Concert for Aliens
| "Concert for Aliens" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Machine Gun Kelly | ||||
| from the album Tickets to My Downfall | ||||
| Released | August 5, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Pop punk[1][2][3] | |||
| Length | 2:40 | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Travis Barker | |||
| Machine Gun Kelly singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Concert for Aliens" is a song by Machine Gun Kelly. It was released as the second single from his fifth studio album Tickets to My Downfall. It peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart in 2020.
Background
The song debuted live on the nationally televised show Good Morning America on July 20, 2020, when Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker) and drummer Travis Barker performed the track.[4] The following day, Baker posted the clip to social media and confirmed that the song would be the second single from his upcoming fifth studio album Tickets to My Downfall.[5] Multiple music video's were released for the song. On August 5, an animated video was released, featuring Baker and Barker trying to escape from aliens, which eventually transitions to them playing a concert for the aliens.[1] A second video, directed by Mod Sun, was released on August 13, 2020.[6][7] The video, make of live action footage, alternates between footage of Baker and Barker performing the song in front of a crowd of aliens, and footage of Baker dressed up and acting silly in a variety of costumes, including a gameshow host, an actor, a sailor, an emo teenager, and a stereotypical "villain" type character.[6][2][8] The video received 250,000 views in the first three hours of availability alone.[9]
Themes and composition
Publications generally described the song as pop punk.[1][2][3] Despite the song's upbeat sound and humorous video, Baker noted that the song was meant to have a serious message, serving as a metaphor for the chaos and civil unrest present in the year 2020,[3] with the song lyrics making allusions to the end of the world.[1][6]
Charts
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[10] | 17 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.[11]
- Machine Gun Kelly – vocals, guitar
- Travis Barker – production
- Nick Long – guitar
- Colin Leonard – master engineering
- Adam Hawkins – mixing
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | August 5, 2020 | [12] | ||
| Italy | September 4, 2020 | Contemporary hit radio | Universal | [13] |
References
- ^ a b c d https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9429884/machine-gun-kelly-travis-barker-concert-for-aliens-video-watch
- ^ a b c https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-machine-gun-kellys-new-video-for-pop-punk-smash-concert-for-aliens-2727342
- ^ a b c https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/machine-gun-kelly-drops-new-video-for-concert-for-aliens/
- ^ https://www.altpress.com/news/machine-gun-kelly-concert-for-aliens-video/
- ^ https://www.nme.com/news/music/machine-gun-kellys-pop-punk-new-single-concert-for-aliens-2712250
- ^ a b c https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/9434924/machine-gun-kelly-concert-for-aliens-music-video
- ^ https://www.deadpress.co.uk/news-machine-gun-kelly-shares-video-for-concert-for-aliens/
- ^ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2020/8/13/watch-machine-gun-kelly-and-travis-barker-play-a-concert-for.html
- ^ https://etcanada.com/news/679519/machine-gun-kelly-holds-concert-for-aliens-in-new-music-video/
- ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ "Credits / Tickets To My Downfall – Machine Gun Kelly TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
- ^ "concert for aliens - Single by Machine Gun Kelly on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ "MACHINE GUN KELLY "concert for aliens" | (Radio Date: 04/09/2020)". radiodate.it. September 4, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.