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Supermassive Black Hole (song)

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This article is about the Muse song. For the cosmological phenomena, see Supermassive black hole.
"Supermassive Black Hole"
Song
B-side"Crying Shame"

"Supermassive Black Hole" (sometimes abbreviated as "SMBH") is a song by English alternative rock band Muse and is the third track on their fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations. It was also released as the first single from the album on 19 June 2006, accompanied by the B-side "Crying Shame". The single reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart, making it the highest charting single by the band to date.[1] The song is also included in FIFA 07 soundtrack.


Influences

Bellamy [Muse vocalist, guitarist and songwriter] said that the song was "the most different to anything we've ever done". Influences included bands such as The Beatles, Millionaire, dEUS, Evil Superstars and Soulwax. Bellamy said that "these groups were the first to mix R&B rhythms with alternative guitar. We've added a bit of Prince and Kanye West. The drumbeat isn't rocky, with Rage Against the Machine riffs underneath. We’ve mixed a lot of things in this track, with a bit of electronica; it’s different, slow, quite funky."[2]

In an interview with NME, Bellamy said "I was going out dancing in clubs around New York. That helped create tracks like 'Supermassive Black Hole'. Franz Ferdinand would have done it very well, with that dance type beat going on mixed with alternative guitar and I've always wanted to find that."[3]

Music video

The single's accompanying music video shows the band playing in a small furniture shop, clad in masks. This is intercut with images of dancers in Zentai suits which are then unzipped at the end to reveal beings made of space. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who is also known for directing videos for such alternative bands as Marilyn Manson, The White Stripes, Interpol, Incubus and The Cure. The concept for the video has been stated by Sigismondi as a replication of a recurring dream she has experienced, in which dancers wearing masks of their own faces or mirrors and full body suits fill a dark mirrored room. There are also flashes of a black circle, which is symbolic of supermassive black holes themselves.

Release

"Supermassive Black Hole" was the first single released from Black Holes and Revelations in the UK on 19 June 2006, available on vinyl, CD, DVD and digital download formats. It peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart, making it their most popular single released in the UK to date.[1] In the US it was the third single to be released, on April 23, 2007. The single reached #6 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it the second highest-charting Muse single in the US behind "Starlight".

B-side

The single's B-side, "Crying Shame", was first performed on 19 December 2004 at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The key was changed during the 2005 tour, and the studio track omits the riff found in the earlier live version. The lyrics also appear to have changed, and this is the first studio release in which lead singer Bellamy uses profanity.

Before the release of "SMBH", it was widely rumoured that "Crying Shame" would be the first single from the new album. Rolling Stone announced (and many websites carried this message) that it was to be the first single,[4][5] however these stories were proven false by a message from Muse.[6]

Track listings

All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy

7" (HEL3001); CD (HEL3001CD)
No.TitleLength
1."Supermassive Black Hole"3:32
2."Crying Shame"2:35
Total length:6:07
DVD (HEL3001DVD)
No.TitleLength
1."Supermassive Black Hole" (music video)3:32
2."Supermassive Black Hole" (audio)3:32
3."Supermassive Black Hole" ('making-of' video)12:04
Total length:18:11
Promo CD (PR015888)
No.TitleLength
1."Supermassive Black Hole"3:32
Total length:3:32

Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
UK Singles Chart 4[1]
Australian Singles Chart 34[7]
Danish Singles Chart 7[8]
Dutch Singles Chart 39[9]
Finnish Singles Chart 10[10]
French Singles Chart 51[11]
Irish Singles Chart 16[12]
Italian Singles Chart 9[13]
Swiss Singles Chart 33[14]
Chart (2007) Peak
US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 6[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Chart Stats - Muse". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  2. ^ "Supermassive Black Hole". Rock Mag (65). 2006-03-03.
  3. ^ "Muse reveal all about new album". NME. 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "From the Police to Pearl Jam". Rolling Stone. 2006-02-09. Retrieved 2008-07-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Roberts, Colin (2006-02-22). "aMUSEing rumours: new LP in May?". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  6. ^ Kirk, Tom (2006-02-23). "Message from the band on album progress". Microcuts.net. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  7. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  8. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". danishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  9. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  10. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  11. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole" (in French). lescharts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  12. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". irish-charts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  13. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". italiancharts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  14. ^ "Muse - Supermassive Black Hole". swisscharts.com. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  15. ^ "Artist Chart History – Muse". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-09-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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