Chris Isaak and his ‘Wicked Game’
“Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.” That’s what King James’ bible has to say about music. I am pretty sure his royal highness hasn’t even heard an electric guitar in his lifetime. We are lucky as the wonderful sounds of everybody from Jimi Hendrix to Jack White are only a click away. Many of today’s generation won’t even remember a name like Chris Isaak, because he was famous around 30 years ago. He is still active, mind you, but not as well-known. Many people said Chris Isaak’s sounds like the great Elvis Presley, so you know he’s got it. And he’s putting it all on show when he’s performing his greatest hit, ‘Wicked Game’.
Chris Isaak
The famous crooner started his career in the late 70s and became famous for his classic 1950s rock & roll. Besides Elvis Presley, Mr. Isaak is compared to Ricky Nelson and Roy Orbison. He has released 12 studio albums in his 4-decade career and the biggest hits include “Wicked Game”, “Somebody’s Crying”, “Blue Hotel” and “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing”. He even appeared in a few movies and has a good relationship with director David Lynch. The amazing filmmaker loves using Chris Isaak’s songs in his movies.
Wicked Game
Chris Isaak’s released his greatest hit in the summer of 1989. It comes from the album ‘Heart Shaped World’ released the same year. Initially, it didn’t leave a big impression on the world, but David Lynch and one of his admirers changed that very quickly. David Lynch used the song in ‘Wild Heart’ and a radio director from Atlanta kept playing ‘Wicked Game’. The beautiful composition caught fire and by 1991 it was number 6 in the USA and number 1 in Europe.
That guitar riff… those vocals… I haven’t been to a concert of his personally, but a friend of mine told me it was the best live vocal performance she witnessed. I disagree with people who call him a one-hit wonder, but I assure you, his pantheon of ballads gets better the more you listen to him. If you don’t believe me, just hear ‘Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing’!
Many covered the song so many times since its debut over 30 years ago, ‘Dazed‘ magazine called it possibly the most influential song in modern music. ‘Watch and Listen‘ magazine decided it’s the greatest song in the history of music. Have a listen one more time, tell us what you think?