Uprising (song)
Encyclopedia
"Uprising" is a song by English rock
band Muse
, featured on their fifth studio album The Resistance
. Written by lead vocalist
and guitarist
Matthew Bellamy
, the song was released as the lead single
from the album on 7 September 2009. The song remained at the #1 position on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for 17 nonconsecutive weeks, and has become the band's most successful song in the United States. The song was mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent. It was also the last UK
single to top an American
chart for the 2000s
, according to the 30 December 2009 Nielsen BDS alternative chart, and also the first UK single to top an American chart for the 2010s
.
Excerpts are used in the trailers for the 2010 Tom Cruise
/Cameron Diaz
spy comedy Knight and Day, promotions for the US television series V
, featured as the track for the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Finale, the trailer for the 2010 TV miniseries Sherlock, and the song is a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
.
page; the song was unveiled as the opening track of the album, preceding the title track
"Resistance". In a pre-release review, French media source JudeBox described the song as follows:
The song is often considered to be based on the hit Blondie
song "Call Me
", because of the thumping bass line and the occasional lead guitar riff (Blondie have in turn referenced this in their live performances by singing the lyrics of "Call Me" whilst covering the music of "Uprising", most notably at the RockNess festival in June 2010). However, "Uprising" can be argued to have more in common with the Black Sabbath song "Children of the Grave
" which Blondie's "Call Me" may have been based on. Many journalists have mentioned that "Uprising" is similar to the theme music
for the British science fiction
television series Doctor Who
.
" was initially thought by the Muse fan community to be the first single due for release, Muse revealed, via their Twitter page, that it would in fact be "Uprising". It was revealed in July 2009 that the band would perform at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
. They played at the theatre across the street from where the VMAs were held, and were introduced by Gerard Butler
. On 28 July 2009 Zane Lowe
played a 32 second sample on BBC Radio 1
ahead of its first play in full on 3 August 2009. After being released to radio in the United States, the single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Alternative Songs
chart on 9 September 2009, becoming Muse's 6th Top 10 single and first #1 on that chart, eventually spending 17 weeks at #1, becoming the second longest running #1 song ever on the chart. It became their first Billboard Hot 100
single (and Top 40 single), peaking at #37 on the week ending 3 October 2009 and spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100. The song peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart
and is the band's fourth top 10 single on that chart. The song was a huge success in Poland, going up to number 1 on the Singles Chart.
"Uprising" won the Best Single award at the 2010 Music Producers Guild Awards in London
.
Television
, directed by American collective Hydra (Sam Stephens, John Hobbs and others), first aired on MTV2 on 17 September 2009. The band performs through a miniature city in a small truck, with a lit fuse
following behind. At times, they are also seen performing inside a trailer
which seems to be exploding. Through the window of a TV shop the band at one point looks at TVs with teddy bears on the screens; Matt smashes the window and TVs with his guitar. At the end of the video a group of teddy bear
s (with small fangs, claws and reptilian eyes) rise up from the ground and start destroying the miniature city, only to fall down at the end of the video. This is said to pay homage to the climactic scene in Ghostbusters, one shot even mirroring the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's introduction.
The video won "Best Special Effects" in the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
, but lost "Best Rock Video" to 30 Seconds to Mars
's "Kings and Queens
".
; "Who Knows Who" co-written by Mike Skinner
.
Digital download
7" vinyl (WEA458)
CD single (WEA458CD)
muse.mu download
Promo CD (PR017302)
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|Hungarian Singles Chart
|align="center"|61
|-
|Italian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|Swiss Singles Chart
|align="center"|59
|-
|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|161
|-
!Chart (2010)
!Position
|-
|U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|-
! Country
! Certification
|-
| Australia
| Gold (ARIA
)
|-
| Canada
| Gold (CRIA
)
|-
| United States
| Platinum (RIAA)
|-
|}
Other
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 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 fifth studio album The Resistance
The Resistance (album)
The Resistance is the fifth studio album by English alternative rock band Muse, released in Europe on 14 September 2009, and in North America on 15 September 2009....
. Written by lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The 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...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Matthew Bellamy
Matthew 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:...
, the song was 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 7 September 2009. The song remained at the #1 position on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for 17 nonconsecutive weeks, and has become the band's most successful song in the United States. The song was mixed by Mark 'Spike' Stent. It was also the last UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
single to top an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chart for the 2000s
2000s in music
For music from a year in the 2000s, go to 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 2000s....
, according to the 30 December 2009 Nielsen BDS alternative chart, and also the first UK single to top an American chart for the 2010s
2010s in music
For music from a year in the 2010s, go to 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19This article describes trends in popular music in the 2010s....
.
Excerpts are used in the trailers for the 2010 Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
/Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
spy comedy Knight and Day, promotions for the US television series V
V (2009 TV series)
V is an American science fiction television series that ran for two seasons on ABC, from November 3, 2009 to March 15, 2011. A remake of the 1983 miniseries created by Kenneth Johnson, the new series chronicles the arrival on Earth of a technologically advanced alien species which ostensibly comes...
, featured as the track for the 2010 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Finale, the trailer for the 2010 TV miniseries Sherlock, and the song is a playable track in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a music video game and the sixth main entry in the Guitar Hero series for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles. The game was released September 24, 2010 in Europe, September 28, 2010 in North America and September 29, 2010 in Australia...
.
Background and composition
The title "Uprising" was first revealed on 3 July 2009, when the album's track listing was released sporadically on the band's TwitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page; the song was unveiled as the opening track of the album, preceding the title track
Title track
Title track may refer to:*Title track, a recorded song having the same name as the album or movie it comes from*Title Track, a song on the album The Stage Names*Title Track, a song on the album We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes...
"Resistance". In a pre-release review, French media source JudeBox described the song as follows:
The song is often considered to be based on the hit Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
song "Call Me
Call Me (Blondie song)
"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK ....
", because of the thumping bass line and the occasional lead guitar riff (Blondie have in turn referenced this in their live performances by singing the lyrics of "Call Me" whilst covering the music of "Uprising", most notably at the RockNess festival in June 2010). However, "Uprising" can be argued to have more in common with the Black Sabbath song "Children of the Grave
Children of the Grave
"Children of the Grave" is a song by Black Sabbath from their 1971 album Master of Reality. The song lyrically continues with the same anti-war themes brought on by "War Pigs" and "Electric Funeral" from Paranoid, adding in Geezer Butler's pacifist ideals of non-violent civil disobedience...
" which Blondie's "Call Me" may have been based on. Many journalists have mentioned that "Uprising" is similar to the theme music
Doctor Who theme music
The Doctor Who theme is a piece of music composed by Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Created in 1963, it was one of the first electronic music signature tunes for television and after nearly five decades remains one of the most easily...
for the British science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
Release and reception
While "United States of EurasiaUnited States of Eurasia
"United States of Eurasia" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse and is featured on their fifth studio album The Resistance. The song was made available as a free digital download online on 21 July 2009 and is followed by an instrumental solo entitled "Collateral Damage", based on...
" was initially thought by the Muse fan community to be the first single due for release, Muse revealed, via their Twitter page, that it would in fact be "Uprising". It was revealed in July 2009 that the band would perform at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
. They played at the theatre across the street from where the VMAs were held, and were introduced by Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television. A trained lawyer, Butler turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies , which he followed with steady work on television, most notably in...
. On 28 July 2009 Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
played a 32 second sample on 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...
ahead of its first play in full on 3 August 2009. After being released to radio in the United States, the single reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Alternative Songs
Modern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart on 9 September 2009, becoming Muse's 6th Top 10 single and first #1 on that chart, eventually spending 17 weeks at #1, becoming the second longest running #1 song ever on the chart. It became their first Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
single (and Top 40 single), peaking at #37 on the week ending 3 October 2009 and spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100. The song peaked at #9 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 ...
and is the band's fourth top 10 single on that chart. The song was a huge success in Poland, going up to number 1 on the Singles Chart.
"Uprising" won the Best Single award at the 2010 Music Producers Guild Awards in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Uses
Sports- Used when the Sydney RoostersSydney RoostersThe Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
enter the field at their home games. - Used in the Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
intro video before every home game. - Frequently sung at San Diego State Aztecs men's basketballSan Diego State Aztecs men's basketballThe San Diego State Aztecs basketball team is the basketball team that represent San Diego State University Aztecs in San Diego, California. The school's team currently competes in the Mountain West Conference, and play their home games in Viejas Arena...
home games.
Television
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
season tenAmerican Idol (season 10)The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
contestant James DurbinJames Durbin (singer)James Durbin is an American rock singer and guitar player from Santa Cruz, California, who finished in fourth place on the tenth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
performed the song during Music from the 21st Century week.
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...
, directed by American collective Hydra (Sam Stephens, John Hobbs and others), first aired on MTV2 on 17 September 2009. The band performs through a miniature city in a small truck, with a lit fuse
Fuse (explosives)
In an explosive, pyrotechnic device or military munition, a fuse is the part of the device that initiates function. In common usage, the word fuse is used indiscriminately...
following behind. At times, they are also seen performing inside a trailer
Recreational vehicle
Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer equipped with living space and amenities found in a home.-Features:...
which seems to be exploding. Through the window of a TV shop the band at one point looks at TVs with teddy bears on the screens; Matt smashes the window and TVs with his guitar. At the end of the video a group of teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
s (with small fangs, claws and reptilian eyes) rise up from the ground and start destroying the miniature city, only to fall down at the end of the video. This is said to pay homage to the climactic scene in Ghostbusters, one shot even mirroring the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's introduction.
The video won "Best Special Effects" in the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
, but lost "Best Rock Video" to 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
's "Kings and Queens
Kings and Queens (30 Seconds to Mars song)
"Kings and Queens" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, the song was released as the lead single from the album to American radio on October 6, 2009, and the physical single was released on October...
".
Track listing
All songs written 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:...
; "Who Knows Who" co-written by Mike Skinner
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
.
Digital download
- "Uprising" – 5:03
7" vinyl (WEA458)
- "Uprising" – 5:03
- "Who Knows WhoWho Knows Who"Who Knows Who" is a collaboration song by English alternative rock band Muse and English hip hop artist Mike Skinner. Not originally intended for official release, an early version of the song leaked onto several Muse internet forums in August 2008. The song was officially released as the B-side...
" (with Mike SkinnerThe StreetsThe Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
) – 3:24
CD single (WEA458CD)
- "Uprising" – 5:03
- "Uprising" (Does It Offend You, Yeah?Does It Offend You, Yeah?Does It Offend You, Yeah? are a British electronic rock band from Reading, Berkshire.-History:Does It Offend You, Yeah? were formed in 2006 in Reading, UK by James Rushent and Dan Coop and soon joined by Rob Bloomfield and Morgan Quaintance....
remix) – 4:00
muse.mu download
- "Uprising" (Live from Teignmouth 04.09.09) – 5:37
Promo CD (PR017302)
- "Uprising" – 4:08
Charts
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
23 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 29 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 12 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 6 |
| Canadian 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... |
28 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Singles Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
22 |
| European Hot 100 | 17 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 8 |
| French Digital Singles Chart | 10 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
40 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
11 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Japan Hot 100 Singles | 12 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 12 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
4 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
37 |
| 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... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs | 1 |
| 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 ... |
9 |
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable"|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|Hungarian Singles Chart
|align="center"|61
|-
|Italian Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|59
|-
|Swiss Singles Chart
|align="center"|59
|-
|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 ...
| style="text-align:center;"|161
|-
!Chart (2010)
!Position
|-
|U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
Certifications
{| class="wikitable"|-
! Country
! Certification
|-
| Australia
| Gold (ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
)
|-
| Canada
| Gold (CRIA
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
)
|-
| United States
| Platinum (RIAA)
|-
|}
External links
Official- "Uprising" (video)
- "Uprising" 30-second sample
- "Uprising" (Does It Offend You, Yeah? remix) 30-second sample
- "Who Knows Who" (feat. Mike Skinner) 30-second sample
- "Uprising" (single)
Other