Ever since the dawn of MTV and Friday Night Videos, the music video has significantly impacted musical tastes and pop culture. It might not be as extreme as when the Buggles declared that "Video Killed the Radio Star", but there is no arguing that the music video certainly could make or break a song's popularity. So this regular Flashback Video feature will serve to remember some of the music videos from the great '80s decade that made an impact on me in one way or another.
This issue we will cover "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double. The single by the Swiss music duo Double (pronounced Doo-Blay) was released as a single in 1986 and went on to become a worldwide hit. It reached the Top 15 in Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, Austria and the UK before eventually peaking at #16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts. "The Captain of Her Heart" is about a girl realizing that she can no longer wait for the guy who has won her heart and she must move on. The wonderful piano-led ballad also features a smooth saxophone solo by Christian Ostermeier and has gone on to become the most enduring pop hit to come out of Switzerland. I really relate to what Stewart Mason, a journalist for AllMusic, said about the song calling it “one of the great lost one hit wonders of the '80s” and stating that “the Swiss duo never managed to capitalize on this song’s casual sophistication and melodic grace, but it remains a glorious anomaly.”
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 U.S. version of the video incorporates more of a storyline, with alternating location shots featuring the band members and various female models. Here is the U.S. version of the music video for "The Captain of Her Heart" by Double...
I had the pleasure of an interview with Kurt Maloo of Double and you can check that out to find out much more about them and this underrated gem of a song.
Hope you enjoyed another trip back to the '80s thanks to Flashback Video!