Jump to content

Little Talks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Little Talks"
Single by Of Monsters and Men
from the album My Head Is an Animal
Released20 December 2011
Genre
Length
  • 4:26 (album version)
  • 4:12 (radio edit)
LabelUniversal Republic
Songwriter(s)
  • Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir
  • Ragnar Þórhallsson
Producer(s)
  • Of Monsters and Men
  • Aron Þór Arnarsson
Of Monsters and Men singles chronology
"Little Talks"
(2011) 		"Dirty Paws"
(2012)
Music video
"Little Talks" on YouTube

"Little Talks" is the debut single by Icelandic indie rock band Of Monsters and Men. The song was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal (2011). It was also released on the band's EP Into the Woods. It was written by primary vocalists Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson, and produced by Aron Þór Arnarsson.

Background and content

[edit]

According to Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, the song describes two loving people talking past each other and implies one is deceased, saying "maybe one person isn't really hearing the other one."[2] The song was inspired by an old house she moved into.[2]

Critical reception

[edit]

USA Today described the song as a "monster hit", noting its "galloping chorus" and "reverb-heavy production".[2] PBS Arts described the song's "rolling, infectious energy" and foreboding lyrics.[3]

Commercial performance

[edit]

In August 2011, Philadelphia's Radio 104.5 began playing "Little Talks" and propelled the band to nationwide popularity in the United States.[4] It had sold over 2 million copies in the US as of March 2013.[5]

"Little Talks" reached number 12 in the UK charts and re-entered the UK Top 40 in 2013.[6] In Ireland, the song debuted at number 28 on 26 July 2012 and reached the number-one spot on 16 August, spending two weeks at the top position.[7] The song has peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming their first top 20 single in the US. The song holds the record for the longest climb to reach the top 40 of the chart with 30 weeks.[8] "Little Talks" is also the highest-charting single to date on that chart by an Icelandic artist. On 21 July 2012, it topped the Alternative Songs list and remained for a second week, and ultimately ranked as the third most successful song on the year end list. "Little Talks" was later certified Platinum in the United States, becoming their first song to do so. The song was listed for 48 weeks. In Australia, where the song reached number 7, the song reached number 2 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012 on 26 January 2013. Elsewhere, the single reached the top 10 in New Zealand and several European countries, including Austria, Flemish Belgium, Germany, and Italy.

Music video

[edit]

The music video was released to the public via YouTube on 2 February 2012.[9]

It starts with five sky-sailors (played by the male members of the band) spotting something falling from the sky. When they investigate, the object splits open to reveal a beautiful female creature (played by the band's lead singer Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir). She joins the sailors on their sky ship, but they are attacked by an enormous two-headed bird. The lady magically vanquishes the bird, but the ship is wrecked, forcing the sailors and the lady to continue on foot into a cave. When they emerge, they are confronted by another beast, which is once again defeated by the lady. They push onwards, but as they are crossing a frozen body of water, the ice breaks, plunging them into the frigid depths and into the clutches of a sea monster. The lady dispatches the monster, and they use a floating iceberg to ascend into the skies, where they are met by an enormous animal clad in the same colors as the female creature, who smiles and rejoins her people as the song ends.[10]

The video was created by the production firm WeWereMonkeys[11] who also produced the video for the band's 2013 single "King and Lionheart".[12] The music video was nominated in the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Art Direction in a Video but lost to Katy Perry's "Wide Awake".[13] A lyric video was released in 2014 in the presence of the video. The video features the sailors in their sky ship with the woman following behind them.[citation needed]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for "Little Talks"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] 6× Platinum 420,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[72] Gold 15,000*
Belgium (BEA)[73] Platinum 30,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[74] 2× Platinum 120,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[75] 3× Platinum 240,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[76] Platinum 90,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[77] 3× Gold 450,000^
Italy (FIMI)[78] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] 2× Platinum 30,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[80] Platinum 60,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[64] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[81] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[82] 3× Platinum 1,800,000‡
United States (RIAA)[83] 7× Platinum 7,000,000‡
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[84] Gold 900,000†
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[85] Gold 4,000,000†

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

[edit]

In 2013, YouTube star Kurt Hugo Schneider and Coca-Cola teamed up to create music videos featuring creative covers of two 2011 hits namely "Little Talks" and Calvin Harris' "Feel So Close" for a campaign called "The Sounds of AHH". "Little Talks" shows Schneider playing only Coca-Cola bottles, glasses and cans. Featured in the version are the vocals of Kevin Olusola. Commercial edits of the video aired on season 13 premiere of American Idol on 14 January 2014 on FOX.[86]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Nattress, Katrina (22 November 2019). "30 Alternative Rock Songs That Defined the 2010s". iHeartMedia. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Mansfield, Brian (30 March 2012). "On the Verge: Of Monsters and Men". USA Today. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – "Little Talks"". PBS Arts. Public Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Best New Releases, April 3rd, Vol. I – Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, Max and the Moon, Lux, Black Mountain, Twin Steps | Best new indie rock music songs, albums, bands, artists and festivals". Indie Rock Cafe. April 2012. Archived from the original on 6 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  5. ^ Grein, Paul (6 March 2013). "Week Ending March 3, 2013. Songs: Is The Right Song #1?". Chart Watch. Yahoo Music. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  7. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Little Talks". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
  8. ^ Trust, Gary (26 December 2014). "Hot 100 Chart Moves: Nicki Minaj Passes Madonna, 'Voice' Finalists Debut". Billboard.
  9. ^ Of Monsters and Men — Little Talks. 2 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Discovery: Of Monsters and Men — Page". Interview Magazine. 19 January 2012. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  11. ^ "WeWereMonkeys — Of Monsters and Men: Little Talks". Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  12. ^ "WeWereMonkeys — Of Monsters and Men: King and Lionheart". Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Best Art Direction Winner 2012 MTV Video Music Awards (VMA)". MTV. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  14. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  15. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  16. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  17. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  18. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 38. týden 2012 in the date selector. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  23. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 25. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  24. ^ "Chart Search Results — Euro Digital Songs 2012-09-15". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2012.[permanent dead link]
  25. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in French). Les classement single.
  26. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  27. ^ "Netlistinn viku 40, 2011". Tonlist.is. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  28. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Top Digital Download.
  29. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Chart Search Results — Luxembourg Digital Songs 2012-08-04". Billboard. Retrieved 4 November 2012.[permanent dead link]
  31. ^ "Mexico Ingles Airplay — December 8, 2012". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Chart Search Results — Mexico Airplay 2012-11-10". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2012.[permanent dead link]
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Of Monsters and Men" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  34. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  35. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Top 40 Singles.
  36. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100.
  37. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201306 into search.
  39. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" Canciones Top 50.
  40. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Singles Top 100.
  41. ^ "Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Swiss Singles Chart.
  42. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  43. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  44. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  45. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  46. ^ "Of Monsters and Men Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  47. ^ "Nuevas Esta Semana". Record Report (in Spanish). R.R. Digital C.A. 13 October 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012.
  48. ^ "Árslisti Tónlist.is 2011" (in Icelandic). Tónlist. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  49. ^ "ARIA 2012 Top 100 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  50. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2012". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  51. ^ JAAROVERZICHTEN 2012 : Singles (in Dutch). ultratop.be/nl. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  52. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  53. ^ "Top 100 Singles Jahrescharts 2012" (in German). VIVA. Viacom International Media Networks. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  54. ^ "Best of Singles 2012". IRMA. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  55. ^ "Classifica annuale 2012 (dal 02.01.2012 al 30.12.2012)" (in Italian). FIMI. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  56. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2012". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  57. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2012" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  58. ^ "TOP digital utworów – 2012" (in Polish). ZPAV. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  59. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2012 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  60. ^ "Best of 2012 – Rock Songs 1–10". Billboard. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  61. ^ "2013 Annual ARIA Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  62. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2013". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  63. ^ "Top 50 Canciones Anual 2013". Promuiscae.es. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  64. ^ a b "Årslista Singlar – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  65. ^ "Best of 2013 – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  66. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  67. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  68. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  69. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  70. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hottest100". TripleJ. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  71. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  72. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  73. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 2013". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  74. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
  75. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Music Canada. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  76. ^ "Danish single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  77. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Of Monsters and Men; 'Little Talks')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  78. ^ "Italian single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  79. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  80. ^ "Spanish single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  81. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Little Talks')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  82. ^ "British single certifications – Of Monsters & Men – Little Talks". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  83. ^ "American single certifications – Of Monsters & Men – Little Talks". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  84. ^ "Danish single certifications – Of Monsters and Men – Little Talks". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  85. ^ "Spanish single streaming certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 1 October 2022. Select Streaming under "Categoría", select 2014 under "Año". Select 12 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  86. ^ "Behind the Bottles: 5 Questions With Kurt Hugo Schneider". The Coca-Cola Company. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Little_Talks&oldid=1247909741"