Hollywood Reporter via Getty ImagesSinger Charli XCX says she broke down in tears after collaborating with former Velvet Underground member John Cale on her latest track.
House is the first song from his contribution to the soundtrack of the new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, due out next year.
The song features a spoken word section from Welsh musician Cale, which includes a shouted chorus of: “I think I’m going to die in this house.
The 33-year-old said in an Instagram post that she was a big fan of Cale’s 1960s band, fronted by Lou Reed, and was inspired by a documentary in which Cale described their songwriting process as “elegant and brutal.”
The singer-songwriter, real name Charlotte Aitchison, said she decided to contact Cale for his thoughts on her songs being “deeply inspired” by his work.
“We connected and wow… that voice – so elegant, so brutal.
“I sent him a few songs and we started talking specifically about House.”
The pair talked about recording a poem, and shortly after, Cale sent a recording of the song.
“It was… well, it made me cry,” Charli XCX said.
The music video for the new single shows the singer in a house in a forest, as Cale stands over her reciting her lines.
She said it was exciting to escape into “something entirely new” after the success of her culture-shaping sixth album, Brat, which was voted best new release of 2024.
“When I think of Wuthering Heights, I think of a lot of things,” she said.
“I think of passion and pain. I think of mud and cold. I think of determination and courage.”
Warner Bros.Cale, 83, was a founding member of the Velvet Underground with singer and guitarist Reed, drummer Moe Tucker, guitarist Sterling Morrison and singer Nico.
They have been described as the band that mastered the art of being obscure and inspired David Bowie, Nirvana and the Arctic Monkeys.
He was featured on their first album, The Velvet Underground And Nico, and their second, titled White Light/White Heat before going solo.
The band’s best-known songs with Cale include Sunday Morning, I’m Waiting For The Man and I’ll Be Your Mirror.
Cale went on to release 19 studio albums as a solo artist, including Songs For Drella, which saw him reunite with Reed.
Charli XCX has reached new levels of fame over the past year as Brat was officially voted Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary.
The highly anticipated adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel is a psychological thriller starring Barbie actress Margot Robbie and Saltburn star Jacob Elordi.
Director Emerald Fennel’s said she wanted to convey the “primal” feeling she had when she first read the book as a teenager.
But some have criticized the film for its casting, pointing out that none of the main actors resemble the characters depicted in the novel.
Wuthering Heights will be released in theaters on February 14, 2026.
