"Opus 40" is the third single from Mercury Rev

Mercury Rev

Mercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...

's fourth studio album, Deserter's Songs

Deserter's Songs

Deserter's Songs is the fourth studio album by the Buffalo, New York-based rock band Mercury Rev, released in late September 1998. British music magazine NME named Deserter's Songs album of the year for 1998...

. The single was released in the UK on May 10, 1999. A music video was produced for the song, directed by Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...

. B-sides for the single included live covers of "He Was a Friend of Mine" (Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

), "Motion Pictures" (Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

), "Silver Street" (Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks while attending Solihull School in Solihull.-Career:...

 and Dave Kusworth), and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach

Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...

 and Hal David

Hal David

Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...

).

The song is named after Opus 40

Opus 40

Opus 40 is a large environmental sculpture in Saugerties, New York, created by sculptor and quarryman Harvey Fite . It comprises a sprawling series of dry-stone ramps, pedestals and platforms covering of a bluestone quarry.-Overview:...

, a sculpture located in Saugerties

Saugerties (town), New York

Saugerties is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 19,482 at the 2000 census. The Town of Saugerties contains the Village of Saugerties. The town is in the northeast corner of Ulster County....

, 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...

.

UK

CD #1:

1. "Opus 40" (Edit) - 3:36
2. "He Was a Friend of Mine" (Live) - 3:36
3. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (Live) - 2:02

CD #2:

1. "Opus 40" (Edit) - 3:36
2. "Silver Street" (Live) - 4:41
3. "Tonite It Shows" (Live) - 5:17

7" vinyl:

1. "Opus 40" (Edit) - 3:36
2. "Motion Pictures" (Live) - 3:28

Japan

"Opus 40 + Super B-Side Tracks!" EP CD:

1. "Opus 40" (Edit) - 3:36
2. "He Was a Friend of Mine" (Live) - 3:36
3. "Motion Pictures" (Live) - 3:28
4. "Silver Street" (Live) - 4:41
5. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (Live) - 2:02
6. "Tonite It Shows" (Live) - 5:17
7. "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" (The Chemical Brothers
   The Chemical Brothers
   The Chemical Brothers are a British electronic music duo comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. Originating in Manchester in 1991, along with The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, The Crystal Method, and fellow acts, they were pioneers at bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture.- Background...
   
   Remix) - 6:22