Two of Hearts (song)

"Two of Hearts"
Single by Stacey Q
from the album Better Than Heaven
B-side	"Dancing Nowhere" "Shy Girl"
Released	June 24, 1986 (1986-06-24)
Format	7" 12" CD
Recorded	1985 Formula 1 Studios La Habra, California
Genre	Hi-NRG[1][2] new wave synthpop
Length	3:58
Label	On The Spot Atlantic
Writer(s)	John Mitchell Tim Greene Sue Gatlin
Producer(s)	Jon St. James
Stacey Q singles chronology
"Two of Hearts" (1985) "We Connect" (1986)

"Two of Hearts" is a hit song recorded by American singer Stacey Q. Local singer Sue Gatlin, who originally intended to record the song herself, co-wrote the tune along with John Mitchell and Tim Greene. Although Gatlin did record her own version, Stacey Q released her version first, and it would become the latter's biggest hit.

Musically, "Two of Hearts" is a Hi-NRG song. It utilizes vocal sampling with the repetitive usage of the line "I Need You" in its hook. The lyrics of the song revolve around love and romance. "Two of Hearts" received positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success. It peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the highest-selling singles of 1986. "Two of Hearts" was ranked number twenty-seven in VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s.

The accompanying music video was directed by Peter Lippman. It depicts Stacey Q dancing in front of a white background in various outfits and performing at a night club. "Two of Hearts" has been covered by a number of artists and has appeared in feature films such as Nowhere, Little Nicky, Party Monster and Hot Rod (where it was done to punchdance).

Background and recording

After the release of the album Playback (1983) with the band SSQ, Stacey Q began working with Jon St. James on her solo material. St. James brought her the song "Two of Hearts," suggesting that she record it. "Two of Hearts" was a tune St. James had initially produced for Sue Gatlin, who had co-written the song with John Mitchell and Tim Greene and recorded her own version.^[3] At first, Stacey Q refused to record a song written by someone else, but later she changed her mind and decided to record it.^[4]

Stacey Q's first recording of the tune was released by On The Spot Records in 1985 and featured on her self-titled debut EP from the same year. Meanwhile, Gatlin had recorded her own version of the tune, although it would not be released until the following year. Stacey Q's version was later taken by Atlantic Records, re-recorded, and released on January 4, 1986 as the lead single from Q's debut studio album Better Than Heaven, released later that year.

Cover versions

• Japanese singer Yōko Nagayama covered the song on her 1986 album VENUS.
• Kelly Osbourne's cover of the song appears as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of her 2005 album Sleeping in the Nothing.
• Brad Walsh released a version in 2006.
• Purple Crush released a version in 2007.
• In 2007, the Korean pop group Wonder Girls sampled "Two of Hearts" in their single "Tell Me", produced by JYP Entertainment.
• Norwegian singer Annie covered the song in 2008.

Track listings and formats

Credits and personnel

• Stacey Q – vocals
• John Mitchell – songwriter
• Sue Gatlin – songwriter
• Tim Greene – songwriter
• Jon St. James – producer, keyboards
• Rich West – keyboards
• Skip Hahn – keyboards
• Karl Moet – drums
• Jeff C. Fishman – associate producer
• William J. Walker – associate producer
• Lester Cohen – photography

Charts

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics