"Iridescent" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Linkin Park | ||||
from the album A Thousand Suns and Transformers: Dark of the Moon – The Album | ||||
B-side | ||||
Released | May 27, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Linkin Park | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Linkin Park singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Transformerssingles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Iridescent" on YouTube |
"Iridescent" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was announced as the band's third US,fourth international and overall final single from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns ,which was released on September 14,2010. A music video for the song was directed by Joe Hahn,the band's turntablist.
"Iridescent" serves as the theme song for the film Transformers:Dark of the Moon ,continuing the streak of the band's songs serving as the theme songs of the Transformers films,and was remixed in Dolby Surround 7.1 for the movie's release.
The song received positive reviews and became a moderate success worldwide.
In April 2011,a splash screen appeared on the band's website,that contained a distorted Autobot image and a snippet from "Iridescent" (this is no longer available). A few days later,Mike Shinoda,one of the band's lead vocalists,confirmed that the song will be the fourth single from A Thousand Suns. He also confirmed that a shorter version was made for the film Transformers:Dark of the Moon ,which is circulating around the internet. [1] Shinoda said that the collaboration began when Michael Bay,the director of the film series,phoned him about the possibility of the band continuing their run with songs paired with the Transformers films (having chosen "What I've Done" for the first film and having recorded "New Divide" specifically for the second). Shinoda decided to put "Iridescent" in the film due to the fact it was a fan favorite and called it a "natural fit",despite the song not being an "in-your-face" kind of tune. [2]
The film's composer,Steve Jablonsky,who is a longtime fan of the band,agreed with the choice,saying that the song fit well with his score,as well as the film's story. [3] Both Shinoda and Jablonsky agree that the song is an appropriate choice for the film,since the film is described to be more "positive" than the previous films and is consistent with where the band is at (learning from mistakes;going in different directions).
"Iridescent" is a rock ballad about hope in the midst of chaos and sadness. The album version of the song starts segued from the previous track "Wisdom,Justice and Love" as an A minor in piano with Mike Shinoda's verses as well,while the chorus are sung in C major and up until the end of the song where it segues to the next track "Fallout".
Hans Zimmer has collaborated with Steve Jablonsky and Linkin Park to incorporate the song into the film's score. It appears multiple times,primarily its synth and piano debut,modified to fit the tone of the scenes in which they are featured. [4]
The first time it is played,Sam discovers Carly has been given a new car. The second time,it appears to be toned down to G minor with the piano as Sam Witwicky regroups with the Autobots. The third time it appears is when Sam gets couple counseling from his parents,though as an A minor. The fourth,when Sam and Epps infiltrate Chicago,was also in A minor with Shinoda's vocals. These appearances are marked by the merging of the song's theme as well as themes taken from this movie and the two previous ones' scores.
The final time it is played,it is introduced as the first verse's instrumental in A minor and then continues playing in its single edit as the credits roll however the chorus is cut shorter and then proceeds to the "Let it go" bridge.
The single edit is a minute shorter than the album version,this is due to the cutting of parts of the third verse and other parts of the songs. Some instruments' parts are removed or added for instance,drum beats are added at the beginning which were not present in the album version,the third chorus sung by all six members is cut and directly leads to the bridge "Let it go" and to the fourth final chorus with a part of the piano cut shorter.
Just like their previous single,"Burning in the Skies",Shinoda sings the verses while lead vocalist Chester Bennington sings the chorus and backup vocals on the verses. On the third chorus of the song,all six band members sing together.
Some LPTVs (behind-the-scenes footage) show the creation and development of "Iridescent",such as the inclusion of gang vocals in the third chorus of the song [5] and the initial discussion about the song. [6]
In June,Linkin Park held an artwork contest for "Iridescent",in which the winning artwork was shown in the band's stage in their concert at Red Square in Moscow at the premiere of Transformers:Dark of the Moon. Artworks were submitted to Linkin Park's official deviantArt. [7] They announced the winner on June 23,2011,however,aside from the aforementioned winner's artwork,they also showed the artwork of the contest's runner-up at the concert. [8] The winner of the contest was Wan Muhammad Azzim from Melaka,Malaysia. The runner up was Ashkan Harati from Belgium while the other two finalists were Sanja Grbic from Serbia and Matthew Johnson from the United States. [9]
HBO used the song to promote their 2011–12 Fall programming line up and the 2012 films that are featured on the HBO Go App.
The official music video was directed by Joe Hahn,the band's turntablist and keyboardist. In an interview with MTV,Mike Shinoda stated:"All I know about the concept is that Joe Hahn sent me an e-mail that said something about 'In the valley of the blind,the one-eyed man is king',or something like that. And the next thing I know,I've got horns growing out of my shoulders,and I've got one blind eye,and I've got a white dog and a snake on a throne made of antlers. I think you'd have to ask Joe what that all means." [10] The video's concept is based on the saying taken from the short story "The Country of the Blind" by H.G Wells.
In the behind-the-scenes video for "Iridescent",which was released on May 31,2011,Hahn stated that he wanted to combine the "soulfulness" of Transformers:Dark of the Moon to the soulfulness of what they do,as well as elements of robots tying into human existence. [11] In an extended behind-the-scenes video,which was released on July 11,2011,it was revealed that Shinoda was required to carry a diamond carpet python. [12]
The video is black and white with small slices of color elements mixed in giving it a sense of actual iridescence with emphasis on Transformers' characters' color. The video uses the radio edit of Iridescent,rather than the original on A Thousand Suns . In addition to the animated Transformers elements,the video has computer generated elements that call back to the videos for "Waiting for the End" and "Burning in the Skies".
The music video for "Iridescent" was released on June 3,2011,on MTV and VH1. The video shows Mike Shinoda as a one-eyed king,with horns sticking out of his shoulders,ruling over the citizens of a post-apocalyptic land. Numerous citizens of the world are wearing ragged clothing,including the other band members. Some scenes also show the band sitting together in a feast,mirroring Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper". Numerous scenes and stills from Transformers:Dark of the Moon are inserted to the video. Hahn stated that "the video explores how human existence might be affected by the elements of Transformers robots and the threat of the Decepticons." [13]
On June 28,2011,the band announced that the video can be seen in 3D in select theaters after the film credits of Transformers:Dark of the Moon. [14] A day later,the same day the film was released in US and Canada,the 3D video was released online;however,the video has since been made private by the band. [15]
The video peaked at VH1 India's Top 50 videos of 2011 at number 5.
As of May 2024,the song has 108 million views on YouTube.
All tracks are written by Linkin Park
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Iridescent" (from Transformers: Dark of the Moon) | 4:01 |
2. | "New Divide" | 4:30 |
3. | "What I've Done" | 3:25 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Iridescent" (from Transformers: Dark of the Moon) | 3:59 |
Based on AllMusic
"Iridescent" has achieved moderate success. The single debuted at #86 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at #81, spending three weeks on the chart. The single also charted to the US Billboard Alternative Songs at #21 before being officially released. The single debuted at the UK Singles Chart at #93, but debuted high at the UK Rock Chart at #2.
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [16] | 39 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [17] | 52 |
Germany (Official German Charts) [18] | 46 |
Germany Airplay (Official German Charts) [19] | 74 |
Israel (Media Forest) [20] | 10 |
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20) [21] | 2 |
Mexico Ingles Airplay ( Billboard ) [22] | 44 |
Scotland (OCC) [23] | 85 |
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100) [24] | 87 |
South Korea (International Chart) (GAON) [25] | 2 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [26] | 41 |
UK Singles (OCC) [27] | 93 |
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [28] | 2 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [29] | 81 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Billboard ) [30] | 29 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [31] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Joseph Hahn is an American musician, DJ, director, and visual artist best known as the DJ and creative director of the rock band Linkin Park, doing the scratching, turntables, sampling, and programming for all eight of Linkin Park's albums. Hahn and bandmate Mike Shinoda are responsible for most of Linkin Park's album artwork. Hahn also directed many of the band's music videos.
"Papercut" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the third single from their debut album Hybrid Theory (2000) and appears as the opening track on the record. It combines multiple genres in a way that Chester Bennington said captured the essence of the band. He also said it was one of his favorite Linkin Park tracks. The song reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.
"From the Inside" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the fourth single from their second album, Meteora, and appears as the tenth track on the record. It was released in Australia and the United States in 2004 as the fourth single from the album.
American rock band Linkin Park have released eight studio albums, three live albums, four compilation albums, two remix albums, three soundtrack albums, 4 video albums, 12 extended plays, 39 singles, 20 promotional singles, and 70 music videos. Linkin Park was formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996 by Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson (guitar), and Rob Bourdon (drums). Joe Hahn (turntables) and Dave Farrell (bass) were later recruited, and in 1999, Chester Bennington became a member, staying with the band until his death in 2017. Before Bennington joined the band, Mark Wakefield was their lead singer, The lack of success and stalemate in progress prompted Wakefield to leave the band in search of other projects.
"What I've Done" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released as the first single from their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight (2007), and is the sixth track. The song was released as a radio single on April 1, 2007, as a digital download on April 2, and as a CD single on April 30. The live version of "What I've Done" from Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but did not win. It serves as the end credits track of the 2007 science fiction blockbuster film Transformers and also appears on Transformers: The Album (2007). Being certified six times platinum by the RIAA, it is the band's most commercially successful single in terms of pure sales, and reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Shadow of the Day" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album, Minutes to Midnight, on October 16, 2007. The first public performance of "Shadow of the Day" was during the Projekt Revolution tour in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2007. On September 4, 2012, "Shadow of the Day", along with "Breaking the Habit", "New Divide", and "Burn It Down", was released in the "Linkin Park Pack 02" as downloadable content for the music rhythm video game, Rock Band 3.
"Points of Authority" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the fourth track on their first studio album, Hybrid Theory. The song was released in 2001 as a promo release. A CD single for the song was set to be released in the UK in September 2001, but instead, "Papercut" was released as the third single from the album. It was later planned as the fifth official single from the album, planned for a January 2002 release but was cancelled for unknown reasons. In its place, the song's remix version was released. Mike Shinoda's verses originally had different lyrics, and Chester Bennington's parts became no different from the Hybrid Theory version.
"New Divide" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was released as a single and recorded specifically for the soundtrack to Michael Bay's film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. It was written by the band and produced by band member Mike Shinoda. It also serves as the film's main theme and was released as the soundtrack's lead single on May 18, 2009, by Reprise Records.
A Thousand Suns is the fourth studio album by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on September 13, 2010, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin, who had also worked together to produce the band's previous studio album Minutes to Midnight (2007). Recording sessions for A Thousand Suns took place at NRG Recording Studios in Hollywood, California from 2009 until early 2011.
"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.
"Burning in the Skies" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. It was announced as the band's third single from their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns, on January 20, 2011, and it was released on March 21. A music video for the single was directed by Joe Hahn, Linkin Park's turntablist. It was released in the United States to the Nielsen BDS adult contemporary indicator chart by February 2011, although it was clarified by vocalist Mike Shinoda that it is an international-only single, hence not charting in any Billboard charts.
"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.
"Castle of Glass" is a song written by American rock band Linkin Park for their fifth studio album, Living Things. The song was produced by co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin. The song was released as a promotional single for Danger Close Games's 2012 release, Medal of Honor: Warfighter, as with Linkin Park's previous contribution to the Medal of Honor series, "The Catalyst". The single was released on February 2, 2013, in physical format and on March 22, 2013, it was released as a digital single on iTunes.
"A Light That Never Comes" is a song written and recorded by American rock band Linkin Park, and is their first collaboration with American DJ and record producer Steve Aoki. It was included on the band's second remix album, Recharged. It is the twenty-sixth single by the band. The song appears as the opening track on the album while a reboot version produced by Rick Rubin serves as the closing track. In addition to the song being released in advance when Recharged was partially released early on September 16, 2013, "A Light That Never Comes" was released to radio and made available to stream as a promotional single on digital music service Xbox Music on the same day. The CD single was released on October 11, 2013.
"Blackout" is a promotional single by American rock band Linkin Park. It is the ninth track from their 2010 album, A Thousand Suns. The song was written by the band and produced by co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda and Rick Rubin.
8-Bit Rebellion! is the soundtrack album for the online video game of the same name, consisting of songs recorded by American rock band Linkin Park. It was released on April 26, 2010 via Warner Bros. and Machine Shop and produced by Mike Shinoda. This is the fourth soundtrack released by the band. The previous soundtrack Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – The Score, released on June 12, 2009 in the UK and June 23, 2009 in the United States, was a collaborated film score album with music composer Steve Jablonsky for the 2009 Transformers sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Mall is a 2014 American thriller film based on a novel of the same name written by Eric Bogosian. It was released on June 18, 2014, in France, on July 16 in Sweden, and on October 17 in North America. The film is directed by Linkin Park turntablist Joe Hahn, with Vincent D'Onofrio serving as executive producer. D'Onofrio has also worked as an actor in the film as Danny. Peter Stormare, Gina Gershon, Mimi Rogers, Brian Rodriguez and Cameron Monaghan also star in the film. The film was produced by Hahn, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Sam Maydew. The film is Hahn's full-length directorial debut and his second directed film after The Seed, which was a 10-minute short. The film revolves around the lives of five disaffected suburbanites as they come together at a shopping mall.
"Darker Than Blood" is a song written and recorded by American musician Steve Aoki, featuring the vocals of American rock band Linkin Park. It is the second collaboration between them, after A Light That Never Comes (2013), and is included on Aoki's third studio album, Neon Future II. The single was available for pre-order on Amazon.com. A half-minute promo of the song was made available by both Aoki and the band. The single debuted on Twitch on April 13, 2015. It was released as the second single from Neon Future II on April 14, 2015.
"Battle Symphony" is a promotional single by American rock band Linkin Park. The song was recorded by the band for their seventh studio album, titled One More Light. The song appears on the album as the fourth track. The song was written by Linkin Park members Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda. The song was released on March 16, 2017, but it was leaked some days before.