Helicopter (song)
Encyclopedia
"Helicopter" is a song by English rock
band Bloc Party
that was originally released in the UK in 2004 on the Little Thoughts EP, and two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm it the US. The song was received with much acclaim, reaching number 29 on the UK Singles Chart
on its first release, but failing to chart in the US. Various remix
es have been recorded. It has also been featured on the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
, Guitar Hero: On Tour, FIFA 06
, Project Gotham Racing 3
, Burnout: Revenge,Colin McRae Dirt 2, and Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
.
, it was written in common time
and has a quick tempo of 171 beats per minute.
Its lyrical influences have been debated, with frontman Kele Okereke
denying numerous rumors several times. One rumor implied that the song was solely written about then US president George W. Bush
, to which Okereke then admitted that the whole meaning upon "Helicopter" was actually regarding himself.
Compact Disc: Wichita / WEBB070SCD (UK)
US Compact Disc
US 12" vinyl
since 27 August 2006. It has received the most views of any of Bloc Party
's songs on YouTube, gaining over 10,000,000 views, almost doubling their second most viewed music video, Banquet
, which has received just over 6,000,000 views. The video, displayed in black and white. shows the band playing in an old, empty house. Lead singer
Kele Okereke
can be seen wearing a Batman
t-shirt in the video as well.
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 Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
that was originally released in the UK in 2004 on the Little Thoughts EP, and two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm it the US. The song was received with much acclaim, reaching number 29 on 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 ...
on its first release, but failing to chart in the US. Various remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
es have been recorded. It has also been featured on the video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
, Guitar Hero: On Tour, FIFA 06
FIFA 06
FIFA 06, also known as FIFA Soccer 06, is a video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts based around the game of football. It was released in the United States on 4 October 2005 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Windows, PlayStation Portable, Game Boy Advance, and...
, Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3 is an arcade-style racing game that was released with the launch of the Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005 for the US market and December 2, 2005 in Europe, and was released on January 12, 2006 in Japan. Developed by Bizarre Creations, it is the third installment in the Project...
, Burnout: Revenge,Colin McRae Dirt 2, and Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is a video game released on February 14, 2006. It was developed by The Collective, Inc. and published by Atari under license by Marc Ecko...
.
Musical structure and theme
"Helicopter" was written by all the band members prior to their debut album. Composed in B minorB minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
, it was written in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and has a quick tempo of 171 beats per minute.
Its lyrical influences have been debated, with frontman Kele Okereke
Kele Okereke
Kelechukwu "Kele" Rowland Okereke is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party.-Early life:...
denying numerous rumors several times. One rumor implied that the song was solely written about then US president George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, to which Okereke then admitted that the whole meaning upon "Helicopter" was actually regarding himself.
Track listing
7" Wichita / WEBB070S (UK)- "Helicopter"
- "Skeleton"
Compact Disc: Wichita / WEBB070SCD (UK)
- "Helicopter"
- "Always New Depths"
- "Tulips" (Minotaur ShockMinotaur ShockMinotaur Shock is the nom de plume of David Edwards, a Bristol-based electronica musician. His 2005 album Maritime was his first album released through 4AD Records, having previously released work via Manchester based Melodic....
Mix)
US Compact Disc
- "Helicopter" (Diplo Remix)
- "Helicopter" (Weird Science Remix featuring PeachesPeaches (musician)Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
) - "Helicopter" (Whitey Remix)
- "Helicopter" (Original Version)
US 12" vinyl
- "Helicopter" (Diplo Remix)
- "Helicopter" (Weird Science Remix featuring PeachesPeaches (musician)Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
)
Music video
The music video has been on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
since 27 August 2006. It has received the most views of any of Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
's songs on YouTube, gaining over 10,000,000 views, almost doubling their second most viewed music video, Banquet
Banquet (song)
"Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single "Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single "Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc...
, which has received just over 6,000,000 views. The video, displayed in black and white. shows the band playing in an old, empty house. Lead singer
Kele Okereke
Kele Okereke
Kelechukwu "Kele" Rowland Okereke is a British musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party.-Early life:...
can be seen wearing a Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
t-shirt in the video as well.