Plug In Baby
Encyclopedia
"Plug In Baby" is a song by English alternative rock
band Muse
, featured on their 2001 second studio album Origin of Symmetry
. Released as the lead single
from the album on 5 March 2001, "Plug In Baby" became the band's highest-charting single when it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart
, until it was surpassed by "Time Is Running Out" in 2003. Today, "Plug In Baby" is considered one of Muse's most notable songs, and has been featured on the live albums Hullabaloo Soundtrack
(2002) and HAARP (2008). "Plug In Baby" is often praised for its opening guitar riff; Total Guitar
readers voted the riff as the 13th best of all-time in 2004. The beginning of the riff shows similarities to the toccata
from Bach
's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
". Bellamy has also stated in a 2005 interview that it elaborates on the riff from DJ Shadow
's track Organ Donor. The bassline has been noted as being very similar to that of Air's single Sexy Boy
, which was released 3 years earlier. "Plug In Baby" was first recorded as a demo in 1997, although it featured a different guitar riff. Total Guitar voted Plug in Baby the #1 ultimate guitar riff of the last 10 years. In 2011, Spinner.com named "Plug In Baby" the 46th greatest guitar riff of all time, citing its "play on Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565'."
.
7" vinyl (MUSH89S); Compact Cassette (MUSH89MC)
CD single disc 1 (MUSH89CDS); French CD single disc 1 (Naïve NV 3854-1)
CD single disc 2 (MUSH89CDSX); French CD single disc 2 (Naïve NV 3854-2)
Australian CD single (FMR 020232); German CD single (Motor
)
Benelux CD single (PIAS
481.2006.179)
Japan CD (Avex AVCM-65063)
Promo CD (MUSE 11)
Additional personnel
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, featured on their 2001 second studio album Origin of Symmetry
Origin of Symmetry
Origin of Symmetry is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released on 17 July 2001 by Taste Records. In the UK it reached #3 and was certified platinum. The title for the album comes from a concept put forward by Michio Kaku in his book Hyperspace.On Origin of Symmetry,...
. Released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from the album on 5 March 2001, "Plug In Baby" became the band's highest-charting single when it peaked at number 11 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 ...
, until it was surpassed by "Time Is Running Out" in 2003. Today, "Plug In Baby" is considered one of Muse's most notable songs, and has been featured on the live albums Hullabaloo Soundtrack
Hullabaloo Soundtrack
Notes*A sample of Tom Waits's "What's He Building?" can be heard in disc two's pregap *The Intro of Rachmaninov's 'Prelude in C Sharp Minor "The Bells of Moscow"' is played at the beginning of Track 7 Disc 2.-Japanese release track listing:...
(2002) and HAARP (2008). "Plug In Baby" is often praised for its opening guitar riff; Total Guitar
Total Guitar
Total Guitar is a monthly magazine based in the United Kingdom. The magazine is the best selling guitar magazine in Europe.The magazine is owned by Future Publishing, who publish many other magazines ranging from drums and video games to mountain bikes and knitting magazines.Total Guitar regularly...
readers voted the riff as the 13th best of all-time in 2004. The beginning of the riff shows similarities to the toccata
Toccata
Toccata is a virtuoso piece of music typically for a keyboard or plucked string instrument featuring fast-moving, lightly fingered or otherwise virtuosic passages or sections, with or without imitative or fugal interludes, generally emphasizing the dexterity of the performer's fingers...
from Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach. It is one of the most famous works in the organ repertoire, and has been used in a variety of popular media ranging from film, video games, to rock music, and ringtones...
". Bellamy has also stated in a 2005 interview that it elaborates on the riff from DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
's track Organ Donor. The bassline has been noted as being very similar to that of Air's single Sexy Boy
Sexy Boy
"Sexy Boy" is a single by French band Air and was featured in the film 10 Things I Hate About You as well as the British television series Queer as Folk.-Music video:...
, which was released 3 years earlier. "Plug In Baby" was first recorded as a demo in 1997, although it featured a different guitar riff. Total Guitar voted Plug in Baby the #1 ultimate guitar riff of the last 10 years. In 2011, Spinner.com named "Plug In Baby" the 46th greatest guitar riff of all time, citing its "play on Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565'."
Music Video
The music video depicts the band in a room playing their instruments, with cut-aways to scenes of women, which step by step are relieved to be at least part bionic with tendrils hanging down. These connect to the title 'plug in baby' connecting the women to be electronic 'creations', or a sort of self assembly beings. The video also has some scenes with electronic equipment affecting women who use them, one being a hairdryer and the other a set of ear phones, both leading to visual indications that they are somehow under control or possibly even being possessed. The end shows the lead singer of the band Matt Bellamy paused in a stress pose, in a way that looks like he has 'powered down' at the end of the song, again linking to the idea of bionic beings that the video has played with the whole way through.Track listings
All songs were written and composed by Matthew BellamyMatthew Bellamy
Matthew James Bellamy is an English musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, pianist, and main songwriter of the alternative rock band Muse.-Early life:...
.
7" vinyl (MUSH89S); Compact Cassette (MUSH89MC)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Nature_1" – 3:40
CD single disc 1 (MUSH89CDS); French CD single disc 1 (Naïve NV 3854-1)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Nature_1" – 3:40
- "Execution Commentary" – 2:30
- "Plug In Baby" (music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
) – 3:41
CD single disc 2 (MUSH89CDSX); French CD single disc 2 (Naïve NV 3854-2)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Spiral Static" – 4:46
- "Bedroom Acoustics" – 2:37
Australian CD single (FMR 020232); German CD single (Motor
Motor Music
Motor Music is an independent record label located in Berlin, Germany dealing mainly with rock music. It was founded in 1994 and until 2004 was a subsidiary of Universal Music Group....
)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Nature_1" – 3:40
- "Execution Commentary" – 2:30
- "Spiral Static" – 4:44
- "Bedroom Acoustics" – 2:35
Benelux CD single (PIAS
PIAS Recordings
[PIAS] Recordings is the recorded music division of the [PIAS] Entertainment Group, a European independent artist and label services company.The record labels that operate under the [PIAS] Recordings umbrella are: Play It Again Sam, Wall of Sound and Different Recordings.Aside from the three London...
481.2006.179)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Nature_1" – 3:40
- "Spiral Static" – 4:44
- "Plug In Baby" (music video) – 3:39
Japan CD (Avex AVCM-65063)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:39
- "Nature_1" – 3:40
- "Execution Commentary" – 2:30
- "Bedroom Acoustics" – 2:35
Promo CD (MUSE 11)
- "Plug In Baby" – 3:18
Other Versions
- LovedrugLovedrugLovedrug is an indie rock band from Canton, Ohio that formed in 2001. The band’s name is something of a word play; singer Michael Shepard initially left music to attend film school but his first ‘love’ of the music medium ‘dragged’ him back .- History :Lovedrug released their first EP, the...
included a recording of Plug In BabyPlug In Baby"Plug In Baby" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse, featured on their 2001 second studio album Origin of Symmetry. Released as the lead single from the album on 5 March 2001, "Plug In Baby" became the band's highest-charting single when it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart,...
on the fan-chosen covers album from the I AM LOVEDRUG campaign. The album, titled “Best of I AM LOVEDRUG” was released June 28, 2011.
Personnel
Muse- Matthew BellamyMatthew BellamyMatthew James Bellamy is an English musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, pianist, and main songwriter of the alternative rock band Muse.-Early life:...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Christopher Wolstenholme – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, production, mixing - Dominic HowardDominic HowardDominic James "Dom" Howard , is the drummer for the English rock band Muse.-Early life:Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with his family to Teignmouth, a small town in Devon. He began playing drums at about the age of 12, when he...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, production, mixing
Additional personnel
- David BottrillDavid BottrillDavid Bottrill is a Canadian record producer. He has won three Grammys. Currently, he owns Rattlebox Studios in Toronto, Ontario with producer Brian Moncarz...
– production, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including... - John CornfieldJohn CornfieldJohn Cornfield is a British record producer and sound engineer. He has been working from Sawmills Studios in Cornwall since 1982. As the chief engineer he has assisted some highly respected and regarded producers, including John Leckie and Tom Dowd, and has worked with a vast selection of artists...
– mixing - Tanya Andrew – artworkAlbum coverAn album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
External links
- Plug In Baby (single) at MuseWiki
- Plug In Baby (song) at MuseWiki
- "Plug In Baby" lyrics