Beating Heart (Ellie Goulding song)

"Beating Heart" is a song recorded by English singer Ellie Goulding for the soundtrack to the film Divergent (2014). The song was written by Goulding and Joe Janiak, and produced by Greg Kurstin. It was released on 22 April 2014 as the second single from the soundtrack.

"Beating Heart"
Single by Ellie Goulding
from the album Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Released22 April 2014 (2014-04-22)
Studio
GenreElectropop[1]
Length3:32
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Ellie Goulding singles chronology
"Goodness Gracious"
(2014)
"Beating Heart"
(2014)
"Flashlight"
(2014)
The Divergent Series singles chronology
Find You
(2014)
Beating Heart
(2014)
Warriors
(2014)

Background and composition

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British singer-songwriter Joe Janiak wrote the original version of "Beating Heart" on banjo in 2012. He took inspiration from dropping off his American girlfriend at the London airport, before Goulding heard the song and reworked some of the lyrics.[2] On 23 January 2014, it was confirmed that Goulding's "Beating Heart" would be included on the soundtrack to the 2014 film Divergent, based on the dystopian novel of the same name by Veronica Roth. According to Divergent director Neil Burger, "We started working on the film with songs from Ellie Goulding's album Halcyon and soon found that the texture of her music and the tone of her voice matched perfectly with our film."[3] In an interview with Matt Lauer on the American morning television show Today on 12 March, Goulding said, "I had the song, and I performed it and recorded it, and I had given it to Greg Kurstin to produce it. I didn't know they were gonna use it for the film, but actually, when I thought about it, I thought it was kind of perfect, and it really suited the whole theme."[4] The song plays over the end credits of Divergent.[5]

While filming the music video for "Beating Heart", Goulding told MTV News that the song is about "being away from someone or knowing that you're always going to have to be apart from someone that you really love." She added, "And it's painful, but it's hopeful because there's always a chance that they'll collide again like two people collide. Like the universe will bring them back together. I think the song is basically that. Sort of relying on the fact that if you're meant to be drawn back together you will be."[6]

Release and promotion

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A lyric video for "Beating Heart" premiered on the Entertainment Weekly website on 24 February 2014, featuring scenes from Divergent.[7][8] That same day, the song debuted on BBC Radio 1 as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record.[1][9][10] On 25 February, the track was made available for pre-order as part of the Divergent soundtrack album on iTunes in North America.[11] "Beating Heart" was serviced to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on 22 April 2014.[12]

Goulding appeared on the NBC morning television show Today on 12 March 2014 to perform an acoustic version of the song.[4] On 13 April, Goulding performed "Beating Heart" at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards, followed by a performance of Zedd's song "Find You"—also from the Divergent soundtrack—featuring Matthew Koma and Miriam Bryant.[13] She also performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 15 April.[14]

Commercial performance

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"Beating Heart" made its first chart appearance on the Canadian Hot 100, where it debuted and peaked at number 79 on the issue dated 15 March 2014.[15] The song debuted at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated 5 April 2014, having sold 55,000 downloads as of 23 March.[16] The following week, it rose to its peak position of number 88.[17] In Australia, "Beating Heart" entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 52,[18] peaking at number 38 the following week.[19] The single debuted at number 20 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, falling to number 27 the following week.[20] In early June 2014, "Beating Heart" debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number nine with 23,849 copies sold, becoming Goulding's seventh top-10 single.[21]

Music video

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The music video for "Beating Heart" was directed by Ben Newbury,[22] and shows Goulding in her fear landscape. The video begins with Goulding standing in a dark room drinking the simulation serum like the serum in the film and sees herself in a simulation, where she is in a misty forest. She meets a mysterious young man (model Diego Barrueco)[23] in the forest, and as she turns to walk away, she is pulled closer to him. The simulation ends and Goulding is seen standing in the same dark room.

Following the premiere of the video on 11 March 2014 on MTV and MTV.com, Goulding joined Divergent stars Shailene Woodley and Theo James for an interview with MTV News correspondent Christina Garibaldi to discuss the film, streaming live from MTV's New York City studio.[24] The video was made available exclusively for 24 hours on MTV.com after it premiered.[25] On 28 March 2014, the music video was uploaded to Goulding's official YouTube account.[26]

Track listings

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Digital download[27]
No.TitleLength
1."Beating Heart"3:32
Digital EP[28]
No.TitleLength
1."Beating Heart"3:32
2."Beating Heart" (Motez Remix)5:21
3."Beating Heart" (Vindata Remix)4:48
4."Beating Heart" (Dexcell Remix)5:18

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.[29]

Recording

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Personnel

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  • Ellie Goulding – vocals
  • Greg Kurstin – production, engineering, vocal production, keyboards, drums
  • Alex Pasco – additional engineering
  • Joe Kearns – co-production, vocal recording
  • Andy Cook – vocal recording assistance
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – engineering for mix
  • Naweed Ahmed – mastering

Charts

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Chart performance for "Beating Heart"
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19] 38
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[30] 2
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[31] 7
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 79
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[32] 96
Euro Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[33] 19
France (SNEP)[34] 84
Ireland (IRMA)[35] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] 20
Scotland (OCC)[36] 11
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[37] 56
UK Singles (OCC)[38] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 88

Certifications

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Certifications for "Beating Heart"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[39] Gold 30,000
Sweden (GLF)[40] Gold 20,000
United States (RIAA)[41] Gold 500,000

Sales streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for "Beating Heart"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States 22 April 2014 Contemporary hit radio Interscope [12]
Australia 9 May 2014 Digital download Universal [42]
Austria 23 May 2014 [43]
Finland [44]
Ireland Polydor [45]
Netherlands Universal [46]
New Zealand [47]
Switzerland [48]
United Kingdom 25 May 2014 Polydor [27]
Belgium 26 May 2014 Universal [49]
Denmark [50]
Greece [51]
Italy [52]
Luxembourg [53]
Norway [54]
Portugal [55]
Spain [56]
Sweden [57]

References

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  1. ^ a b Wass, Mike (24 February 2014). "Ellie Goulding Previews 'Divergent' Soundtrack Cut "Beating Heart": Listen". Idolator. Retrieved 21 March 2014.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (21 March 2014). "Ellie Goulding Aches For Downtime: 'I Need To Sort My Life Out'". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  3. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (23 January 2014). "Ellie Goulding, Zedd Tapped For 'Divergent' Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  4. ^ a b Lee, Ashley (12 March 2014). "'Divergent': Ellie Goulding Sings Acoustic 'Beating Heart' on 'Today' (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  5. ^ Hampp, Andrew (21 March 2014). "'Divergent' Soundtrack: Ellie Goulding Adds Three Songs as Young-Adult Music Shifts Soundtrack". Billboard. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  6. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (10 March 2014). "Ellie Goulding Spills The Meaning Behind Her 'Divergent' Track". MTV News. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  7. ^ Anderson, Kyle (24 February 2014). "'Divergent' soundtrack: Hear Ellie Goulding's brand-new 'Beating Heart' here – EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (24 February 2014). "Watch Tris Fight – And Make Out – In Ellie Goulding's 'Divergent' Lyric Video". MTV News. Archived from the original on 4 November 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart". BBC Radio 1. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  10. ^ "'Beating Heart' on Radio 1". EllieGoulding.com. 24 February 2014. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  11. ^ "Interscope Records To Release Original Motion Picture Soundtrack And Score To Summit Entertainment's Highly Anticipated Feature Film Divergent On March 11" (Press release). Santa Monica, California: Interscope Records. PR Newswire. 25 February 2014. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Top 40/Mainstream > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  13. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (14 April 2014). "Ellie Goulding And Zedd's 'Divergent' Performance Had Us Reaching For Tissues". MTV News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Ellie Goulding To Perform 'Beating Heart' On The Ellen DeGeneres Show". Cherrytree Records. 15 April 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Ellie Goulding Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  16. ^ Gallo, Phil (1 April 2014). "Ellie Goulding, Zedd to Perform 'Divergent' Songs at MTV Movie Awards". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  17. ^ a b "Ellie Goulding Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  18. ^ "Chartifacts – Tuesday 15th April 2014". ARIA Charts. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  19. ^ a b "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  21. ^ Jones, Alan (2 June 2014). "Official Charts Analysis: Sam Smith surpasses 100k week one sales with debut LP". Music Week. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  22. ^ Knight, David (3 April 2014). "Ellie Goulding 'Beating Heart' by Ben Newbury". Promonews. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  23. ^ "Diego Barrueco in 'Beating Heart' by Ellie Goulding". Sight Management Studio. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  24. ^ Wickman, Kase (11 March 2014). "Ellie Goulding And The Cast Of 'Divergent' Debut 'Beating Heart' Video: Watch Now". MTV News. Archived from the original on 6 December 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  25. ^ Bibel, Sara (6 March 2014). "MTV and Ellie Goulding Team Up for Premiere of Music Video 'Beating Heart'" (Press release). New York City: MTV. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  26. ^ "'Beating Heart' – The Video". EllieGoulding.com. 28 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  27. ^ a b "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  28. ^ "Beating Heart – EP by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. United Kingdom. January 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  29. ^ Divergent: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (liner notes). Various artists. Interscope Records. 2014. B0020190-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
  31. ^ "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  32. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 29. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  33. ^ "Ellie Goulding Chart History (Euro Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  34. ^ "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
  35. ^ "Chart Track: Week 22, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  37. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201423 into search. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  38. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  39. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart" (in Swedish). Grammofonleverantörernas förening. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  41. ^ "American single certifications – Ellie Goulding – Beating Heart (from Divergent)". Recording Industry Association of America. 25 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  42. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Australia. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  43. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Austria. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  44. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Finland. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  45. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Ireland. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  46. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Netherlands. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  47. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. New Zealand. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  48. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Switzerland. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  49. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Belgium. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  50. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Denmark. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  51. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Greece. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  52. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Italy. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  53. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Luxembourg. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  54. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Norway. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  55. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Portugal. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  56. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Spain. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  57. ^ "Beating Heart – Single by Ellie Goulding". iTunes Store. Sweden. Retrieved 15 March 2014.