Under Cover of Darkness
Encyclopedia
"Under Cover of Darkness" is a song by American rock
band The Strokes
. The single served as the lead single
for their fourth studio album, Angles
and was released online on 9 February 2011 as a free download
for 48 hours exclusively. It is the first single release from the band in five years, following the release of "You Only Live Once
" in 2006. "Under Cover of Darkness" received positive reviews, managing to reach BBC Radio 1
's A Playlist; before going on to debut at number 47 on the respective chart
. In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 133 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
for the song was released on March 2, 2011. The video was directed and produced by Warren Fu at Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey
on February 17, 2011. The video begins with a clip of the music video for "You Only Live Once
", and contains a reference to the video for "Last Nite
". The reference occurs when Julian Casablancas throws his microphone stand, which he also did in the video for "Last Nite".
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 The Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
. The single served 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...
for their fourth studio album, Angles
Angles (The Strokes album)
Angles is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band The Strokes, released on March 18, 2011 in Australia; March 21, 2011 in the UK; and March 22, 2011 worldwide...
and was released online on 9 February 2011 as a free download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
for 48 hours exclusively. It is the first single release from the band in five years, following the release of "You Only Live Once
You Only Live Once (song)
"You Only Live Once" is the opening track and third single from First Impressions of Earth, the third album from American rock band The Strokes...
" in 2006. "Under Cover of Darkness" received positive reviews, managing to reach BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's A Playlist; before going on to debut at number 47 on the respective 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 ...
. In October 2011, 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...
placed it at number 133 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Track listing
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A 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...
for the song was released on March 2, 2011. The video was directed and produced by Warren Fu at Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
on February 17, 2011. The video begins with a clip of the music video for "You Only Live Once
You Only Live Once (song)
"You Only Live Once" is the opening track and third single from First Impressions of Earth, the third album from American rock band The Strokes...
", and contains a reference to the video for "Last Nite
Last Nite
"Last Nite" was covered in 2003 by Vitamin C. The song was produced by Dave Derby, Michael Kotch, and Fred Maher. The single features a sample from Blondie's "Heart of Glass". After Elektra Records dropped Vitamin C when her second album, More, did not sell as expected, she signed to V2 Records in...
". The reference occurs when Julian Casablancas throws his microphone stand, which he also did in the video for "Last Nite".
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Canada Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
88 |
| Canada: Active Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
21 |
| Canada: Alternative Rock Canadian rock/alternative chart The Canadian rock/alternative chart was first published on June 11, 1995 by RPM magazine under the name Alternative 30. The song which held the number-one spot on this first chart was "More Human than Human" by White Zombie... |
3 |
| France Top 100 Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
75 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
9 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Alternative Songs |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
23 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9 February 2011 | Digital Download |
| Worldwide | 11 February 2011 | |
| United Kingdom | 1 March 2011 | Vinyl |
| 16 April 2011 | ||