Jump to content

Madness (Muse song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BruceMount (talk | contribs) at 09:19, 31 March 2013 (→‎Music video: Made the name "Erin Wasson" a link to her Wikipedia page). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Madness"
Song

"Madness" is a song by English alternative rock band Muse. It is the second track on the band's sixth studio album, The 2nd Law and is the second single to be released from the album. It has spent 19 weeks on the summit of Billboard's Alternative chart, making it the longest running #1 on the chart, and beating out the previous record by Foo Fighters' "The Pretender".

The song was released on 20 August 2012 after its premiere on BBC Radio 1 and NRJ. The music video premiered on 5 September 2012.[1][2] The song earned a nomination in the Best Rock Song category for the 55th Grammy Awards, 2013.

The band has performed the song on Turner Broadcasting's promotions for the upcoming 2013 March Madness games on TBS and TNT.

Background and writing

According to NME, "Madness" draws influences from Queen's "I Want to Break Free", George Michael's "Faith" and some instrumental elements of his other hit "I Want Your Sex".[3]

During a preview on French site Jeuxactu, the song was said to resemble Depeche Mode and described as 'calm, languid and sweet'.[4]

Matthew Bellamy stated that the song started as a personal reflection after a fight with his girlfriend; and how, after she had gone to her mother's house, he began to realise "yeah, she was right, wasn't she?"[5]

In a separate interview, Bellamy stated the song was the band's attempt to strip down the sound of the album, and that the song has its roots in 12 bar blues with gospel, soul and R&B influences. He went on to conclude that, "It's the song I'm probably most proud of on the album for sure."[6]

Music video

This video saw the second collaboration between the band and director Anthony Mandler, who previously directed the music video for "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)". It was edited by Jacquelyn London.[7][8] The director of photography was David Devlin. Devlin's work on "Madness" was nominated for a 2012 Best Cinematography Award at Plus Camerimage.[9] The video was filmed on the Red Line platform at Los Angeles Union Station.[10] The two main characters are played by models Erin Wasson and Max Silberman. The video begins with Wasson and Silberman sitting behind each other smoking a cigarette while waiting for the fighting to stop and letting the people to get in. Then, the song begins with Wasson and Silberman walking towards the subway and also Wasson is trying to get to her train where Silberman catches up with her while a fight starts and also this video ends with Wasson and Silberman sitting in the same train as seen in the beginning of the video. Meanwhile, the band is seen in a lighted room all the way in the video.

Release and reception

The song was released after its premiere on BBC Radio 1 at 19:30 GMT on 20 August 2012. An accompanying lyric video from the band was uploaded shortly after.[11]

Whilst the song provoked a mixed reaction from the fanbase,[12] it received much critical praise. NME described the song as "taking the defining noise of 'base music' and using it to create slinky, soft rock sex music." [13] The track review goes on to call it a brilliant single and jokingly states that Muse have tamed the shark (following their declaration that Muse had jumped the shark with "Survival").[14] Diffuser.fm noted that the single "doesn't sound like the Muse that established itself as one of the worlds biggest rock bands" but that "the unusual blend of sounds works far better than it probably should"; giving the track 8/10.[15] Rolling Stone stated that the single sees Muse "swap bombastic bass brutality with wubby subtleties as Matthew Bellamy croons over a surprisingly gentle pop track."[16] Radio Times described it as "like George Michael's Faith underwater". In a negative review of the song, Robert Myers of The Village Voice wrote that "the band's U2 imitation has finally caught up to Achtung Baby and Zooropa". He further added that Muse "gets the surface details right but lacks the emotional and intellectual foundation to get at their inspiration's essence."[17]

Rolling Stone Magazine named the song the 37th best song of 2012.[18]

The song re-entered and peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its 27th week. It topped the Alternative Songs chart for 19 weeks, making it the song with the most weeks at number one ever on that chart.

Track listing

1. "Madness" - 4:39

Charts and certifications

See also

References

  1. ^ "Madness video coming tomorrow, sneak preview here". Muse.mu. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  2. ^ "Watch Muse new video Madness". Rekwired. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. ^ "The 2nd Law - Album Summary - News". Muselive. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Muse : on a écouté The 2nd Law en avant-première". Musique.jeuxactu.com. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Muse reveal new single Madness inspired by fight with Kate Hudson". Metro.co.uk. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Muse The 2nd Law Interview | Madness". YouTube. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  7. ^ London, Jacquelyn. "MUSE 'MADNESS' VIDEOSTATIC". VIDEOSTATIC.
  8. ^ http://www.sunsetedit.com/london.html
  9. ^ Devlin, David. "MUSE 'MADNESS' VIDEOSTATIC". VIDEOSTATIC.
  10. ^ Chan, Anna. "Muse music video: "madness" on the subway".
  11. ^ "Muse - Madness (Lyric Video)". YouTube. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  12. ^ "Madness - Official Single - Muse Messageboard". Board.muse.mu. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  13. ^ "NME Track Reviews - Muse – 'Madness'". Nme.Com. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  14. ^ "Have Muse Jumped The Shark With Their Olympics Track?". NME. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  15. ^ "Muse, 'Madness' – Song Review". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  16. ^ "New and Hot Video: Muse Unveil Subtle New Single 'Madness'". Rolling Stone. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  17. ^ Myers, Robert (30 August 2012). "Hot 100 Roundup: Eric Church And Luke Bryan Milk It, Eminem Gets Silly, And More". The Village Voice. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  18. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-songs-of-2012-20121205/muse-madness-19691231
  19. ^ "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Muse – Madness" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  21. ^ "Muse – Madness" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  22. ^ "Muse – Madness" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  23. ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/muse/chart-history/billboard-canadian-hot-100
  24. ^ [1]
  25. ^ [2]
  26. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 48. týden 2012 in the date selector.
  27. ^ "Muse – Madness". Tracklisten.
  28. ^ "Muse – Madness" (in French). Les classement single.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Singles - Week ending 23rd August 2012". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
  30. ^ "Media Forest Week 46, 2012". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
  31. ^ "Top Digital Download - Classifica settimanale WK 40 (dal 01/10/2012 al 07/10/2012)" (in Italian). Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  32. ^ "Chart Search Results - Japan Hot 100 Singles 2012-10-13". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Muse – Madness" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  34. ^ "Search: Gaon International Download Chart - Issue date: 2012.08.19 - 2012.08.25". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  35. ^ "Muse – Madness" Canciones Top 50.
  36. ^ "Muse – Madness". Swiss Singles Chart.
  37. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  38. ^ https://www.billboard.com/artist/muse/chart-history/
  39. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/pop-songs?order=gainer
  40. ^ http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/1542339/chart-highlights-pnk-ties-katy-perry-for-most-adult-pop-songs-no
  41. ^ Chart Highlights: 'Whistle' To 'Blow': Flo Rida, P!nk No. 1
  42. ^ Chart Highlights: Carly Rae Jepsen Plants 'Kiss' On Pop Songs
  43. ^ "Nuevas Esta Semana]]". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012.
  44. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Muse – Madness". Music Canada.
  45. ^ "Italian single certifications – Muse – Madness" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Madness" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  46. ^ "American single certifications – Muse – Madness". Recording Industry Association of America.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Madness_(Muse_song)&oldid=547955709"