"Wicked Game" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

musician

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and sig ...

from his third album '' Heart Shaped World'' (1989). It was released as a single to little attention in July 1989 but became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

when Lee Chestnut, an

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

radio station music director who loved

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

films, began broadcasting it after hearing it in Lynch's film '' Wild at Heart'' (1990). The song quickly became an American top 10 hit in March 1991, reaching No. 6 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. It also became a No. 1 hit in Belgium and reached the top 10 in several other countries. "Wicked Game" has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

by a wide variety of musicians and has been featured in numerous films, television series, and commercials, to the point that ''

Dazed ''Dazed'' (''Dazed & Confused'' until February 2014) is a quarterly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. ''Dazed'' is published by Dazed Media, an independent media group known for produ ...

'' magazine questioned whether it might be the most influential love song in modern music. It subsequently received retrospective critical acclaim, being listed in the 2010 book ''1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die'' and the updated edition of the 1989 book ''The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made''.

Composition

The song is in B Dorian, performed in what

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

describes as a "brooding, sorrowfully conflicted" tone. Although it is often interpreted as a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

about

unrequited love Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep affection, or may consciously reject it knowing that the admirer admires them. Me ...

, Chris Isaak has said that the song was inspired by a telephone call from a woman seeking to arrange a hook-up and is about "what happens when you have a strong attraction to people that aren't necessarily good for you". It was written shortly after the call. During the sessions for Isaak's third album '' Heart Shaped World'', many different versions and arrangements of the song were made before the final version was completed. James Calvin Wilsey wrote and played the distinctive guitar lead using a

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of double- cutaway electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corpora ...

's whammy bar; both the bassline and drums were

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

from previous recordings of the song and looped.

Critical reception

The '' Aberdeen Evening Express'' extolled the "haunting strains" of "Wicked Game." Grant Walters of ''Albumism'' praised the song as a "pristine union of Isaak's aching vocal and the desolate wail of James Calvin Wilsey's '65 Stratocaster." He added, "Underneath, the brushed drum loop, simple bass line, and muted background vocals create a simmering atmospheric buzz." Steve Huey of

described it as a "shimmering," "spare," "smoky," and "moody masterpiece."

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

'' called it " delicious treat." Alaister Moughan from ''

'' wrote, "Some songs are masterpieces, some represent moments in time, and others are simply good jams. Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game" is all three." Joe Rhodes from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' stated that this is "perhaps the

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

's darkest mood piece," noting its "otherworldly" opening guitar line. Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' described it as " laid-back C&W tinged song featuring Isaak's Orbison-esque vocals." Duncan Holland from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' felt that its "dexterity and panache is something rarely heard. The touches of Roy Orbison only make it stronger and given the right airplay, Isaak should score a significant, if unpredictable hit." A reviewer from '' Sunday Life'' complimented it as " brooding

, image-laden, and worthy of Roy Orbison in his heyday."

Music videos

There are two different

music videos A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for this song. The more well-known video was directed by

Herb Ritts Herbert Ritts Jr. (August 13, 1952 – December 26, 2002) was an American fashion photographer and director known for his photographs of celebrities, models, and other cultural figures throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His work concentrated on b ...

and shot in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

at the short-lived Kamoamoa Beach in

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

on the Big Island. The newly formed black-sand beach was created from lava from Kilauea volcano flowing into the ocean about a mile away. The beach was covered by lava not long after the video was shot. The video features

supermodel A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model who has a worldwide reputation and background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term became popular in the 1990s. Supermodels usually work for prominent fashion designers and clothin ...

Helena Christensen Helena Christensen (born 25 December 1968) is a Danish fashion model. She is a former Victoria's Secret Angel, co-founder and original creative director for ''Nylon'' magazine, and she is a supporter of funding for breast cancer organizations an ...

rolling and frolicking on the beach with Isaak. It was mostly filmed in black and white. Christensen is topless through most of the video, although her nudity is concealed by camera angles. In the middle of the video, Christensen is seen only in her black lace bra and panty; other times, she wears only a men's white brief. The video achieved heavy rotation on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

and

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

, winning the

MTV Video Music Awards The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

for Best Male Video and Best Cinematography at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards. It was ranked number 13 on

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's "100 Greatest Videos", number 3 on ''

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''’s “Greatest Music Videos of all time”, number four on

's "50 Sexiest Video Moments", number 73 on ''

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'' magazine's "The 100 Top Music Videos", number one on ''

'' magazine's "The 30 Sexiest Music Videos of All Time", and number one on Fuse's "40 Sexiest Videos" in 2010. Another video was commissioned for the '' Wild at Heart'' VHS release and was directed by

. It features scenes of Lula Pace Fortune ( Laura Dern) and Sailor Ripley (

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

) from the film, interspersed with black-and-white footage of Isaak and his band performing the song. This video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film.

Track listings

* US 7-inch and cassette single :A. "Wicked Game" (edit) – 4:06 :B. "Wicked Game" (instrumental) – 4:48 * European 7-inch single (1989) :A. "Wicked Game" – 4:46 :B. "Don't Make Me Dream About You" – 3:30 * UK 7-inch and cassette single :A. "Wicked Game" :B. "Cool Cat Walk" (by Angelo Badalamenti) * UK 12-inch and CD single # "Wicked Game" # "Cool Cat Walk" (by Badalamenti) # "Dark Spanish Symphony" (by Badalamenti; string version) * French CD single # "Wicked Game" – 4:46 # "Don't Make Me Dream About You" – 3:30 # "Wicked Game" (instrumental) – 4:48 * French cassette single # "Wicked Game" (edit) – 4:46 # "Don't Make Me Dream About You" – 3:30

Personnel

– vocals, acoustic guitar * James Calvin Wilsey – electric guitar, backing vocals * Rowland Salley – bass guitar, backing vocals * Kenney Dale Johnson – drums, backing vocals * Frank Martin – keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Other versions

HIM

The Finnish band HIM remade this song, first using it in their demo ''This Is Only the Beginning'', then on their 1996 EP '' 666 Ways to Love: Prologue'', followed by another recording of it on their first album '' Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666'' in 1997, and again on the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and American versions of their second album '' Razorblade Romance'' in 2000. The last recording they made of it then reappeared on their compilation album '' And Love Said No: The Greatest Hits 1997–2004''. "Wicked Game" became the band's breakthrough song in their native

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Their version appeared in "Solitude", a 2005 season 5 episode of ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

''.

Track listings

* German release # "Wicked Game" – 3:54 # "For You" – 4:00 # "Our Diabolical Rapture" – 5:20 # "Wicked Game" (666 Remix) – 3:58 * Finnish release # "Wicked Game" # "For You" * 2000 UK release # "Wicked Game" – 3:36 # "When Love and Death Embrace" (Amnt Mix) – 3:34 # "The Heartless" (Serdlidlim Mix) – 3:11 * 2000 Swedish release # "Wicked Game" 2000 # "When Love and Death Embrace" (Amnt Mix) – 3:34

Parra for Cuva

In 2013, German house producer

Parra for Cuva Nicolas Demuth (born August 27, 1991), known by his stage name Parra for Cuva is a German electronic music producer and DJ. Career Life and early career Nicolas Demuth grew up in a small town close to Göttingen in the state of Lower Saxo ...

released a cover version that featured Anna Naklab. The single was re-titled as "Wicked Games" in plural. It was first released on

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...

worldwide as a digital download in August 2013, then a mainstream release as a digital download in France in October 2013 and in Germany on February 14, 2014. The song has charted in Australia, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Track listing

#"Wicked Games" (radio edit) – 3:15 #"Wicked Games" (original mix) – 5:58

Charts

=Weekly charts

=Year-end charts

Certifications

Stone Sour

On June 26, 2007,

Stone Sour Stone Sour was an American rock band formed in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1992. The band performed for five years before disbanding in 1997. They reunited in 2000; since 2015, the group has consisted of Corey Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Josh Rand ...

released a cover of the song on the special edition version of the album '' Come What(ever) May''. It was certified Gold by both the

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

in 2024 and

Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

in 2021.

Phillip Phillips

Phillip Phillips, winner of the eleventh season of ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

'', included a cover of "Wicked Game" in the deluxe edition of his 2012 debut album, '' The World from the Side of the Moon''.

Boy & Bear

Australian

indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...

band Boy & Bear recorded a cover of this song which was released as a single on February 14, 2020 and was later included on their album ''Boy & Bear at Golden Retriever Studio''. It was certified Gold by ARIA in 2023.

Marcus & Martinus

In 2022, Norwegian

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

duo Marcus & Martinus released their version after performing it on season 2 of '' Masked Singer Sverige''. The song was later included on their 2024 album ''Unforgettable''.

Tenacious D

On June 1, 2023, American

comedy rock Comedy rock is a genre of rock music that is Comedy music, comedic in nature. It is often mixed with satirical music, satire or irony.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All music guide to rock: the definitive guide to rock, pop, and ...

duo

Tenacious D Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles in 1994 by the actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass. Their music showcases Black's theatrical vocal delivery and Gass' acoustic guitar playing. Critics have described their fusion of ...

released a cover of the song as a single, with an accompanying music video.

Girls Aloud

In 2024, English-Irish girl group

Girls Aloud Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop music, pop girl group that was created through the ITV (TV network), ITV talent show ''Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl (singer), Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, N ...

released a cover of "Wicked Game" as part of a 20th anniversary reissue of their 2004 studio album '' What Will The Neighbours Say?'' While the track was originally intended to serve as a lead single for their 2005 studio album ''

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

'', it was scrapped in favor of the single " Long Hot Summer" and eventually excluded from the album upon its release. Along with the two other songs released as part of the album's reissue, "Disco Bunny" and "Baby When You Go", the track is notable as the first posthumous release of material containing vocals from Girls Aloud member

Sarah Harding Sarah Harding (born Sarah Nicole Hardman; 17 November 1981 – 5 September 2021) was an English singer, model and actress. Her professional career began in 2002 when she successfully auditioned for the ITV (TV channel), ITV reality series ''Po ...

, who died of breast cancer in 2021.

Oceans of Slumber

In 2024, Texan heavy-metal band Oceans of Slumber released a cover of "Wicked Game" on their album ''Where Gods Fear to Speak''.

References

{{Authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles 1990 singles 1998 singles American folk rock songs Chris Isaak songs HIM (Finnish band) songs Il Divo songs MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video Music videos directed by Herb Ritts Music videos directed by David Lynch Black-and-white music videos Song recordings produced by Erik Jacobsen Bertelsmann Music Group singles Reprise Records singles Syco Music singles Spinnin' Records singles Songs written by Chris Isaak Country ballads 1980s ballads Songs about casual sex