Club Called Heaven

Album: single release only (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • This is the first single by American experimental electro-pop band Black Cards, formed in July 2010 as Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz' new main project. The band is composed of bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, drummer Spencer Peterson (of Saves the Day and formerly of Hidden in Plain View), lead guitarist Nate Patterson (of The Receiving End of Sirens) and lead vocalist Bebe Rexha.
  • The concept of Black Cards started when Wentz got together with songwriter-producer Sam Hollander (Gym Class Heroes, Katy Perry). Wentz explained their collaboration on the band's website: "When [Fall Out Boy] went on hiatus, I wasn't really sure what to do with myself. I knew I wanted to keep traveling the world with my family. We had been to Jamaica recently. I spent a lot of time hanging around the beaches, and I started to get inspired again by [reggae] songs like 'Two Sevens Clash' and 'Warriors,' . I'd never heard any of these songs but could imagine them having an everlasting imprint, like people would dance to this stuff forever. I could feel these songs really meant something. Not just in Jamaica but globally, crossing through culture and language.

    I started collaborating via e-mail with my friend Sam, who I knew from working on [the Gym Class Heroes' 2006 album] As Cruel As School Children. He had been listening to a lot of old British stuff and we mashed that with the island vibe in the studio. I wanted to try a female vocalist [because] I couldn't imagine trying to replace Patrick. Combine all this with my nonsense and ideas. Stuff I could never write or never had a perspective to write from in FOB."
  • Prior to hooking up with Wentz and company, Staten Island native Bebe Rexha had virtually no previous experience in the music business. Wentz explained that when he Hollander began cutting the tracks, they had no vocalist. However, they recruited Rexha after overhearing her auditioning in the next room for a different project. He recalled: "I just heard this voice blasting and I said, 'Why are we so focused on finding a quirky, British girl? There's somebody in the next room who has these awesome melodies and can really sing and isn't jaded.'"

    He added: "We have completely different influences. If I cite a band from the punk scene, she often has no idea who I'm talking about. Then she'll cite a dance band and I'll have no idea who she's talking about. She's just an awesome, natural talent."

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