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Knights of Cydonia

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"Knights of Cydonia"
Song

"Knights of Cydonia" is a song by English rock band Muse and is the closing track on the English release of their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. The radio edit version was first aired on KROQ radio on 6 June 2006, and released to other radio stations in the United States on 12 June 2006. The song was released as the third single from Black Holes and Revelations in the UK on 27 November 2006, debuting at #10 in the UK Singles Chart (see 2006 in British music).[1] The song was described by BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac on 27 October 2006 as "Six minutes and one second of pure genius". In 2007, Eve of Summer recorded a remix.

The first live performance of "Knights of Cydonia" took place at a BBC Radio 1 event, One Big Weekend, held at Camperdown Park in Dundee on 2006-05-13. Also performed at this event were "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Starlight", the first two singles from Black Holes and Revelations. Live performances of "Knights of Cydonia" feature Bellamy's intro falsetto much more loudly and clearly than its studio counterpart.[citation needed] Recent live performances have featured Bellamy playing an extra guitar part during the solo at the end of song, as well as the coda of "Space Dementia" played as a finale (see YouTube link in External links section below).

"Knights of Cydonia" has also been confirmed as being a playable song in Guitar Hero III.

Track listing

  • Promo CD PRO-101829
  1. "Knights of Cydonia" (radio edit) - 4:42
  2. "Knights of Cydonia" (album version) - 6:01
  • 7" HEL3004, Digital download
  1. "Knights of Cydonia" - 6:01
  2. "Assassin" (Grand Omega Bosses edit) - 5:19
  • CD HEL3004CD
  1. "Knights of Cydonia" - 6:01
  2. "Supermassive Black Hole" (live from the Campo Pequeno in Lisbon)
  • DVD HEL3004DVD
  1. "Knights of Cydonia" (video)
  2. "Knights of Cydonia" (audio)
  3. "Knights of Cydonia" (the making of)
  4. Gallery

Music and meaning

The song features vocals from both Bellamy's higher and lower ranges layered and both synthesised and live trumpet parts. The guitar sound in the song was inspired by the 1962 number one hit "Telstar" by The Tornados (George Bellamy, Matt Bellamy's father was the band's rhythm guitarist).[2] The song consists of multiple differently arranged sections. The beginning was inspired by Commodore C64 SID music[citation needed]; the fast sparkling arpeggiator pattern with the strange lead voice timbre is very typical for that, but unique is here that the characteristic sound was ported to high quality timbres of "real" instruments.

The titular "Cydonia" refers to the region on Mars where some believe life has existed, and is the site of the infamous Face on Mars. The cover artwork for Black Holes and Revelations, created by Storm Thorgerson, is set on the surface of Mars, and features four men sitting around a table with miniature horses in front of them. According to the band, these men represent "a part of the apocalypse, each wearing a suit which represents an ailment of humanity."[3]

Sample

Music video

The KOC video was shot over five days: three days in Romania; one day in London; and one day in Red Rock, California; it was made available on July 11th, 2006. It was filmed and edited in the style of an old spaghetti western film with post-apocalyptic themes, complete with beginning and end credits. Despite the western setting, many references to 60s and 70s pop culture are present. In the end of a video we can see Roman numerals MCMLXXXI which translates to 1981 (somehow at the beginning it is written MCLMXXXI).

The video was directed by Joseph Kahn, and stars British actor Russ Bain as the lead cowboy (The Man With No Name), Richard Brake as the antagonist (Sheriff Baron Klaus Rottingham), and Cassandra Bell as the love interest (Princess Shane Kuriyami).

The video follows an interesting storyline as the hero cowboy is defeated by the cowboy in black (antagonist), and is left for dead in the desert, upon which a woman on a unicorn gives him new information in the form of CD's as to new fighting styles. Before the hero's girl falls prey to a hanging by the cowboy in black. Saving her, he shoots the bad cowboy and rides off into the desert with his girl.

A very brief scene in which Bain has sex with his love interest was edited out of the video for presentation on television. The complete, uncensored version is available for viewing at the Director's website.

Contest

Shortly after the making of the video, Muse announced that they were giving away 1000 movie posters depicting the characters and general plot of the video itself to the first 1000 people who correctly guessed the fifteen major motion pictures referenced by the music video, "Knights of Cydonia." Aside from the very few obvious ones, such as Star Wars (which is referenced by a robot in the movies' stiff gait and the holograms of Muse being projected everywhere), The Matrix (with the protagonist's "Bring it" hand gesture), Planet of the Apes (with the statue of liberty in the desert), Westworld (a western set in the future), Mad Max, The Lone Ranger, and Batman, other references are to the television programs Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Kung Fu while more obscure references are to High Plains Drifter, Legend, Maverick, Heavy Metal, The Searchers, Oblivion, High Noon and Blade Runner. The posters still have not been sent out.

Chart performance

"Knights of Cydonia" entered the UK Singles Chart the week of 2006-12-04 at #10.

"Knights of Cydonia" - UK Singles Chart[4]
Week 1 2 3 4
Position
10
29
44
59

Prior to its entry in the Singles Chart, "Knights of Cydonia" had been active in the Downloads Chart, and sat at #41 the same week that the physical release debuted at #10 in the Singles Chart. Three weeks earlier, the song sat at #104 in the Downloads Chart marking a substantial jump in that time period.

"Knights of Cydonia" - UK Official Download Chart[5]
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Position
104
103
87
41
46
65
101

References

  1. ^ "Muse ready new single". NME. 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ "2006 in Review", Kerrang, no. 1138, p. 45, 2006-12-16 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Jacqui Swift (2006-06-23). "Muse: Close encounters". The Sun. Retrieved 2006-11-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Music Charts - The Official UK Top 75 Singles: Week of Mon 25 Dec - Yahoo! Music UK". UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  5. ^ "Music Charts - The Official UK Top 40 Downloads: Week of Mon 25 Dec - Yahoo! Music UK". UK Official Download Chart. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
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