Genesis (Grimes song)

Last updated
"Genesis"
Grimes - Genesis.png
Single by Grimes
from the album Visions
B-side "Ambrosia"
Released2012
RecordedAugust 2011
Genre
Length4:15
Label 4AD
Songwriter(s) Grimes
Producer(s) Grimes
Grimes singles chronology
"Genesis"
(2012)
"Phone Sex"
(2012)
Music video
"Genesis" on YouTube

"Genesis" is a song by Canadian singer and songwriter Grimes, released in 2012, as the lead single from her third studio album, Visions (2012). [3] The song is one of Grimes' most successful releases so far, as a result of the song's music videos becoming viral, mostly through micro-blogging site Tumblr. The NME placed the song at number 16 on its list of 50 Best Tracks of 2012. [4]

Contents

Music video

The self-directed video for "Genesis" premiered on August 22, 2012. [5] It was filmed in Los Angeles and co-stars rapper and stripper Brooke Candy, whom Grimes describes as "a very contemporary muse". In the video, Grimes is seen alongside a group of friends while driving an Escalade in the desert, holding an albino python in the back of a limousine, and posing in the woods. She said of the concept of the video: "It's loosely based on this painting by my favorite painter, Hieronymus Bosch, called The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things . I wanted to play with Medieval/Catholic imagery. I was raised in a Catholic household and went to a Catholic school, and my childhood brain perceived medieval Catholicism as an action movie: There's this crazy omnipresent guy who can destroy you at any moment." [6]

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak
position
UK Indie (OCC) [7] 37
Mexico (Mexico Ingles Airplay, Billboard) [8] 44

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [9] Silver200,000
United States (RIAA) [10] Gold500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Track listings

  1. "Genesis" – 4:15
A. "Genesis" – 4:15
B. "Ambrosia" – 3:31

References

  1. Marsh, Calum (February 7, 2012). "Grimes Visions". Cokemachineglow . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  2. Ryan, Larry (January 13, 2012). "Caught in the Net - Genesis and an artist's evolution". The Independent . Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Genesis – Single by Grimes". iTunes Store (US). Apple. Archived from the original on February 28, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
  4. "Album and Tracks of the Year". NME . Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  5. "Watch The New Video for 'Genesis' by Grimes". 4AD. August 22, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  6. Battan, Carrie (August 27, 2012). "Director's Cut: Grimes: "Genesis"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  7. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  8. "Mexico Ingles Airplay / Billboard / Genesis Grimes". Billboard . Retrieved 2021-06-09.
  9. "British single certifications – Grimes – Genesis". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved June 5, 2023.
  10. "American single certifications – Grimes – Genesis". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  11. Yin-Wong, Flora (March 20, 2012). "EXCLUSIVE: Grimes Cassette Tape Treasure Hunt". Dazed . Retrieved December 14, 2015.