#31: Captain Of Her Heart by Double

City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CKOI
Peak Month: June 1986
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #29
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #16
Peak Position on Italian Singles chart ~ #3
Peak Position on Ireland Singles chart ~ #6
Peak Position on UK Singles chart ~ #8
Peak Position on French Singles chart ~ #9
Peak Position on Norway Single chart ~ #9
YouTube: “Captain Of Her Heart”
Lyrics: “Captain Of Her Heart”

Double (pronounced doo-BLAY) is a singing duo from Switzerland. Felix Haug was born in greater Zurich in 1952, and Kurt Maloo (born Kurt Meier) was also born in Zurich the following year. Haug learned to play drums and keyboards. In 1980, he played drums on the debut album by Yello titled Solid Pleasure. Meier was part of several bands that performed in local competition festivals, playing covers from The Beatles to Cream. From 1969 to 1972, he attended the Swiss Business School, but, after receiving his degree, Meier chose a career as a conceptual artist and painter. He exhibited his works at local galleries in Zurich and founded, along with three artist friends, the performance group MAEZ. At his own gallery openings, Kurt Meier, who changed his name to Kurt Maloo in 1975, always played the electric guitar. The solo performances metamorphosed into a band named Troppo, including two other members of MAEZ. It became a nine-piece band influenced by the New York Dolls and Funkadelic.

In 1979, Kurt Maloo released his first 7″ single, “Giant Lady/Kontiki”. He continued to perform solo until he met Felix Haug. They formed a trio called Ping Pong. In 1982 Ping Pong released an album titled From Exile. The band played in numerous European festivals, including the acclaimed Montreux Jazz Festival.

In 1983, Haug and Maloo teamed up to form Double. They released a debut single titled “Naningo” a title track from their debut EP. This was followed in 1984 by “Rangoon Moon” and “Woman of the World”. It was “Rangoon Moon” developed a cult following in Europe and the duo generated a buzz of excitement about what they would record next.

In 1985 they went to the recording studio to record their first album. From the album Blue came “Captain Of Her Heart”.

Double keyboardist Felix Haug had recorded a demo melody on his Oberheim synthesizer. He recalls it was “very ’80s style.” This was several months before Double went into the studio to record their first album. In the studio, singer Kurt Maloo heard Haug’s melody and was intrigued. The sound engineer suggested Haug play it on a grand piano, instead of ’80s-style synthesizer, as a guide for Maloo’s vocals. When the piano melody was recorded, Maloo wanted it left in the way it was. Maloo said in a 2013 interview, “I wrote the lyrics to the playback in no time in the studio. Like a ghost writer. They were just there out of the blue. It was almost spooky. I never thought the lyrics would touch so many hearts around the world and I’m still overwhelmed from all the positive feedback I get through the internet.” The prominent saxophone on the song was played by Christian Ostermeier.

AllMusic.com record reviewer, Stewart Mason, contends that “Captain Of Her Heart” is “one of the great lost one-hit wonders of the mid-1980s. The Swiss duo never managed to capitalize on this song’s casual sophistication and melodic grace, but it remains a glorious anomaly.”

“Captain Of Her Heart” is a song about a woman who’s tired of waiting for the man she loves to return to her even though she still loves him: “Too long ago, too long apart, she couldn’t wait another day for the captain of her heart.” The first verse details how the dream of a life together with the man she loves is leaving, drifting away. After sensing the palpable drifting away of this dream, she wakes to a new day and finds she’s stopped waiting for the captain of her heart.

Kurt Maloo was asked by Songfacts about the song. He divulged, “When ‘The Captain of Her Heart’ became a million-seller I asked Felix what had inspired him to come up with a melody like that. He said he was sitting at his piano in his apartment on a sunny day in spring, windows wide open. On a near tree outside there was a blackbird singing the first two notes of the melody repeatedly. He caught the notes… E…G…E…G…E…G… and started to jam to the blackbird’s singing until he had that final lick that sticks like glue once you’ve heard it.”

There were three videos made of the song. The American music video featured a punk girl with cropped blonde hair. This was later revealed to be a Scottish model named Mickey Monroe. The other two girls in the video are played by Marie Seznec and Anna Mosca. The American video features photo shots of women waiting which resonated with the lyrics of “Captain Of Her Heart”. While the European video featured Double playing in a darkened room with blue light.

“Captain Of Her Heart” peaked at #1 in Montreal, Ottawa, #4 in Toronto, Miami, and Buffalo, #5 in Moose Jaw (SK), and Denver, #6 in Newport News (VA), #7 in San Jose (CA), and Baltimore, #9 in San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, and New Haven (CT), #10 in San Diego, Portland (OR), Tampa (FL), and Minneapolis/St. Paul, #11 in Houston, and St Louis, #12 in Providence (RI), and Seattle, and #13 in Regina (SK), Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Internationally, “Captain Of Her Heart” climbed to #3 in Italy, #6 in Ireland, #8 in the UK, #9 in France and Norway, #10 in West Germany, #11 in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and #15 in Austria. It stalled at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA and #17 in Belgium.

In 1986, Double became the first Swiss recording act to have a Top 40 hit in the USA.

“Captain Of Her Heart” has been covered by jazz singer Randy Crawford, French singer-songwriter Laurent Voulzy, Italo-disco band Koto, West German singer Roland Kaiser, and UK’s Blue Mercedes bandmate Duncan Millar, among others. A Spanish version of the song written by Cristian Rosemary titled “Ancló su Corazón” was recorded by Double in 2016.

Several more tracks from Double’s debut album failed to chart. In 1987 they released Dou3le. The lead single, “Devil’s Ball” was a #9 hit in Switzerland, and also charted in the Top 30 in Belgium. It stalled at #71 on the UK Top 100 Singles chart.

The pair began work on a third album, but split by early 1989 due to musical differences, though they remained friends. Haug began to compose music for films and advertising, while Kurt Maloo pursued a solo career, in the course of which he has released five albums – Single (1990), Soul and Echo (1995), Loopy Avenue (2006), Summer of Better Times (2009) and What About (2014). 

During the late 1990s the pair reunited in Can Studio in Cologne to record nine new tracks. The duo were happy with the results, but it was felt there was not enough material for an album, and the project was postponed. In 2003, for the 20th anniversary of the band, the pair attempted to complete the project; however, Felix Haug died following a heart attack on May 1, 2004 at the age of 52. Maloo took the results of this session and gave the tracks to Pit Baumgartner for remixing. These were included on Maloo’s 2006 album Loopy Avenue. In 2016, Kurt Maloo released the single “City Of Rain”.

June 6, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
“Felix Haug, 52; His Band Had Hit Song ‘Captain of Her Heart’,” Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2004.
Double, “Rangoon Moon“, (Metronome/PolyGram) 1984.
“Back To The 80s: Interview With Kurt Maloo of Double,” Kickin’ It Old School, June 21, 2013.

CKOI 96.9-FM Montreal Top Ten | June 6, 1986