Crystal Ball (song)
Encyclopedia
"Crystal Ball" is a song performed and composed by English
rock
band Keane, and featured on their second studio album
, Under the Iron Sea
. The song was released on 21 August 2006 as the third single
from the United Kingdom
album version (see 2006 in British music
). "Crystal Ball" was also released on 18 August 2006 in the Netherlands
and peaked at #20 in both the Dutch Singles Chart
and the UK Singles Chart
.
in 2006. It was recorded at the Helioscentric Studios, East Sussex
and at the Magic Shop, New York
. Guitar effects are created by a synthesizer Yamaha CP60M.
", the song follows a quaver-note driven sound. Several effects, like the aforementioned distortion piano and strings, are added through the song.
The fading-in intro is often referred as a continuation to "The Iron Sea", and represented as an immediate returning to surface of the "Iron Sea". Vocals are introduced at 19 seconds and continue until fading on 3:04. The demo version included on the bonus DVD of the album would reprise the intro riff before the finale.
. It was first known by a shot on the Under the Iron Sea DVD
, as well as in the June issue of the Q Magazine.
It is rumoured amongst the band's fanbase that this song may have been composed by Chaplin as a response to Rice-Oxley's "Hamburg Song" and "Broken Toy". As of 8 September 2006 this has not been definitively confirmed by either Chaplin or Rice-Oxley.
, features drums that were not present in the album version. The recording is also extended and features an immediate intro.
on 4 August 2006 and features the American
actor Giovanni Ribisi
. The director was Giuseppe Capotondi
. It is about an estate agent losing his identity.
A woman is helping her husband (Ribisi) and young son get ready to leave the house. He then gets into his Toyota Camry
and drives off with his son.
We next see the man get to his office and warmly interact with a secretary. There are photographs on his desk of him with his family. We then see him showing off a house to a couple, implying that he is a real estate agent, and working in the office.
When the real estate agent returns to his house, he finds a red Ford Taurus
parked outside it. His keys don't seem to work so he knocks on the door and rings the bell. His wife partially opens the door and looks at him with surprise when he tries to enter.
A man appears behind the upset woman and the real estate agent speaks to the woman with a look of disbelief on his face. The woman then shuts the door on him. We next see the real estate agent look in the window of the house and smile at his son, but this only frightens the boy. We then see the real estate agent angrily trying to explain the situation to a police officer as the man and his wife talk to another officer. The real estate agent is ushered away and we see him driving away in his car still being tailed by the police.
After making some phone calls and wandering around in frustration, we see the man wake up in his car in the parking lot of his office. When he gets out of the car, he takes a look around him with a look of surprise on his face, perhaps thinking it was all a dream. He walks into the office and waves at his secretary who stands up in surprise. He then finds the man he saw in his house now sitting at his desk. He rushes to keep the man from phoning security and then begins to argue with him angrily. He then stops when he sees that the photographs on his desk now show the other man with his family instead of himself.
When the man is finally thrown out of the building, he sees someone run toward his car in the distance. He runs to the car and jumps on the hood, shouting at the person inside, claiming that the car belongs to him. In the end, the person ignores him and drives the car away, leaving the man standing in the parking lot confused and defeated. The story is intercut with footage of the band playing together in a room.
The video was also recycled for the US release video for the single "Nothing in My Way
", albeit with the band footage removed and subtitles added. At around the time of this single release it was announced that Tom Chaplin had gone into rehab for 'drug and alcohol addiction'. It is noticeable that the original video does not feature any close up shots of Chaplin, but several of Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes, though it is unknown whether this is deliberate.
. The CD box is similar to the one containing "Is It Any Wonder?", made out of recycled materials.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Keane, and featured on their second studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, Under the Iron Sea
Under the Iron Sea
Under the Iron Sea is the second studio album by English rock band Keane, released in 2006. During its first week on sale in the UK, the album went to #1, selling 222,297 copies according to figures from the Official Chart Company...
. The song was released on 21 August 2006 as the third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
album version (see 2006 in British music
2006 in British music
This is a summary of 2006 in music in the United Kingdom including the official single and album charts.-Summary:*At both ends of the year, the chart was dominated by acts from series 2 and series 3 of the television show The X Factor...
). "Crystal Ball" was also released on 18 August 2006 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and peaked at #20 in both the Dutch Singles Chart
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
and the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Composition and recording
"Crystal Ball" was composed by Tim Rice-OxleyTim Rice-Oxley
Timothy James Rice-Oxley , is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as co-founder, the principal composer and pianist, backing vocalist of piano rock band Keane.-Life and career:...
in 2006. It was recorded at the Helioscentric Studios, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and at the Magic Shop, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Guitar effects are created by a synthesizer Yamaha CP60M.
Information about song's meaning
Musical structure
Similarly to other Keane songs such as "Somewhere Only We KnowSomewhere Only We Know
"Somewhere Only We Know" is a song performed and composed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as their third commercial single, and appearing as the opening track of their debut album, Hopes and Fears as the first single...
", the song follows a quaver-note driven sound. Several effects, like the aforementioned distortion piano and strings, are added through the song.
The fading-in intro is often referred as a continuation to "The Iron Sea", and represented as an immediate returning to surface of the "Iron Sea". Vocals are introduced at 19 seconds and continue until fading on 3:04. The demo version included on the bonus DVD of the album would reprise the intro riff before the finale.
Instrumentation
- Fender Bass
- Yamaha DrumsYamaha DrumsYamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation founded in 1967. The company manufactures acoustic and electronic drum kits as well as percussion instruments, marching band equipment, and drum hardware.-Production:...
- YamahaYamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
CP70 Piano - Yamaha CP60M (distorted piano)
Maybe I Can Change
It was recorded at the Magic Shop Studios in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was first known by a shot on the Under the Iron Sea DVD
Under the Iron Sea DVD
Under the Iron Sea is English rock band Keane's third DVD release. It includes the British version of the album and a book-shaped box. It was released the same day as the album, on June 12, 2006 and earlier in some countries...
, as well as in the June issue of the Q Magazine.
It is rumoured amongst the band's fanbase that this song may have been composed by Chaplin as a response to Rice-Oxley's "Hamburg Song" and "Broken Toy". As of 8 September 2006 this has not been definitively confirmed by either Chaplin or Rice-Oxley.
The Iron Sea: Magic Shop Version
This version, recorded at The Magic Shop, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, features drums that were not present in the album version. The recording is also extended and features an immediate intro.
Technical information on songs
| Song | Length | Tempo Tempo In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:... | Key Key (music) In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the... | Time signature Time signature The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat.... | Genre Music genre A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Crystal Ball" | 3:53 | 124bpm | bb (Si flat minor) | 4/4 on 8 beats | Rock |
| "Maybe I Can Change" | 3:56 | 69bpm | C (Do major) | 4/4 on 16 beats | Piano rock |
| "The Iron Sea: Magic Shop Version" | 4:30 | 89bpm+ | G (Sol major) | 4/4 on 8 beats | New Age rock |
Music video
The music video for "Crystal Ball" was released by NMENME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
on 4 August 2006 and features the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi
Giovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
. The director was Giuseppe Capotondi
Giuseppe Capotondi
Giuseppe Capotondi is a director of music videos and commercials signed to Oil Factory in USA and Factory Films in the United Kingdom...
. It is about an estate agent losing his identity.
A woman is helping her husband (Ribisi) and young son get ready to leave the house. He then gets into his Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
and drives off with his son.
We next see the man get to his office and warmly interact with a secretary. There are photographs on his desk of him with his family. We then see him showing off a house to a couple, implying that he is a real estate agent, and working in the office.
When the real estate agent returns to his house, he finds a red Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
parked outside it. His keys don't seem to work so he knocks on the door and rings the bell. His wife partially opens the door and looks at him with surprise when he tries to enter.
A man appears behind the upset woman and the real estate agent speaks to the woman with a look of disbelief on his face. The woman then shuts the door on him. We next see the real estate agent look in the window of the house and smile at his son, but this only frightens the boy. We then see the real estate agent angrily trying to explain the situation to a police officer as the man and his wife talk to another officer. The real estate agent is ushered away and we see him driving away in his car still being tailed by the police.
After making some phone calls and wandering around in frustration, we see the man wake up in his car in the parking lot of his office. When he gets out of the car, he takes a look around him with a look of surprise on his face, perhaps thinking it was all a dream. He walks into the office and waves at his secretary who stands up in surprise. He then finds the man he saw in his house now sitting at his desk. He rushes to keep the man from phoning security and then begins to argue with him angrily. He then stops when he sees that the photographs on his desk now show the other man with his family instead of himself.
When the man is finally thrown out of the building, he sees someone run toward his car in the distance. He runs to the car and jumps on the hood, shouting at the person inside, claiming that the car belongs to him. In the end, the person ignores him and drives the car away, leaving the man standing in the parking lot confused and defeated. The story is intercut with footage of the band playing together in a room.
The video was also recycled for the US release video for the single "Nothing in My Way
Nothing In My Way
"Nothing in My Way" is a song performed and composed by English rock band Keane and is featured as the third track on their second studio album, Under the Iron Sea. The song was also released 30 October 2006 as the third commercial and fourth overall single from that album in the United Kingdom...
", albeit with the band footage removed and subtitles added. At around the time of this single release it was announced that Tom Chaplin had gone into rehab for 'drug and alcohol addiction'. It is noticeable that the original video does not feature any close up shots of Chaplin, but several of Tim Rice-Oxley and Richard Hughes, though it is unknown whether this is deliberate.
Cover art
The cover art designed by Sanna Annukka is also found in the inner pages of the Under the Iron Sea DVDUnder the Iron Sea DVD
Under the Iron Sea is English rock band Keane's third DVD release. It includes the British version of the album and a book-shaped box. It was released the same day as the album, on June 12, 2006 and earlier in some countries...
. The CD box is similar to the one containing "Is It Any Wonder?", made out of recycled materials.
Chart performance
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Slovakia Charts | 2 |
| M4B Charts | 3 |
| Latvian airplay Latvia Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden... |
5 |
| Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
5 |
| UK Mix | 6 |
| Nederlandse Tipparade | 6 |
| Greenland Greenland Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for... |
7 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
8 |
| Islas Canarias | 11 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
20 |
| Euro Top 20 Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
16 |
| Top France Airplay 100 | 16 |
| Slovenian Chart | 16 |
| Romanian Single Chart | 17 |
| Peru | 19 |
| UK Official Download Chart UK Official Download Chart The UK Official Download Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being published on a Wednesday afternoon, so as to not to clash with the release of the main UK Singles Chart... |
33 |
| Irish Singles Chart Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
41 |
| German Charts Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
46 |
| France Singles Chart | 60 |
| European Single Charts | 62 |
| Top 100 America | 78 |
| Iceland | 81 |