Daniel (Bat for Lashes song)
Encyclopedia
"Daniel" is the first single from Bat for Lashes
' second album Two Suns
. It is her best selling single to date, selling over 46,000 copies worldwide. The song was announced as the lead single from Two Suns in January 2009, then released as a digital download single on 1 March 2009, and as a 7" vinyl single on 6 April 2009. The track was written by Natasha Khan and produced by David Kosten, as with all tracks on the album. Ira Wolf Tuton from Yeasayer
provided the bass lines for the song and Khan did the rest of the instrumentation herself. Khan said in an interview with The Sun
newspaper that "Daniel" is based on a fictional character that she fell in love with as a teenager.
The single's cover features Khan with an image of the character Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid, painted on her back. A character much like LaRusso also features at the end of the music video which goes with the song. The B-side
of the 7" is a cover version
of a 1980 single by The Cure
.
said that "Daniel" is "probably the most immediate thing Khan has recorded. Both synthy and mystical-sounding, and filled with poetic lyrics about "marble movie skies" and "the smell of cinders and rain," it could almost pass for a lost Stevie Nicks
track from the early eighties. Khan's velvety voice, meanwhile, remains as enchanting as ever, so here's hoping a few more people get to hear it." NME
said the song "relives ghostly memories of her first love and sounds like Fleetwood Mac
's "Rhiannon
" filtered through the weeping circuits of a broken-hearted android." Gigwise said "a poppy work of kosmik disko à la Empire of the Sun
as a sexy working of electric violin and vocal overdubs are strapped to the beats and bones of a mythic love song." Pitchfork Media
likewise gave it a highly positive reception, awarding the single 9/10, describing the vocals in the song as "alternately commanding and fragile" and describing the song as "her 'Running Up that Hill
'." At the end of the year, Pitchfork also rated "Daniel" the 4th best song of the year. The video for "Daniel" was named the 11th best video of the year by Spin Magazine in their "Top 20 Best Videos of 2009" countdown.
7"
Promo 12"
, the music video was released in March 2009. The music video starts with Khan in a room, alone, singing the song; and when the chorus sets in, black-clad "shadow" figures come from out of the dark and start to surround her. Khan appears undaunted as she continues singing. The figures touch her and pull her, and soon she is carried by them. Khan struggles to break free, but they hit her multiple times and she faints. The scene then changes to Khan driving a car, presumably escaping from the figures, looking scared and desperate. She seems unaware of the fact that the figures are on the roof of the car. While she drives, one of the figures enters the car from above to the backseat and caresses her shoulders. Khan gives a pleased expression while being caressed, possibly thinking it was Daniel, the man she is singing about in the song. When she turns around, she discovers to her shock that it is not Daniel, but the figure. She appears frightened and she turns the car left and right swiftly to shake the figure(s) off. The figures slowly disappear. As she continues driving, a boy (Daniel, dressed similarly to the character of Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid) appears in the middle of the street, and she stops the car and runs up to him and embraces him, and at the last shot she smiles into the camera, glad to find him.
At the MTV VMAs 2009, "Daniel" was nominated for best Breakthrough Video.
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan , also known by her stage name Bat for Lashes, is an English musician. She sings and plays the piano, bass, guitar, harpsichord and the autoharp....
' second album Two Suns
Two Suns
Two Suns is the Mercury Music Prize nominated second album by English-Pakistani solo artist Bat for Lashes , released on 6 April 2009...
. It is her best selling single to date, selling over 46,000 copies worldwide. The song was announced as the lead single from Two Suns in January 2009, then released as a digital download single on 1 March 2009, and as a 7" vinyl single on 6 April 2009. The track was written by Natasha Khan and produced by David Kosten, as with all tracks on the album. Ira Wolf Tuton from Yeasayer
Yeasayer
-History:The band's three core members, Chris Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and Anand Wilder, first came to attention after appearing at the SXSW festival in early 2007. Their first single consisted of a double A-side of the tracks "Sunrise" and "2080"...
provided the bass lines for the song and Khan did the rest of the instrumentation herself. Khan said in an interview with The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper that "Daniel" is based on a fictional character that she fell in love with as a teenager.
The single's cover features Khan with an image of the character Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid, painted on her back. A character much like LaRusso also features at the end of the music video which goes with the song. The B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of the 7" is a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of a 1980 single by The Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
.
Reception
Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
said that "Daniel" is "probably the most immediate thing Khan has recorded. Both synthy and mystical-sounding, and filled with poetic lyrics about "marble movie skies" and "the smell of cinders and rain," it could almost pass for a lost Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
track from the early eighties. Khan's velvety voice, meanwhile, remains as enchanting as ever, so here's hoping a few more people get to hear it." NME
NME
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...
said the song "relives ghostly memories of her first love and sounds like Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
's "Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll . She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona.She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi...
" filtered through the weeping circuits of a broken-hearted android." Gigwise said "a poppy work of kosmik disko à la Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun (band)
Empire of the Sun is an Australian electronic music duo that formed in 2008. The duo is composed of Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson and Nick Littlemore of Pnau. The two met in 2000 after both being signed to the same record label. Luke and Nick knew that they instantly had a chemistry like no other...
as a sexy working of electric violin and vocal overdubs are strapped to the beats and bones of a mythic love song." Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
likewise gave it a highly positive reception, awarding the single 9/10, describing the vocals in the song as "alternately commanding and fragile" and describing the song as "her 'Running Up that Hill
Running Up That Hill
12" Maxi single -Charts:-Placebo version:Alternative rock band Placebo covered "Running Up that Hill", releasing it originally on the bonus disc of their 2003 album Sleeping with Ghosts, then featuring it on Covers and the US version of Meds in 2007. Placebo's take on the song is more downbeat than...
'." At the end of the year, Pitchfork also rated "Daniel" the 4th best song of the year. The video for "Daniel" was named the 11th best video of the year by Spin Magazine in their "Top 20 Best Videos of 2009" countdown.
Track listings
Download- "Daniel" – 4:09
7"
- "Daniel" (Cenzo Townshend radio edit) – 3:29
- "A ForestA Forest"A Forest" is a single by the English rock band The Cure, released on March 28, 1980 as the only single from their second album Seventeen Seconds. It was their first chart single in the UK, reaching #31; the song was also a hit in the Netherlands, reaching #26. It was also their first single to be...
" – 3:09
Promo 12"
- "Daniel" (Duke Dumont Remix) – 3:36
- "Daniel" (Death Metal Disco Scene Remix) – 6:50
- "Daniel" (Death Metal Disco Scene Dub) – 5:46
Music video
Directed by Johan RenckJohan Renck
Bo Johan Renck is a Swedish director of music videos, TV and film. He is an occasional recording artist using the moniker Stakka Bo.-Music videos:...
, the music video was released in March 2009. The music video starts with Khan in a room, alone, singing the song; and when the chorus sets in, black-clad "shadow" figures come from out of the dark and start to surround her. Khan appears undaunted as she continues singing. The figures touch her and pull her, and soon she is carried by them. Khan struggles to break free, but they hit her multiple times and she faints. The scene then changes to Khan driving a car, presumably escaping from the figures, looking scared and desperate. She seems unaware of the fact that the figures are on the roof of the car. While she drives, one of the figures enters the car from above to the backseat and caresses her shoulders. Khan gives a pleased expression while being caressed, possibly thinking it was Daniel, the man she is singing about in the song. When she turns around, she discovers to her shock that it is not Daniel, but the figure. She appears frightened and she turns the car left and right swiftly to shake the figure(s) off. The figures slowly disappear. As she continues driving, a boy (Daniel, dressed similarly to the character of Daniel LaRusso, from the film The Karate Kid) appears in the middle of the street, and she stops the car and runs up to him and embraces him, and at the last shot she smiles into the camera, glad to find him.
At the MTV VMAs 2009, "Daniel" was nominated for best Breakthrough Video.
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) |
47 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratip (Wallonia) | 22 |
| 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 ... |
36 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Parlophone Parlophone Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which... |
Download | ||
| UK | Parlophone Parlophone Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which... |
7" | R6768 | |
Covers
- Paul DempseyPaul DempseyPaul Dempsey is the lead singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of Australian rock group Something for Kate. Paul was a founding member of the band, and in August 2009 released his first solo album, Everything Is True whilst continuing his work with Something for Kate...
covered Daniel for Triple JTriple Jtriple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
's Like A VersionLike A VersionLike a Version is a segment on the Australian radio station Triple J. It was created by Mel Bampton as part of the Mel in the Morning program. Currently the segment pops up whenever artists are available and willing to do it, though mainly on the Breakfast show... - In 2009 Josh ReichmannJosh ReichmannJosh Reichmann is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter.Formerly associated with the band Tangiers, since that band's breakup he has performed under the stage name Jewish Legend...
did a folksier cover of the song for a Paper Bag Records covers compilation.