"Blind Leading the Blind" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Mumford & Sons | ||||
Released | 21 October 2019 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Universal Music | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Mumford & Sons singles chronology | ||||
|
"Blind Leading the Blind" is a song by English rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as a single on 21 October 2019. [1] The song was written by Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane.
The band originally debuted “Blind Leading The Blind” live in 2016 and initially recorded the song during their Delta studio sessions, produced by Paul Epworth at The Church Studios in London. [2]
From the press release for the single - "Blind Leading The Blind" is a song that the band have been working on, re-shaping, re-writing and generally re-imagining over the last eighteen months. It was the band’s recent awarding of the prestigious John Steinbeck Award at San Jose State University in September that helped give renewed focus, inadvertently allowing them to finish the song and present it today. "Blind Leading The Blind" touches on subjects pertinent to Steinbeck’s extended literary works, but primarily the notion of community. Marcus Mumford, a self-proclaimed studier of this great American author, noted that his work with the people involved in the Grenfell Tower tragedy, as an ambassador for War Child UK and Children In Conflict US, and, broader-still, the band’s formation and undertaking of the Gentlemen of the Road fund, inspired the lyrics of the song, and those lyrics loosely reflected those themes, noted above, and ever-present to Steinbeck’s writing. Marcus Mumford: “Blind Leading The Blind has been a song we’ve had up our sleeves for some time, which ended up being a catalytic song for much of our work on Delta, its themes and feelings, but that we never got round to finishing in time to put it on the original release." “We’re proud that we’ve finally finished it, as it feels like one of the most challenging songs, thematically, that we’ve put out there, both for ourselves and our audience. It feels it’s becoming harder and harder to coerce yourself into a listening, present and unafraid disposition, but that’s the gauntlet we’re throwing down for ourselves.” [3] [4]
American author John Steinbeck’s work is a common influence for the band. The band’s songs “Dust Bowl Dance,” “Timshel,” and “Rose of Sharon” also reflect on Steinbeck’s works. [5]
The "Blind Leading The Blind (Live From Austin City Limits)" music video [6] was shot at Austin City Limits Music Festival Weekend One on 6 Aug 2019 and released on 25 Oct 2019. [7] Another music video was released onto YouTube on 6 December 2019. [8] Both videos were directed by Nick Davies, a previous collaborator of the band. Marcus Mumford said “Working with Nick Davies made the process of making this an absolute privilege. Given our long history of work together, it was a complete joy to be under his direction again. We wanted to access the nature of the song, including some of its anger, introspection and even self-flagellation. A drum kit and an old sweaty laundry in Bangkok while on tour provided all we needed. [9]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 21 October 2019 | Digital download | Universal Music |
Phoenix is a French pop rock band from Versailles, formed in 1995. Their lineup, which has remained unchanged since their formation, comprises Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz ; additionally, Thomas Hedlund has been the band's session and live drummer since 2005. Their sound has been primarily described as indie pop, synth-pop, pop rock, and new wave.
"Big Me" is the fourth single by Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album. Released in the spring of 1996, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio, when it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.
"Meant to Live" is a single by alternative rock band Switchfoot. "Meant to Live" was released to radio on January 27, 2003. The song peaked at number five on the US Modern Rock chart and U.S. Adult Top 40 chart, number six on U.S. Top 40 radio, and number 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It is the first track on the group's 2003 major-label debut album The Beautiful Letdown, and was also featured in the UK version of the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack. In April 2005, the song was certified gold in the United States. The single is generally regarded as the song that helped the band achieve mainstream success.
Mumford & Sons is a British folk rock band formed in London in 2007. The band currently consists of Marcus Mumford, Ted Dwane, and Ben Lovett.
"Little Lion Man" is the debut single by English folk rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as the lead single from their debut studio album, Sigh No More, on 11 August 2009 in the United Kingdom. The song had a positive commercial performance, charting in several countries and peaking within the top twenty in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, and New Zealand. It is not given the Parental Advisory warning even though it has explicit lyrics.
British rock band Mumford & Sons have released four studio albums, three live albums, six studio extended plays, seven live extended plays and twenty-one singles.
"Waiting for the End" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park, released on October 1, 2010. It is the second single and eighth track from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, which was released on September 14, 2010. A music video for the single, directed by Joe Hahn, was released on October 8, 2010 on MTV.
"I Will Wait" is a song by British rock band Mumford & Sons. The track was first released in the United States on 7 August 2012 as the lead single from the band's second studio album, Babel (2012). The song sold 153,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release and became their highest-charting song both in the US and the UK to date, peaking at number 12 in both countries. It also reached the top ten in the New Zealand, Irish, Canadian and Scottish national charts, and was voted into fifth place in Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2012. The song is playable in the video game Guitar Hero Live.
"Burn It Down" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released to radio stations, as well as a digital download, on April 16, 2012, as the lead single and the third track from their fifth studio album, Living Things. The song was written by the band and produced by co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who co-produced the band's studio albums Minutes to Midnight (2007) and A Thousand Suns (2010). A music video for the song was directed by Linkin Park turntablist Joe Hahn. As of June 24, 2022, "Burn It Down" has sold over three million copies in the United States alone.
The Lumineers are an American alternative folk band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites. Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing together in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2005. Cellist and vocalist Neyla Pekarek joined the band in 2010, and was a member until 2018. The Lumineers emerged as one of the most popular folk-rock/Americana artists during the revival of those genres, their popularity growing in the 2010s. The band's stripped back raw sound draws heavily from artists that influenced Schultz and Fraites such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. They are known for their energetic live shows and several international hit singles, including "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love", "Ophelia", "Angela" and "Cleopatra". The band has become one of the top touring bands in the United States and is also popular in other countries.
Babel is the second studio album by British rock band Mumford & Sons. As with Sigh No More, the album was produced by Markus Dravs. The vinyl LP version of the record was pressed by United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee. It was released on 21 September 2012 in Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. It was released on 24 September 2012 in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, Eastern Europe, South America, and on 25 September 2012 in the United States and Canada.
"Lover of the Light" is a song performed by British rock band Mumford & Sons, released as the second single from their second studio album Babel (2012). It was released on 5 November 2012 as a digital download. The song was written by Mumford & Sons and produced by Markus Dravs.
Wilder Mind is the third studio album by British rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released on 4 May 2015 through Gentlemen of the Road, Island, Glassnote and Universal Music Group. It was an international success in its first week on sale, charting at number one in seven countries, topping both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200, and reaching the top 5 in nine other countries. Five singles have been released from the album, "Believe", "The Wolf", "Ditmas", "Tompkins Square Park" and "Just Smoke".
"Believe" is a song by British rock band Mumford & Sons. The song was released on 9 March 2015, serving as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Wilder Mind (2015). The song marks a significant departure in the sound of the band, substituting their acoustic instrumentation for electric with a more alternative sound being featured in the song.
"The Wolf" is a song by English rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as the second single from their third studio album Wilder Mind on 9 April 2015 and charted in multiple countries. The official music video for the song was uploaded on 30 June 2015 to the band's Vevo channel on YouTube.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise is an alternative rock indie band, featuring lead vocalist Ela Melo, Darrick "Bozzy" Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney (drums), and Charlie Holt (bass). The band formed in Boone, North Carolina. Rainbow Kitten Surprise, "RKS" for short, is known for its harmonies, instrumentation, and lyrics. Their sound has been influenced by artists such as Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon, Frank Ocean and Schoolboy Q.
"Guiding Light" is a song by English rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Delta, on 20 September 2018. The song has peaked at number 40 on the UK Singles Chart.
"If I Say" is a song by English rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, Delta, on 25 October 2018. The song was written by Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane. The band began playing the track live in May 2017. A studio version of the song could be heard on a livestream from the band’s Instagram account in April 2018. The song went through many changes in the studio, eventually displaying an element of orchestration.
"Beloved" is a song by English rock band Mumford & Sons. It was released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Delta, on 22 February 2019. The song was written by Marcus Mumford, Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane.
Sloan Christian Struble, is an American singer, songwriter, and producer from Aledo, Texas. He is best known as the founder and lead of the indie pop project Dayglow. Dayglow released its debut album, Fuzzybrain, on September 28, 2018. Dayglow performing members include bassist Peyton Harrington, drummer Brady Knippa, keyboardist Norrie Swofford, guitarist Colin Crawford, and in the past have included guitarist Nate Davis, drummer Reece Myers, keyboardist Nico Fennell, bassist Eric Loop, and saxophonist Marshall Lowry.