"Radioactive" is a song recorded by American indie rock band Imagine Dragons for their major-label debut EPContinued Silence and later on their debut studio album, Night Visions, as the opening track. "Radioactive" was first sent to radio on April 2, 2012[1] and again on October 29, 2012[2] as the second single in the United States and the third overall.
Musically, "Radioactive" is an indie rock song with elements of electronic rock and dubstep, while containing cryptic lyrics of apocalyptic and revolutionist themes. The song received acclaim from critics who praised the production, lyrics, and vocals and calling it a highlight on the album. Due to heavy rotation on commercials and trailers, in the USA the song has so far reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, their first top 5 single. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs, Billboard Rock Songs, and Swedish Singles charts. It has topped the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and Hot Rock Songs chart for 13 weeks, and Rock Airplay chart for 17 weeks.
Critical reception
"Radioactive" was lauded by critics. Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio gave the song a rating of 4.5 out of 5, calling it "hook-y [and] emotional", and stated that the "drama" and "excitement" of the song would allow "Radioactive" to appeal to both alternative pop fans and hard rockers.[3]AbsolutePunk gave a positive review, calling the acoustic section of the song "haunting", and called the chorus "hypnotizing".[4] Dara Hickey of Unreality Shout also reacted positively, calling the song the "darkest moment" on the album, and stated that, like all the other songs on the album, "Radioactive" was successful in creating a sound that "never fails to take off and send fists skyward".[5]IGN lauded the song, calling it "strangely intense and abrasive", and stated that "Radioactive" was "perhaps the greatest calling card of Imagine Dragons".[6]Crave Online called the song an "opening throb", saying that the song "sexes up the dub-flirtation with a verse hingeing on the line "this is it the apocalypse" and a triumphant chorus, with more than a few shades of Hip-Hop in the production", and that the song was "radio-ready as they come".[7]Our Vinyl stated that the "power of this song is outstanding with heavy drums and more of an electronic feel than the rest of the album and strong, impressive vocals from front-man Dan Reynolds which are reciprocated throughout the LP".[8]
The song was covered by violinist Lindsey Stirling and a capella group Pentatonix. The music video was posted on Stirling's official YouTube channel.
Music video
The music video debuted on December 10, 2012.[13] It was directed by Syndrome and features actors Lou Diamond Phillips and Alexandra Daddario and puppeteers by the studio Puppet Heap. The video revolves around a mysterious female drifter who is on a quest to save her friends (Imagine Dragons) from the perils of a sinister, underground puppet-fighting ring.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201323 into search.
