"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) |
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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 and Burnout Revenge, 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]
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] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ 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. They are joined in the band's current iteration by Louise Bartle and touring bassist Harry Deacon. Former members Matt Tong, Gordon Moakes and Justin Harris left the band in 2013, 2015 and 2023 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music.
"Closer" is a song by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released as the second single on their second studio album, The Downward Spiral (1994). Released in May 1994, it is considered one of Nine Inch Nails' signature songs and remains their most popular song. Most versions of the single are titled "Closer to God", a rare example in music of a single's title differing from the title of its A-side. The single is the ninth official Nine Inch Nails release, making it "Halo 9" in the band's official Halo numbering system.
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. 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.
Not to be confused with Black Betty, the barmaid at Tom King's Coffee House, or other uses of this term related to coffee.
Silent Alarm Remixed is the remix album to Silent Alarm, the debut album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 29 August 2005 in the British Isles on Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, and on 13 September 2005 in the United States through Vice Records to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring schedule. The record peaked at number 54 on the UK Albums Chart. In the US, it achieved a peak of number four on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums.
"Close to Me" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released in September 1985 as the second and final single from their sixth album, The Head on the Door.
"Soul to Squeeze" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers that was originally recorded during the production of their fifth studio album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Although it was not featured on the record and was used as a B-side on the singles "Give It Away" and "Under the Bridge", "Soul to Squeeze" was later released as a single in 1993 by Warner Bros. Records. The song was included in the Coneheads film soundtrack. "Soul to Squeeze" was eventually re-released for the 2003 Greatest Hits album. It can also be found on the band's Live Rare Remix Box and The Plasma Shaft.
"Rio" is the seventh single by English rock band Duran Duran. It was first released as a single in Australia, in August 1982, followed by a UK release on 1 November 1982.
"Like Eating Glass" is a song by Bloc Party from their debut album Silent Alarm. It is the first track on the album. The song is one of their most popular amongst fans. The lyrics, as is typical of the band's early work, are poetic and ambiguous, and deal with feelings of being "completely disoriented" in failing relationships. A fan-made music video for the song was uploaded to YouTube and has received over 1.1 million views. The Black Strobe remix was released as a split single with The Futureheads by Oxfam. The song was also featured on the playlist of Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The album was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006. It was released on 24 January 2007 in Japan and in the first week of February in the rest of the world, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and on the Irish Albums Chart. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 12.
"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.
"The Prayer" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as the lead single from their second studio album, A Weekend in the City, except in the U.S. where it is the second single. "I Still Remember" was the first song from the album to be released in North America. It was released by Wichita Recordings on 29 January 2007 and is the band's highest charting single worldwide. The lyrics deal with drug use in nightclubs and party environments. Band frontman Kele Okereke says he was inspired to write the song after hearing Busta Rhymes' song "Touch It". He also described the song as having a "crunk-like" effect. A cover version of "The Prayer" by KT Tunstall is included in Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 2, and on her single "If Only".
"Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single along with "Staying Fat" in May 2004 by Moshi Moshi Records, it was re-released as a regular single in the United Kingdom by Wichita Recordings on 25 April 2005. It was their first single to chart on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks where it came in at number 34, and is often credited as their breakthrough single in North America. It was also featured in the song "Bloc Party" on the Fort Minor Mixtape: We Major. It was ranked No. 31 in NME's top 100 tracks of the decade, and was number 54 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time. It peaked at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2011, NME placed it at number 20 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The song was featured in the 2018/19 video game Life Is Strange 2.
"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".
"Little Thoughts"/"Tulips" are two songs by English rock band Bloc Party. They were released together as a double A-side single on 12 July 2004 from the band's second extended play, Little Thoughts. The track "Little Thoughts" later appeared on certain versions and re-releases of the band's debut studio album, Silent Alarm. "Tulips" was later released as a standalone single on 25 January 2005 in the US only. The single peaked at number 38 on the UK Singles Chart and number 53 on the Swedish Singles Chart.
"Flux" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as a single on 12 November 2007 and produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic instruments and features vocalist Kele Okereke's voice manipulated through Auto-Tune. It was first performed live on 26 September 2007 at Covington's Madison Theater.
The discography of Bloc Party, a British indie rock band, consists of six studio albums, three extended plays (EPs), and two remix albums released on primary label Wichita Recordings. Bloc Party were formed in 1999 by chief songwriter and frontman Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. Bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong joined the band later. The first song by them that we know of is called "This Is Not A Competition" although it hasn't been officially released, it was the first song the band put on their official website. The quartet's first release was the Bloc Party EP in 2004; the first single, "She's Hearing Voices", was released and it failed to chart in the United Kingdom. The next EP, Little Thoughts was released the same year only in Japan; it included Bloc Party's first UK Top 40 entry, the double A-side "Little Thoughts/Tulips", which peaked at number 38.
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The discography of The Bronx, a Los Angeles–based punk rock band, consists of six eponymously titled studio albums, two EPs, one DVD, eleven singles, two demos, and eleven music videos. This includes releases by the band's mariachi alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx.