"Helicopter" | ||||
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Single by Bloc Party | ||||
from the album Silent Alarm | ||||
B-side | "Skeleton" | |||
Released | 25 October 2004 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:40 | |||
Label | Wichita | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Bloc Party singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
30-second excerpt of "Helicopter". |
"Helicopter" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party, originally released as a stand-alone single in the UK in October 2004 and appeared later on the Little Thoughts EP ; it was released two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm , in the US. The song received acclaim, reaching number 26 on the UK Singles Chart but failing to chart in the US. Various remixes have been recorded. The song was included in the music video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock , Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure , Burnout Revenge , FIFA 06 , FIFA 23 and the episode "Alma Matter" from the sixth season of The Crown .
"Helicopter" is an indie rock [2] [3] and garage rock [4] song, written by all band members prior to their debut studio album, Silent Alarm . Composed in B minor, it was written in common time and has a quick tempo of 171 beats per minute. [5] The main riff was adapted from "Set The House Ablaze", a song by The Jam featured on the 1980 album Sound Affects . [6]
The official video is displayed in black and white and shows the band playing in an old, empty house, intercut with surreal imagery. It has received the most views of any of Bloc Party's songs on YouTube, gaining over 30 million views. [7] A remastered version with HD video and audio can be found here.
UK 7-inch
UK CD
US CD
US 12-inch
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Singles (OCC) [8] | 26 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [9] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Bloc Party are an English rock band that was formed in London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. Their first four albums all featured Gordon Moakes (bass) and Matt Tong (drums), who have since left the band. Their current lineup also contains Louise Bartle and Harry Deacon. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.
Rowland Kelechukwu "Kele" Okereke, also known mononymously as Kele, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party. Additionally, he has released six studio albums as a solo artist.
Silent Alarm is the debut studio album by English rock band Bloc Party. Recorded in Copenhagen and London in mid-2004 with Paul Epworth as producer, it was released on 2 February 2005, by Wichita Recordings. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 114 and the Billboard Independent Albums at number seven. “Helicopter”, the double A-side "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", "Banquet" and "The Pioneers" were released as singles. Silent Alarm went on to achieve worldwide sales of over one million copies.
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"The Pioneers" is a song by Bloc Party from their debut album, Silent Alarm (2005). It was released in the United Kingdom by Wichita Recordings on 18 July 2005 and reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. On some editions of the album it was called "Pioneers". Each copy of the single is numbered in the top left corner.
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"So Here We Are" / "Positive Tension" is a double A-side single by English rock band Bloc Party from their 2005 debut album, Silent Alarm. It was released in the United Kingdom by Wichita Recordings and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, their second-highest-charting single to date, behind 2007's "The Prayer". The song also reached number 31 in Ireland. The UK 7-inch vinyl release contains "The Marshals Are Dead" instead of "Positive Tension".
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