The Captain of Her Heart

"The Captain of Her Heart"
Single by Double
from the album Blue
B-side	"Your Prayer Takes Me Off"
Released	September 1985
Format	12" maxi single, 7" single
Recorded	1985
Genre	Jazz-rock, sophisti-pop
Length	4:34 (Album Version) 3:59 (Radio Edit)
Label	Double City, Metronome, Polydor A&M
Writer(s)	Kurt Maloo, Felix Haug
Producer(s)	Double
Double singles chronology
"Woman of the World" (1984) "The Captain of Her Heart" (1985) "Devils Ball" (1987)

"The Captain of Her Heart" is a single by the Swiss duo Double in 1985. Taken from their 1985 album Blue, the song is a ballad about a girl waiting in vain for her absent lover to return. The song was an international success, reaching No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also made Double the first Swiss act to hit the Top 40 in the Billboard Hot 100.

In a retrospective review of the song, Allmusic journalist Stewart Mason suggested that the song is "one of the great lost one hit wonders of the mid-1980s." Mason wrote: "The Swiss duo never managed to capitalize on this song's casual sophistication and melodic grace, but it remains a glorious anomaly."^[1]

Music video

There were two different music videos produced for the song. The original Swiss version features the band performing the song in a darkened room. The US version of the video incorporates more of a storyline, with alternating location shots featuring the band members and various female models.

In the US version of the video, a young girl with bleached blonde hair appears. It is often claimed that this was a young Denise Richards, although this has never been confirmed. Others claim the model was actually Scottish model Mickey Monroe.^[2]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by Randy Crawford, Laurent Voulzy, Koto, Roland Kaiser, Ronnie Jones and Beauty & Deep. Contemporary jazz pianist Duncan Millar offered his take on his 2001 album Good to Go.^[3]

Spanish versions

A Spanish version of this song was written in 2016 by Cristian Rosemary.

Track listings

7" single (Polydor)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 3:59
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

7" single (A&M)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 3:59
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

7" single (Metronome)

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04

12" maxi single

1. "The Captain of Her Heart" – 4:35
2. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part II – Dub) – 4:04
3. "Your Prayer Takes Me Off" (Part I) – 6:30

Charts

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[4]	11
Australia (ARIA)[5]	64
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[6]	15
France (SNEP)[7]	9
Germany (Official German Charts)[8]	10
Ireland (IRMA)[9]	6
Italy (FIMI)[10]	3
Norway (VG-lista)[11]	9
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12]	8
US Billboard Hot 100[13]	16
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[14]	4

References

1. Mason, Stewart. "The Captain of Her Heart – Double : Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
2. "Retro ACTIVE Critiques".
3. "Good to Go overview". Allmusic.com.
4. "Swisscharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
5. "australian-charts.com – Forum – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Retrieved 23 March 2013.
6. "Austriancharts.at – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
7. "Lescharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
8. "Musicline.de – Double Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
9. "irishcharts.ie search results". Retrieved 23 March 2013.
10. "Hit Parade Italia – Top Settimanali Single, 1986, 22–02". Retrieved 23 March 2013.
11. "Norwegiancharts.com – Double – The Captain of Her Heart". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
12. "Archive Chart: 1986-02-15" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
13. "Double – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Double. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
14. "Double – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Double. Retrieved 23 March 2013.