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Cupid's Chokehold

2004 song by Gym Class Heroes

2004 song by Gym Class Heroes

FieldValue
nameCupid's Chokehold
coverCupid's Chokehold.jpg
typesingle
artistGym Class Heroes featuring Patrick Stump
albumThe Papercut Chronicles and As Cruel as School Children
released2004
producerSAM
chronologyGym Class Heroes
prev_titlePapercuts
prev_year2005
next_titleThe Queen and I
next_year2006
misc{{Extra chronology
artistGym Class Heroes
typesingles
prev_titleNew Friend Request
prev_year2006
titleCupid's Chokehold
year2006
next_titleShoot Down the Stars
next_year2007
  • 4:03 (The Papercut Chronicles version)
  • 3:58 (As Cruel as School Children version)
  • Decaydance
  • Fueled by Ramen
  • Travis McCoy
  • Rick Davies
  • Roger Hodgson

"Cupid's Chokehold" is a song by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, featuring the vocals of Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. The song relies heavily on the music and chorus from Supertramp's hit song "Breakfast in America" written by Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, number three on the UK Singles Chart, and number three on the Canadian Hot 100.

It was first released in 2004 on The Papercut Chronicles, and re-recorded for their album As Cruel as School Children (which was re-released on November 4, 2006, with "Cupid's Chokehold" as an additional track). There are two music videos for this song, one for each version.

The second version includes female backing vocals, which are not included in version one. The second version of the video does contain the backing vocals of the first video. However, the female voice is integrated into the chorus behind Patrick Stump's vocals. The song has been featured on Discover and Download and Total Request Live.

Several versions were produced. The most common one features a slow tempo and female backing vocals while the other one has a quicker tempo and Patrick Stump doing backing vocals, along with Rand Bellavia (of Ookla the Mok). The song won an ASCAP award on April 9, 2008, for being one of the most-played songs in the ASCAPs repertory from the end of 2006 through the end of 2007. As of September 2011, the song has sold 1,936,000 digital downloads.

UK happy hardcore producers Darren Styles and Whizzkid covered the song in 2007, this version being simply titled 'Girlfriend', which got an extended release on vinyl in 2009.

Composition

Drummer Matt McGinley said,

That song was kind of an accident that it even happened. We wrote it in our old bass player's bedroom one afternoon, and it was really unintentional. We were just going to rehearse for our show. We didn't sit down and say, "Okay, let's write a song." That song just sort of happened. Our friend Sie One had the Supertramp ''[Breakfast in America (song)

Music videos

''The Papercut Chronicles'' version

The first version of the "Cupid's Chokehold" video directed by Andrew Paul Bowser for the album The Papercut Chronicles features [MC Travie McCoy working at a toy factory. While working, he stumbles upon a "prototype toy" which turns out to be a life-size doll. The doll acts as McCoy's girlfriend in the video and fulfills his every wish.

However, she eventually becomes tired of being exploited and expresses this in a humorous scene where the two are playing Scrabble (she spells out the words 'krush', 'kill', and 'destroy'). The doll then begins to malfunction, and McCoy has no choice but to destroy her. He pushes her off a bridge, and she appears to be dead.

At the end of the video, she is awakened by Patrick Stump, who also appears to be a robot. The two fall in love and walk down the road together.

Musically, this version has the word "girlfriend" repeated constantly in the background not found in other versions of the song exclusive to the video.

''As Cruel as School Children'' version

The second version of "Cupid's Chokehold" is the official video directed by Alan Ferguson for the album As Cruel as School Children and is a more literal interpretation of the lyrics of the song. The second version is more widely recognized because music networks such as MTV and VH1 play this version instead of the original, and because the original does not appear on iTunes. The video begins with a dancing Cupid (portrayed by Princetón), who shoots McCoy with a love arrow as he passes a girl, portrayed by actress and singer Porscha Coleman. Patrick Stump can be seen watching from behind a newspaper as this happens.

The two are madly in love at first, but as the video moves forward, the two begin fighting, and their relationship meets its end when McCoy's girlfriend walks in on him and his friends gambling. Cupid tries a second time to get McCoy into a relationship. This time, McCoy's girlfriend is more romantically involved with McCoy, but she becomes increasingly angry when he invites his friends to a party her parents are hosting. The relationship ends when McCoy comes home to find his girlfriend on top of a masked man in a compromising position. He proceeds to beat up the guy.

McCoy's final relationship is with one of his fans in the audience at one of the band's performances (played by McCoy's then-girlfriend, Katy Perry). Initially, she went up to him when they were at a bar. This time the relationship works out, and Cupid does not have to shoot McCoy with an arrow even though he is prepared to at first.

However, Cupid himself gets shot with an arrow by a female Cupid, and the video closes with the two of them dancing together with McCoy & Perry watching from in front. (Cupid also dances several times before the ending.) In this version of the music video, when McCoy and his friends are interrupting his girlfriend's party, McCoy raps a small part of "Wejusfreestylin Pt. 2" from The Papercut Chronicles.

In the UK, some music channels had a re-edited version of the video with the party scene cut to a minimum (the party scene ends with the girlfriend closing the door).

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2007)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)11
Russia Airplay (TopHit)6
Chart (2020–2021)Peak
position
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)70

Year-end charts

Chart (2007)Position
Australia (ARIA)72
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)86
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)5
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)46
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)45
Russia Airplay (TopHit)39
UK Singles (OCC)27
US Billboard Hot 10023
Chart (2008)Position
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)88

Decade-end charts

Chart (2000–2009)PositionRussia Airplay (TopHit)
130

Certifications

Release history

FormatRelease date
North America (original release)March 2005
North America (re-release)December 19, 2006
FranceApril 30, 2007
United KingdomApril 2, 2007

References

References

  1. "Yahoo Music".
  2. https://www.discogs.com/release/1160063-Darren-Styles-Breeze-Hixxy-Clubland-X-Treme-Hardcore-4
  3. MacIntosh, Dan. (August 11, 2011). "Gym Class Heroes : Songwriter Interviews".
  4. "GYM CLASS HEROES Cupid's Chokehold (2005)".
  5. (May 19, 2007). "Hits of the World – Eurocharts".
  6. "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Sep 13, 2007". [[TopHit]].
  7. "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR.
  8. "2007 Annual ARIA Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  9. "European Hot 100 Singles". Billboard.
  10. "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2007". [[Mahasz]].
  11. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2007". Dutch Top 40.
  12. "Top Selling Singles of 2007". [[Recorded Music NZ]].
  13. "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2007". [[TopHit]].
  14. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2007". Official Charts Company.
  15. "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2007".
  16. "Rádiós Top 100 – hallgatottsági adatok alapján – 2008". Mahasz.
  17. "Top Radio Hits Russia Decade Chart: 00s". [[TopHit]].
Info: Wikipedia Source

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