
Music video
The music video for "My Delirium" was directed by Benji Davies and Jim Field, known as Frater.The video starts with Ladyhawke in a roadside motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
looking out the window while packing her bags. The video then transitions into an animated picture on the wall, depicting Ladyhawke leaving the motel and driving along a remote desert road in a Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
. As the video continues, the desert road backdrop becomes more unusual, with landmarks such as Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
with the heads of cats being passed by, until the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
, where the car is seen to drive off a cliff and begins to fly. The video then continues with Ladyhawke playing the guitar in watercolour, and driving through space. The video finishes by fading out of the picture and back into the now-empty motel room.
When producing the music video, Frater collaborated with Sarah Larnach, who also drew the album cover for the Ladyhawke album and her singles. Larnach painted nearly all of the background scenes, and the images of Ladyhawke and the car were created using a rotoscope layering technique.
Use in the media
- The song was used on one episode of The World's Strictest ParentsThe World's Strictest ParentsThe World's Strictest Parents is a television series developed by TwentyTwenty Television, originally broadcast in Britain by the BBC. America's CMT and Australia's Channel Seven have both created localised versions of the programme, with the CMT episodes frequently rebroadcasting on MTV...
. - An instrumental version of the song was used on a Top Gear episode (Series 12, Episode 6).
- It was also occasionally used on the Nine NetworkNine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's Sunday Footy ShowThe NRL Footy ShowThe Footy Show is a Logie Award-winning Australian sports variety television programme, shown on the Nine Network and its affiliates. Following the success of the AFL program of the same name, the Nine Network quickly developed a version for the rugby league market. The rugby league version has...
. - "My Delirium" was featured in the video game Dirt 2.
- The song was used in the intros round of the popular UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
panel gamePanel gameA panel game or panel show is a radio or television game show in which a panel of celebrities participates. Panelists may compete with each other, such as on The News Quiz; facilitate play by guest contestants, such as on Match Game/Blankety Blank; or do both, such as on Wait Wait.....
show Never Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the BuzzcocksNever Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
(Series 23, Episode 4) - The song was also featured in Forum Snowboarding's 2010 Film F*ck It.
Chart performance
"My Delirium" is Ladyhawke's most commercially successful song to date, having charted higher than both "Paris is BurningParis Is Burning (song)
"Paris Is Burning" is a song by Ladyhawke, taken from her debut self titled album. "Paris Is Burning" is the musician's second single, however it is the first to receive a physical release...
" and "Dusk Till Dawn
Dusk Till Dawn (Ladyhawke song)
"Dusk Till Dawn" is a song by New Zealand recording artist Ladyhawke, released as the third single from her self-titled debut album, Ladyhawke...
" on the UK, Australian, and New Zealand charts. The song started charting on digital downloads, debuting at number 119 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
three weeks before its physical release. The next week it rose 44 places to number 75 with two weeks until its physical release, before continuing to rise to a peak of number 33 on 20 December. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number thirty on 2 February 2009 before peaking at number nine in its seventeenth week on the chart. It was certified Gold on 13 September 2009, selling over 7,500 copies. In Australia, the song peaked at number eight on 1 February after thirteen weeks. It has also been certified Platinum, selling over 70,000 copies. In Denmark, the song peaked at number 36, yet failed to beat "Paris is Burning" on the European charts, which had peaked at 33.
The release of "My Delirium" followed the release of "Dusk Till Dawn", which only managed to chart in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at a peak of number 78. "Paris is Burning" was the most successful release previously - it had been featured on the TV show "Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty
Ugly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
", and peaked at number 40 on the New Zealand charts
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
. Following the release of "My Delirium", "Paris is Burning" was re-released and outperformed its previous chart positions.
Charts
| Charts | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts 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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
8 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
60 |
| Denmark Singles Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
36 |
| European Hot 100 Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
92 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
9 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
33 |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 41 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 42 |
Sales and certifications
| Country | Provider | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
70,000+ | Platinum |
| New Zealand | RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
7,500+ | Gold |
Track listing
- "My Delirium"
- "My Delirium" (Sunship Remix)
- "My Delirium" (Sugardaddy Remix)
- "My Delirium" (Chateau Marmont Remix)