Land of the Living (Kristine W song)
| "Land of the Living" | ||||
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 One of artwork variants | ||||
| Single by Kristine W | ||||
| from the album Land of the Living | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
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| Label | Tommy Boy Records | |||
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| Kristine W singles chronology | ||||
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| "Land of the Living" on YouTube | ||||
"Land of the Living" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kristine W. It was released in 1996 by Tommy Boy Records as the third and final single from her debut album, Land of the Living (1996). It was written by Kristine W with its producers Rob D. and Rollo. The song became a huge club hit but only reached number 57 on the UK Singles Chart.[3] In the US, it spent two weeks at number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in November 1996. That was also the singer's third number-one single on this survey.[4] "Land of the Living" was also a top-10 hit in Israel, peaking at number ten.[5]
American singer and actress Patti LaBelle covered the song as a duet with Kristine W on Labelle's 2005 cover album Classic Moments.
Critical reception
Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote that Kristine W returns with the title track to her deservedly acclaimed debut, "a melancholy pop/house anthem that beautifully showcases her formidable pipes and dramatic flair. With its affecting and intelligent lyrics, 'Land of the Living' deftly squashes the idea that all dance music is fluffy and mindless."[1] William Stevensen from Entertainment Weekly described it as "ebullient".[6] Alan Jones from Music Week named it a "dancefloor monster".[7] Joey Bolsadura from Muzik viewed it as a "song of survival a la Gloria Gaynor with phunk".[8] People Magazine wrote, "Even when Kristine W strikes her gloomiest pose, as in the beginning of the title song—I got a mirror, a bottle and a pen/ The mirror is cracked/ The bottle is empty/ And my pen don't know where to begin—she conveys that somehow things will get better. They do. Before long, a jacked-up beat kicks in, and she rides it all the way to a happy ending."[9] J.D. Considine for Vibe complimented it as a "lean, house-style jam".[2]
Official versions
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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See also
References
- ^ a b Flick, Larry (11 January 1997). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ a b Considine, J.D. (1 September 1996). "Kristine W - Land of the Living". Vibe. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Kristine W – full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ Billboard Hot Dance Club Play info from billboard.com
- ^ a b "UK World Hits: Israel" (PDF). Music Week. 21 December 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ Stevensen, William (26 July 1996). "Land of the Living". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
- ^ Jones, Alan (28 June 1997). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 20. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- ^ Bolsadura, Joey (1 December 1996). "Hardbag" (PDF). Muzik. p. 161. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
- ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Land of the Living". People. 29 July 1996. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop Dance 18/01/1997". ultratop.be. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "RPM Dance (Mar 24, 1997)". RPM. 24 March 1997. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
- ^ "Kristine W - Land Of The Living". top40.nl.
- ^ "Kristine W - Land Of The Living (song)". danishcharts.dk.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 15 December 1996 - 21 December 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Official UK Dance Singles Chart (15 December 1996-21 December 1996)". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "The RM Cool Cuts" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 27 July 1996. p. 4. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ "The RM Club Chart of the Year 96" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). 11 January 1997. p. 8. Retrieved 4 May 2022.