| "Burn the House Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by AJR | ||||
| from the album The Click (Deluxe) | ||||
| Released | March 23, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Genre | Pop [1] | |||
| Length | 3:32 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Ryan Met | |||
| AJR singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Burn the House Down" on YouTube | ||||
"Burn the House Down" is a song by American indie pop band AJR. It was released on March 23, 2018, as a single from the deluxe edition of their second studio album The Click .
In 2017, Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!'s director Morgan Spurlock reached out to AJR via Twitter, asking the band to create the theme song for it. [2] The band watched the documentary and later stated "we were blown away after watching the film, and we immediately connected with Morgan’s passion as an underdog trying to shed light on this corrupt giant". [3] "Burn the House Down" additionally reflected the position of American politics in 2017, with member Ryan Met saying "there’s a tangible power that our generation now has, making real political change in the world. That energy excites us, so we wanted to write a song shedding light on it". [4] AJR planned on releasing "Burn the House Down" in October 2017, but the song was pushed back for unknown reasons. [5] It was teased on March 21 and released March 23, 2018. [6] The song had received over 105 million streams as of July 2019, [7] and has over 351 million streams as of September 2023.
"Burn the House Down" is composed in 4
4 common time and in the key of A minor, with a tempo of 92 beats per minute (bpm).
During AJR's "How We Made" series and several of their tours, they showcased the step-by-step process of the creation of the song. [8] The song's production began with an "angry and badass" bassline, applying Transient Designer to give the bass more attack. The band then created a drum kit for the song with a high-end filtered and distorted kick drum, a dubstep snare with a hand clap mixed in, and a hi-hat. Piano, organ, and percussion were later added to the bass and drums, nearly forming the full instrumental. Finally, the band wanted a "unique" instrument for the song's hook, initially trying marimba and cello before settling on a digitally pitch-bended trumpet. [9]
A music video directed by the Mitchells and Spencer Hord was released on August 30, 2018. The video cuts between the band performing the song in a purple-lit warehouse and the band sitting on a gold bench with blindfolds being led from room to room with political imagery before ending with a fiery protest. [10] The video has grossed over 100 million views as of September 2023, making it the second most viewed video on the band's YouTube channel, the first most being "World's Smallest Violin".
"Burn the House Down" was used for the March for Our Lives protest in 2018, appearing in the announcement for the campaign's "Road to Change" tour. [11] The band endorsed the campaign and partnered with March for Our Lives to educate their audience about ending gun violence and register voters at their concerts. However, AJR was initially conflicted about this use, with band member Adam Met later stating "we did not see AJR as a band that would lead the way towards a more progressive sunset. We saw this song as a way for us to question our own political responsibilities". [12]
Credits adapted from Tidal. [13]
"Burn the House Down" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart for six weeks in a row, [14] with the band later tweeting:
...Maybe this can be a lesson to everyone: Don't be a chameleon trying to fit in, trying to sound like everyone else. Be a fucking peacock. Spread your colorful feathers and say to the world "THIS IS WHO I'M GONNA BE. I REALLY HOPE YOU CARE." And thank you, AJR fans, for caring. [15]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [24] | Platinum | 70,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada) [25] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [26] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA) [27] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | March 23, 2018 | Ultra | [28] | |
| Various | September 21, 2018 | 7-inch | BMG | [29] |
AJR is an American indie pop band founded by brothers Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, collectively a trio of vocalists, multi-instrumentalists, and songwriters. The brothers grew up in New York City, primarily focused on busking and singing covers until shifting to producing their albums and touring. At their home studio, AJR recorded more than 100 songs and has released five studio albums on various record labels along with their indie label.
"Weak" is a song by American indie pop band AJR. It was first released on their EP What Everyone's Thinking via the band's label AJR Productions on September 16, 2016, later becoming the third single for their second studio album The Click (2017). The song's lyrics describe acceptance of human weakness and feature an uptempo pop composition. A lyric and music video were released, with the latter featuring the band in a New York City subway. The music video went viral, with the song's popularity on Spotify helping the song become one of the band's highest-charting songs.
The Click is the second studio album by American indie pop band AJR. It was released on June 9, 2017, via the band's label AJR Productions and S-Curve Records, later released internationally through Ultra Records and Black Butter Records. The album follows the trio's previous work, maintaining a pop sound with elements of hip-hop, electronic dance music, and jazz. It includes a sole guest appearance from Rivers Cuomo of the band Weezer while taking influence from Fun, Twenty One Pilots, Kendrick Lamar, and Kanye West.
"Sober Up" is a song by American indie pop band AJR, from their second studio album, The Click. Released as the album's fifth single, it features Rivers Cuomo, lead singer and frontman of American rock band Weezer, although certain radio stations instead play a version with band member Ryan singing Cuomo's verse. "Sober Up" became the first number-one song for AJR on the Billboard Alternative Songs, when it peaked at number one on the chart in March 2018. Similarly, Cuomo had his first number one on the alternative Billboard chart as a solo artist.
"100 Bad Days" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on January 29, 2019 via S-Curve Records as the lead single from the band's third studio album Neotheater.
Neotheater is the third studio album by American pop band AJR. It was released on April 26, 2019 by the band's label AJR Productions. The album was self-produced by the trio. It is a follow-up to the trio's 2017 album The Click (2017).
"I Won't" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on July 29, 2022 via Mercury Records as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album The Maybe Man.
"Dear Winter" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on April 5, 2019 via S-Curve Records as the second single from the band's third studio album Neotheater.
"Don't Throw Out My Legos" is a song by American pop band AJR, appearing as the fourth track on their third studio album Neotheater. It uses an upbeat keyboard-based instrumental while discussing the difficulty of growing up.
"Bang!" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on February 12, 2020, through their own label, AJR Productions. The song is the lead single from the band's fourth album, OK Orchestra. On August 8, 2020, a remix version was released featuring Hayley Kiyoko and AhhHaa.
OK Orchestra, often abbreviated as OKO, is the fourth studio album by American pop band AJR. It was released on March 26, 2021, by the band's own label AJR Productions. The album was supported by 5 singles, "Bang!", "Bummerland", "My Play", "Way Less Sad", and "World's Smallest Violin". The album was produced by group member Ryan Met.
"All My Favorite Songs" is a song by the American rock band Weezer, released on January 21, 2021, as the first single from their fourteenth studio album OK Human. A music video was released on the same day.
Living Room is the debut studio album by American pop band AJR. It was released through the band's label AJR Productions and Warner Music Group on March 3, 2015. The album was produced from the band's apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan.
"Way Less Sad" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on February 17, 2021, via the band's label AJR Productions and BMG. It was additionally released through S-Curve Records for radio airplay and through Black Butter Records for international releases. The song was the fourth single for the band's fourth studio album OK Orchestra, appearing as the twelfth track. It samples the song "My Little Town" by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel and builds off unused demos intended for Norwegian DJ Kygo and American rapper Cardi B.
"Adventure Is Out There" is a song by American pop band AJR. It appears as the sixth track on the trio's fourth studio album, OK Orchestra. Originally being written for Neotheater, it was officially released on March 26, 2021. It uses an uptempo folk-pop instrumental while describing jealousy of an object's metaphorical freedom.
"Bummerland" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released on August 31, 2020 via S-Curve Records as the second single from the band's fourth studio album OK Orchestra.
What Everyone's Thinking is the fourth extended play by American indie pop band AJR. It was released on September 16, 2016, via the band's label AJR Productions. The EP contains five songs, all of which were later included on the band's second studio album The Click.
"Birthday Party" is a song by American pop band AJR. It was released as a promotional single via S-Curve Records on March 12, 2019, for the band's third studio album Neotheater.
"Record Player" is a song by American pop bands Daisy the Great and AJR. It was released on August 31, 2021 via S-Curve Records as a single from the deluxe version of Daisy the Great's second studio album All You Need Is Time.
"Karma" is a song by American pop band AJR, appearing as the eighth track on their third studio album Neotheater. It is the second-most popular song from the album, amassing over 82 million streams as of February 2024.