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"Gone"
Single by Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens
from the album Charli
Released	17 July 2019 (2019-07-17)
Studio	Lotus Library (Stockholm) Lotus Lounge (Los Angeles) Vincent Ave (Los Angeles)
Genre	Progressive pop electropop synth-pop funk-pop industrial
Length	4:05
Label	Asylum Atlantic UK
Songwriter(s)	Charlotte Aitchison Jonnali Parmenius Héloïse Letissier Linus Wiklund Nicolas Petitfrère Alexander Guy Cook
Producer(s)	A. G. Cook Lotus IV Nömak Baseck (add.)
Charli XCX singles chronology
"XXXTC" (2019) "Gone" (2019) "Flash Pose" (2019)
Christine and the Queens singles chronology
"Comme si" (2019) "Gone" (2019) "People, I've Been Sad" (2020)
Audio sample
file help
Music video
"Gone" on YouTube

"Gone" is a song by British singer Charli XCX and French singer Christine and the Queens. It was released on 17 July 2019 as the third single from Charli XCX's third studio album Charli. The music video was released alongside the track.

Background and recording

Charli and Christine discussed the possibility of recording something together and getting to know each other for a few years before beginning the recording process for "Gone". Charli recorded the song in early 2019 in Stockholm, and after finishing it, she recorded 10 other tracks that she didn't end up liking until they recorded "Gone". Charli chose to give the song to Christine so he could finish his verse with the chorus. The song was then forwarded to Nömak and A. G. Cook it so that they can produce it.

Christine assisted Charli XCX with the song when she was experiencing writer's block; she had written the song but couldn't come up with a chorus. She gave Christine a sample of what she'd come up with, and within a quarter-hour, he had returned a suggestion for the hook, which XCX liked.

Theme

Charli XCX said the song is about "feeling isolated and alone in crowded rooms", as well as anxiety and "learning how to be comfortable with who you truly are".

"This song is about those situations where you are surrounded by loads of people but feel so isolated and alone. I feel like that a lot of the time in social situations. I never know what to do with myself, I feel so insecure and out of place and lost. I feel like a lot of people I know get those feelings. When it comes to me, I'll either party through it and try to escape my feelings or I will totally cave in. The emotions that come alongside anxiety are so huge and crippling. This song is about breaking down but it's also about breaking free. It feels like one big external scream." – Charli on her Instagram account.

Music video

The music video for "Gone" premiered on 17 July 2019. It begins with shots of Charli and Chris struggling while tied to opposite sides of a white car atop a stage intercut with the two singing the track and dancing in a room with flashing colourful lights. At the beginning of the second verse, Chris manages to free himself before helping out Charli. As the second chorus starts, rain and smoke appear in the room as the two singers dance on the car's roof. With the beginning of the outro, the rain stops and a ring of fire emerges around the stage. The music video ends with Charli and Chris standing together with flames in front of them.

Promotion

On 30 May 2019, Charli debuted the song with Christine during her concert at Primavera Sound. A image of her setlist with "Gone" on it was shared before she performed it live for the first time. Fans first thought it was the unreleased 2018 single "Cigarettes & Alcohol" (previously known as "Better When You're Gone"); however, this was subsequently disproven when Charli tweeted a sample of her rehearsing "Gone", proving that the two songs are distinct.

On 10 July, Charli XCX revealed the track's release date through social media. Several days later, she stated that she had seen "the first edit" of the music video and called it "so good". They performed the song again at Electric Picnic festival in September 2019, as well as its first televised performance on The Jonathan Ross Show to promote the release of Charli. The duo performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in September 2019 as well.

Reception

The day of the song's release, Pitchfork named the song "Best New Track". Writing for the publication, Anna Gaca said: "The song bangs like it's trying to get out of a big metal box, probably because that's how its creators are feeling: 'I feel so unstable, fucking hate these people/How they're making me feel lately,' sings Charli, with typical bluntness." She also notes that the track mixes the "bassy stutters and crackles of Charli's post-PC Music projects with the kinetic, bilingual funk-pop of Christine and the Queens' 2018 album Chris." Julia Gray of Stereogum wrote that on "Gone", "Charli does what she does best, taking retro aesthetics — '80s drums, '90s synths — and blasting them into the future." She also considered the song "a step in the right direction" compared to previous singles "1999" and "Blame It on Your Love". The website then named "Gone" the best song of the week.

Speaking of the music video, Kirsten Spruch of Billboard said that it "emotes the intense feelings of empowerment, sensuality and hopelessness, all wrapped into an electrifying, four-minute long visual." She also felt that the video is "pretty much everything fans would want from the two artists". Pitchfork listed the song at number 4 for the 100 best songs of 2019 and at number 145 for the 200 best songs of the 2010s. The track was also shortlisted for BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac's Hottest Record of The Year, voted for by the public, and ended up scoring third place, falling behind fellow British artists AJ Tracey and Sam Fender.

Ahead of the release of her 2022 album Crash, Consequence of Sound ranked the song as Charli's third best song.

Track listing

Digital download

1. "Gone" – 4:06

Digital download – Happy Nina Kraviz Mix

1. "Gone" (Happy Nina Kraviz Mix) – 5:02

Digital download – Remixes

1. "Gone" (Devault Remix) – 5:02
2. "Gone" (Clarence Clarity Remix) – 3:50
3. "Gone" (The Wild Remix) – 3:13

Charts

Release history

References

1. Damshenas, Sam (17 July 2019). "Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens are electric in Gone music video". Gay Times. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
2. Stubblebine, Allison (17 July 2019). "Charli XCX And Christine And The Queens Dance Through Rain And Fire In New Video". Nylon. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
3. Magan, Valerie (18 July 2019). "Charli XCX teams up with Christine & The Queens for "Gone"". Substream Magazine. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
4. Kim, Michelle (13 September 2019). "Charli XCX: Charli Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
5. Pitchfork Staff (October 7, 2019). "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 22, 2022. ...Charli sings over an '80s funk-pop beat.
6. Ferla, Lisa-Marie (11 September 2019). "Charli XCX, Charli, review: danceable and deeply personal". inews. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
7. @charli_xcx (June 13, 2019). "angels, my new album 'Charli' is out September 13th. i am so proud of this music and i cannot wait for the world to hear it. pre order 'Charli' now and come and see my on my world tour!! 💓 full details here: (link: https://www.charli-the-album.co.uk/) charli-the-album.co.uk" (Tweet). Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Twitter.
8. ^ Nied, Mike (10 July 2019). "Charli XCX Taps Christine And The Queens For New Song 'Gone'". Idolator. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
9. Wetmore, Brendan (12 July 2019). "Everything You Should Know About Charli XCX's New Album". Paper. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
10. Songfacts. "Gone by Charli XCX (featuring Christine and the Queens) - Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
11. @charli_xcx (16 July 2019). "💓 GONE FT CHRIS DROPS TOMORROW 💓" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 July 2019 – via Twitter.
12. "Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens - Gone [Official Video]". YouTube. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
13. "Charli XCX is dropping her Christine and the Queens team up 'Gone' next week". Dork. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
14. Minsker, Evan; Monroe, Jazz (17 September 2019). "Watch Charli XCX and Christine and the Queens Perform "Gone" on Fallon". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
15. "'Gone' by Charli XCX / Christine and the Queens Review". Pitchfork. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
16. "Charli XCX Releases Video For New Single "Gone" Featuring Christine And The Queens: Watch". Stereogum. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
17. "Charli XCX, Wilco, & The Week's Best Songs: Listen". Stereogum. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
18. "Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens' 'Gone' Video: Watch". Billboard. 17 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
19. "The 100 Best Songs of 2019". Pitchfork. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
20. "The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
21. Radio 1, B. B. C. (2019-12-19). "@charli_xcx and @queenschristine are at number 4 with their pop banger Gone! How does it feel to have one of the hottest records of the year? "I'm honoured... and I think it's accurate!" pic.twitter.com/fs9wVcqXhh". @bbcr1. Retrieved 2019-12-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
22. Ragusa, Paolo (2022-03-16). "Charli XCX's 10 Best Songs". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
23. "Gone (Happy Nina Kraviz Mix)". Apple Music. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
24. "Gone (Remixes)". Apple Music. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
25. "Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens – Gone" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
26. "Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens – Gone" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
27. "Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens – Gone – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
28. "China Airplay Chart/Foreign Language - 29/07/2019". Billboard China (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-08-09. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
29. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 30, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
30. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
31. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
32. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
33. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
34. "Singles to Radio". The Music Network. Retrieved 7 October 2021.

v t e Christine and the Queens
Discography Awards and nominations
Studio albums	Chaleur humaine Chris Redcar les adorables étoiles (prologue) Paranoia, Angels, True Love
EPs	Nuit 17 à 52 Saint Claude La vita nuova
Singles	"Nuit 17 à 52" "Saint Claude" "Christine" "Paradis perdus" "No Harm Is Done" "Jonathan" "Tilted" "Damn, dis-moi" "Doesn't Matter (Voleur de Soleil)" "5 dols" "Gone" "People, I've Been Sad" "La vita nuova"
Featured singles	"New Shapes"
Category

• 2019 singles
• 2019 songs
• Charli XCX songs
• Rahim Redcar songs
• Song recordings produced by A. G. Cook
• Songs written by Charli XCX
• Songs written by Héloïse Letissier
• Songs written by Noonie Bao
• Songs written by Linus Wiklund
• Songs written by A. G. Cook