“Gone” by Charli XCX & Christine and the Queens

This song is about a level of isolation the artists (Charli XCX and Christine) feel even when they are in situations where they are surrounded by a bunch of people. Indeed they have a general hatred of outsiders due to the way they make them feel, as in ‘loathing’ themselves.

It is not specifically stated what others are doing to the singers to cause them to feel this way. And Christine’s verse in particular implies that these people are to some extent intentionally causing them emotional pain. But the primary focus of the song is not on other people. Rather these sentiments point to the fact that the singers are internally plagued with anxiety and intense feelings of displacement and isolation. Or as the title suggests, they are “already gone”. And this statement reads as if it is meant to signify that even though their bodies may be present in certain situation, their minds are not.

So the issue this track is centered on is the aforementioned unshakable feeling of isolation both Charli and Christine suffer from. That is to say that they feel alone even when they are with other people. And this mental disposition has in fact been instigated by others. In other words, their interactions with the outside world sometimes negatively affects their self-perception. And the ultimate result is the expressed insecurity (as in being reluctant to interact with other people) and feelings of alienation.

Date of Release

Asylum Records in partnership with Atlantic Records UK released “Gone” on 17 July 2019. The track came out as Charli XCX’s third single from her 2019 album which goes by the title Charli. 

FYI, on that same day (the day of its release) it was named the “Hottest Record” by BBC Radio 1.

 Furthermore, it should be noted that the day before its official release (16 July 2019), Charli teased the forthcoming of “Gone” on both Instagram and Twitter.

The debut of “Gone”

Charli XCX (along with Christine and the Queens) debuted this song during a live performance at Primavera Sound on 30 May 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

Who wrote “Gone”?

It was composed by the following:

• Charli XCX
• Héloïse Letissie (aka Christine and the Queens)
• Noonie Bao
• Nömak
• Lotus IV

 Lotus and Nömak also co-produced the song alongside A. G. Cook.     

Is this Charli XCX’s first time working with Christine and the Queens?

Yes. “Gone” serves as the first collabo between English singer Charli XCX and French singer Christine and the Queens.