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River Below

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"River Below"
Single by Billy Talent
from the album Billy Talent
ReleasedJuly 5, 2004
GenrePost-hardcore, punk rock
Length2:59
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Ian D'Sa, Jonathan Gallant, Benjamin Kowalewicz, Aaron Solowoniuk
Producer(s)Gavin Brown
Billy Talent singles chronology
"The Ex"
(2004) 		"River Below"
(2004) 		"Nothing to Lose"
(2004)

"River Below" is a song by the Canadian band Billy Talent. It was released in June 2004 as the third single from their self-titled debut studio album.

Track listing

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CD
  1. River Below (Album Version)
  2. Lies (Acoustic)
7" Vinyl
  1. River Below (Album Version)
  2. Standing in the Rain (Acoustic)
DVD
  1. River Below (Album Version)
  2. Living in the Shadows (Live)
  3. River Below (Video)
  4. Try Honesty (Video)
  5. EPK Footage

Music video

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Sean Michael Turrell was the director of this video. The video's premise revolves around that of the stock character of the mad scientist who is a 1960s schizophrenic nuclear scientist man, who hears voices in his head compelling him to construct and detonate a bomb of a nuclear nature. A wall photo of himself indicates that he was previously a member of the military during a war and clips of bombs falling is displayed on a television set in the video. Situations that confirm his state of insanity includes attempting to change the channel but the program unwavers, newspaper headline clippings rearranging themselves forming various motivating phrases (i.e.: You will be famous!), and bomb blueprints becoming animated. The band Billy Talent performs in a garage in the house across the street from the man's, which is in a suburban neighborhood and confirms the time period by the clothing and technology; with the exception of the band dressed and performing with instruments of the 2000s. The broadcast edit video is censored. In the original video, ends with the bomb detonating, enveloping the scientist and the band. In broadcast edit, aired on MuchMusic, the bomb detonation is of a more complex nature. In a MuchMusic countdown, "Top 50 Most Controversial Videos," "River Below" made it to #7, due to its release after the 2004 Madrid train bombings. It also placed #15 in MuchMusic's "100 Best Videos".

Quotation at the beginning of the video

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Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

— J. Robert Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer was known as the 'Father of the Atomic Bomb', and this foreshadows the events that lead to the detonation of the bomb that the General has constructed. However, it could also be treated as having much wider implications; suggesting that those with weapons, such as that shown in the video (i.e. warring countries), become the givers of death but on a scale that has a real potential of destroying the world. The man is therefore only a representation of a greater danger, a microcosm of a possible scenario.

The Robert Oppenheimer quotation is actually a quote attributed to the Hindu deity Vishnu in a passage of the Hindu scripture of "Bhagavad Gita".

Chart performance

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Chart (2004) Peak
position
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[1] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 70
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[3] 6

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[4] Platinum 80,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). p. 71. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  3. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  4. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Billy Talent – River Below". Music Canada. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
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