Mercury Summer

"Mercury Summer"
Single by Fightstar
from the album Be Human
Released	April 6, 2009 (UK)
Format	CD Single, 7" Vinyl, Download
Recorded	2008/2009
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	2:43
Writer(s)	Charlie Simpson, Alex Westaway
Producer	Carl Bown, Fightstar
Fightstar singles chronology
"The English Way" (2008) "Mercury Summer" (2009) "Never Change" (2009)

"Mercury Summer" is the second single from Fightstar's third studio album, Be Human. It was released on April 6, 2009.

Frontman Charlie Simpson said that the inspiration for this song came from one of his favourite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, and the dream of the lead character, Andy.

“

The inspiration for this song came from one of our favorite films of all time, The Shawshank Redemption, and the character Andy Dufresne's dreams of reaching his paradise Zihuatanejo. "At the base of it, it's really just a love song but it interprets the story of a couple on a journey to find their own nirvana away from all of the consumerist bulls*** that surrounds us in our day to day lives.

”

Bassist Dan Haigh has stated that the original song was meant to include a sample of Morgan Freeman's dialogue from the film- the line "I hope the sea is as blue as our dream"- but, in his words, "Hollywood screwed that up for us. We just couldn't get it cleared."

Track listing

CD:

1. "Mercury Summer" (Single Edit)
2. "Athea"

7" Vinyl:

1. "Mercury Summer"
2. "We Left Tracks of Fire"

iTunes EP Bundle :

1. "Mercury Summer" (Single Edit)
2. "Athea"
3. "We Left Tracks of Fire"
4. "Mercury Summer" (Acoustic)
5. "Mercury Summer" (Nero vs. Ohms Remix)
6. "Mercury Summer" (Music Video)

Music video

The video was premiered on their myspace on 25 February 2009. It features the band dressed in suits, in a spinning room, along with images of a blonde woman, who has been named as model Lucy Misch.

Chart performance

Mercury Summer entered the UK Charts at #46, Fightstar's highest single position since Hazy Eyes which peaked at number 47. It also entered at #1 and #3 in the Rock Singles Chart and Independent Singles chart respectively.

Chart (2009)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	46
UK Rock Chart	1
UK Indie Chart	3

Preceded by I'd Come for You by Nickelback

UK Rock Chart Number 1 Single 12 April 2009 - 24 May 2009

Succeeded by Iris/ Stay With You by Goo Goo Dolls

External links

• Mercury Summer video on Myspace.