Christine (Christine and the Queens song)

"Christine", also released under the titles "Cripple" and "Tilted", is a song by Héloïse Letissier who records under the name Christine and the Queens. "Christine", which is recorded in French, was released for download on 13 October 2014 through Because Music as the third single from her debut studio album Chaleur humaine (2014). It was, however, originally recorded in English titled "Cripple" in 2012, and a later English version was released as "Tilted" on 3 March 2015.[2] It was named one of the ten best songs of 2015 by Time magazine.[3] "Christine" was a number one hit on both of Belgium's Ultratop charts and peaked at number 3 in France, while "Tilted" became a top 20 hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

"Christine"
Single by Christine and the Queens
from the album Chaleur humaine
Released
  • 13 October 2014 (2014-10-13) ("Christine")
  • 3 March 2015 (2015-03-03) ("Tilted")
Recorded2014
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length3:54
LabelBecause
Songwriter(s)Héloïse Letissier
Producer(s)Letissier
Christine and the Queens singles chronology
"Saint Claude"
(2014)		 "Christine"
(2014)		 "Paradis perdus"
(2015)
"Tilted" singles chronology
"Jonathan"
(2015)		 "Tilted"
(2015)		 "Saint Claude"
(2016)
Alternative cover
"Tilted" cover art
Music videos
"Christine" on YouTube
"Tilted" on YouTube

Background

According to Héloïse Letissier, when she first wrote the song, it was written in English. It was originally recorded under the title "Cripple" for an EP, Mac Abbey, in 2012. However, when she performed the song in Brighton in May 2013, the chorus "I actually do enjoy being a cripple" was poorly received by the audience. Letissier said: "... there was a huge embarrassed silence. I thought it was really ambiguous! But it's not."[4][5] She reworked the lyrics in French as "Christine" for her 2014 debut album, and from this she made another English version, "Tilted".[6] The English and French versions are not an exact translation and have significant differences in their lyrics, for example the English version begins with "I will die before Methuselah / So I'll fight sleep with ammonia," while the French version may be translated as "I start books at the end / And I hold my head high for nothing " (Je commence les livres par la fin / Et j'ai le menton haut pour un rien).[7]

Letissier said that the song is "an easy song with an uneasy subject. It's about feeling out of place, not finding your balance, or being depressed even, but with playful images, with a song you can dance on." She explained that the song is about "embracing the fact that you can't really find your balance", which in her case is embracing her own awkwardness and the feeling of being imperfect. It would therefore be about "embracing who you are", and "being proud of who you are and where you stand".[8] She also explained the English title of the song: "The French song is talking about the same difficulty of turning on your feet. I was searching for lots of images or words that could fit, and I just stumbled upon this word, to tilt or be tilted, and I was exactly trying to find this image. It's literally talking about not finding your balance with a playful image."[8]

Music video

A music video to accompany the release of "Christine" was first released onto YouTube on 18 December 2014 at a total length of three minutes and fifty-six seconds.[9] The minimal and largely blue and black visuals in the videos for "Christine" and the English version "Tilted" are identical, and feature Letissier and her dancers performing intricate dance routines on a platform.[10] During the last scene of Better Things' second-season finale, the music video was reenacted by Sam, Frankie, Duke and Phyllis as a graduation gift for Max. Pitchfork would go on to name the sequence as one of "The 10 Best Music Moments on TV in 2017".[11]

Track listings

"Christine"
Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Christine"3:54

"Tilted"
Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Tilted"3:54
Remixes digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Tilted" (MS MR Remix)3:46
2."Tilted" (Clock Opera Remix)3:39
3."Tilted" (Bayonne Remix)4:05
4."Tilted" (Paradis Remix)5:50
5."Tilted" (Danny L Harle Remix)2:31

Chart performance

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
France 13 October 2014
Because Music [30][14]
United States 3 March 2015 Digital download [31]
United Kingdom 15 January 2016 Digital download [32]

References
  1. Niemann, Ruby (25 July 2016). "Album Review: Christine and the Queens – Christine and the Queens (2016 LP)". The AU Review. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  2. Bennett, Kim (3 March 2015). "Prepare to Fall for Christine And The Queens: Here's Her Single "Tilted"". Noisey. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  3. Nolan Feeney; Maura Johnston (December 1, 2015). "Top 10 Best Songs". Time.
  4. Snapes, Laura (4 September 2016). "Christine and the Queens: 'I just want to shatter everything'". The Observer.
  5. MOoveVevo (23 June 2015). "Christine And The Queens - Cripple (Audio)" – via YouTube.
  6. Nick Williams (June 11, 2015). "Christine and The Queens's 'It Girl' Heloise Letissier on Her A-List Fans and Her Drag Queen-Inspired Alter Ego". Billboard.
  7. Hann, Michael (7 December 2016). "Best albums of 2016: No 8 Chaleur Humaine by Christine and the Queens". The Guardian.
  8. Feeney, Nolan (December 21, 2015). "Here's How Christine and the Queens Wrote One of the Year's Best Songs". Time.
  9. Christine and the Queens (18 December 2014). "Christine and The Queens - Christine (Clip Officiel)" – via YouTube.
  10. Hunt, El (18 January 2016). "Christine and the Queens Gets Blue-Hued in Her 'Tilted' Video". DIY.
  11. Berman, Judy. "The 10 Best Music Moments on TV in 2017". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  14. "Lescharts.com – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Les classement single.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – Christine and the Queens – Christine". Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 september 2016.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Christine and the Queens – Christine" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 september 2016.
  19. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2017". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  20. "Dutch single certifications – Christine and The Queens – Christine" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved April 6, 2020. Enter Christine in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  21. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Christine and The Queens; 'Christine')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  22. "CHART WATCH #376". auspOp. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  23. "Tilted". RÚV. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Tilted". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  25. "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-07-30.
  27. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  28. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  29. "British single certifications – Christine and the Queens – Tilted". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 March 2017. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Tilted in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  30. "Christine And The Queens – Christine (CD)". Discogs. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  31. "iTunes - Music - Saint Claude - EP by Christine and the Queens". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  32. "Tilted – Christine and the Queens". Qobuz. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
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