I Will Possess Your Heart

"I Will Possess Your Heart"
Single by Death Cab for Cutie
from the album Narrow Stairs
Released	March 18, 2008 (U.S.) April 15, 2008 (U.S., 7") May 5, 2008 (UK)
Format	CD, 7" vinyl, digital download
Recorded	2007
Genre	Indie rock
Length	8:25 (album version) 4:08 (7" edit) 4:54 (10" edit)
Label	Atlantic Barsuk Records
Writer(s)	Ben Gibbard, Chris Walla, Nick Harmer, Jason McGerr
Producer(s)	Chris Walla
Death Cab for Cutie singles chronology
"I Will Follow You into the Dark" (2006) "I Will Possess Your Heart" (2008) "Cath..." (2008)

"I Will Possess Your Heart" is a song by American band Death Cab for Cutie, the lead single from their sixth studio album, Narrow Stairs, released on March 18, 2008 and was released to radio on March 24, 2008. The single was released commercially in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2008. The single consists of the full song and two edits: The full song is over eight minutes long, opening with a lengthy instrumental that takes up more than half the song. This intro was largely removed in both of the edits, shortening the song to four minutes for the 7" version and just under five minutes for the 10" version.

"I Will Possess Your Heart" was named the iTunes UK song of the year 2008, was ranked #36 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2008 in Australia, and reached number six on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, making it one of Death Cab for Cutie's highest charting singles to date. The song was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Rock Song, but lost to "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" by Bruce Springsteen.

Music video

The music video for "I Will Possess Your Heart" was released on MTV.com at noon on April 11, 2008. Directed by Aaron Stewart-Ahn and Shawn Kim, it features the band playing in an industrial freezer room. The video also follows a young woman (Lindsay Burdge) who is traveling alone to various places around the world from the point of view of the other person traveling with her. It is assumed that this person, who we never see, but see the young lady through their eyes, is taking her around the world in order to impress her and "possess her heart". "You gotta spend some time love..." as in let me impress you with my money and world travel and then eventually "I will possess your heart." Two versions of the video were released, a full length version running 8:31 which features the album version of the song, and an edited 4:22 version which features the radio edit.

The video was shot in London; Paris; Frankfurt; Carthage and Tunis, Tunisia; Bangkok, Thailand; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia; Tokyo and Hokkaido, Japan; and New York City.

The video won the 2008 MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing, and was also nominated for Best Cinematography.

Track listing

US promo CD:

1. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (7" edit)
2. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (10" edit)
3. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (album version)

US 7" vinyl:

1. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (7" version)
2. "I Will Possess Your Heart" (10" version)

UK CD (ATO310CD):

1. "I Will Possess Your Heart"
2. "No Sunlight" (demo)

UK 7" vinyl (ATO310):

1. "I Will Possess Your Heart"
2. "The Ice Is Getting Thinner" (demo)

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Canadian Hot 100	60
UK Singles Chart	85
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	70
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	6
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	61

External links

• Video on Youtube with usual fair-use disclaimer.
• Streaming Windows Media of the song.
• Music Video on mtv.com
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics