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"(I Just) Died in Your Arms"
#1 weeks: 2
weeks: 1987-05-02, 1987-05-09
genre: rock, new wave
artist: Cutting Crew
album: Broadcast
writers: Nick Van Eede
producers: Terry Brown, John Jansen, Cutting Crew
label:
formats: 7" single
lengths: 4:41

"(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is a power ballad written by Nick Van Eede and introduced by his band, Cutting Crew, in 1986. It was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 in the United States, Canada and Norway, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.

Vocalist Nick Van Eede founded the group along with Canadian guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael in 1985, and the two made demos that led to a recording contract, before bassist Colin Farley and drummer Martin Beadle joined in 1986. The band recorded and released an album of all original material that same year, and had an international hit.

The words "I just died in your arms tonight" originally came to Van Eede while he was having sex with his girlfriend, "death" being an often-used metaphor for orgasm. Writing down the phrase, Van Eede later used it as the hook to "(I Just) Died In Your Arms."

First released in Britain, the song peaked at #4 on the UK charts in August 1986. Upon its release in the United States, the previously unknown band's debut single shot to number one on May 2, 1987, and stayed there for two weeks. It also reached #4 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, #24 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and (in a remix version) #37 on the Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The song spent three weeks at #1 in Canada.

Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" is featured in the 1999 film Never Been Kissedstarring Drew Barrymore, as well as the 2007 movie Hot Rod. It is also featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto: Vice City(2002) and Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore(2008).

The song was also featured in a season 25, episode 14 Saturday Night Live sketch titled "Wedding Singers." The sketch featured Will Ferrell and Horatio Sanz as musicians who kept starting the song before their cue. Finally, when they are given the cue, they confess that they only remember the first two sentences of the song.