"Elastic Heart" is a song written by Australian singer Sia, featuring Canadian singer the Weeknd and American record producer Diplo, for the soundtrack of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, a film based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. Andrew Swanson assisted the artists in writing the song, with production handled by Diplo and US producer Greg Kurstin. It was released on 1 October 2013 as a single from Catching Fire by RCA, Republic and Lionsgate. "Elastic Heart" peaked at number 7 on the singles chart of New Zealand and was certified gold by the Recorded Music NZ. It also appeared on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
In 2014, Sia re-recorded a solo version of "Elastic Heart" for her sixth studio album 1000 Forms of Fear. The solo version was released in 2015 as a single from the album and was accompanied by a controversial music video that features actor Shia LaBeouf and dancer Maddie Ziegler. The clip was the eighth most viewed YouTube music video in 2015, while the single peaked within the top 10 in Australia and the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in the United States.
Release and composition
"Elastic Heart" was released as the second single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). The song was made available for digital download on 1 October 2013. It was sent to US rhythmic contemporary radio by RCA Records, Republic Records and Lionsgate Films on 8 October 2013.
A power ballad, Hilary Hughes of The Village Voice named "Elastic Heart" a "grand, full electropop production," while Aimee Cliff from Fact characterised the song as "a pop song that bounces like rubber." Meanwhile, Rolling Stone reviewer Julianne Shepherd called it a trap song. Its lyrics address "the overwhelming strength Sia needed to convince herself that life was worth living after coming out of a crushing relationship." Having the chord progression of D–A–E–F♯m, the song is composed in the key of A major and a tempo of 65/130 beats per minute.
Reception
Blue Sullivan of Slant Magazine wrote that "'Elastic Heart' is a seamless and highly successful team-up that reads like a grimier after-market version of Lady Gaga's 'Do What U Want'." Spin magazine's Chris Martins stated that "Sia soared" and it was a "bubbling ballad," and Bradley Stern of MuuMuse claimed it was "a perfectly chaotic combination." "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 67 on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts on the chart issue dated 14 October 2013. The single also charted at number 27 on the Walloon Ultratip, and number 36 in Switzerland. The song fared better in New Zealand, peaking at number 7 on the national singles chart and was certified gold by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ). In the United Kingdom, "Elastic Heart" debuted at number 79 on the UK Singles Chart on 12 October 2013. On 17 January 2015, the single re-entered the chart at number 61.
Credits and personnel
Songwriting, lead vocals – Sia Furler, Thomas Wesley Pentz, Andrew Swanson
Producing – Greg Kurstin, Diplo
Engineering – Greg Kurstin
Additional engineering – Alex Pasco
Vocal recording – Rob Kleiner
Mixing – Manny Marroquin
Additional mixing – Chris Galland, Delbert Bowers
Mastering – Brian "Big Bass" Gardner
Drum programming – Andrew Swanson, Diplo
Credits for "Elastic Heart" are adapted from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack digital inlay cover.
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Sia solo version
In 2014, Sia recorded a solo version of "Elastic Heart" for her sixth studio album, 1000 Forms of Fear. It was released on 9 January 2015 by RCA as the third single from the album. Annie Zaleski from The A.V. Club labelled "Elastic Heart" a "striking power ballad," while AllMusic's Heather Phares picked the song as one of the three standouts from the album, alongside "Chandelier" and "Eye of the Needle". Aimee Cliff from Fact named it a "great example of how only Sia can truly rock a song written for (rather than by) Sia." The deluxe version of 1000 Forms of Fear includes a piano version of the song.