The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart is a record chart which ranks the best-selling rock and heavy metal songs in the United Kingdom. Compiled and published by the Official Charts Company, the data is based on each track's weekly physical sales, digital downloads and streams. [1] In 2009, there were 18 singles that topped the 52 published charts. The first number-one single of the year was "Hand of Blood" by Welsh metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine, the lead single from the EP of the same name. [2] The final number one of the year was "Killing in the Name" by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine, which was the UK Singles Chart Christmas number one. [3]
The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The two charts are compiled by the OCC from digital downloads, physical record sales and audio streams in UK retail outlets. The charts have been published on the official OCC website since 1994 and also appear on BBC Radio 1's website.
A record chart, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period of time. Although in the UK, the official chart has only included physical sales and paid-for streaming, many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, including record sales, the amount of radio airplay, and since the popularity of online consumption of music, the number of downloads and the amount of streaming activity.
Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the early 1950s, and developed into a range of different styles in the 1960s and later, particularly in the United Kingdom and in the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, a style which drew heavily on the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, and from country music. Rock music also drew strongly on a number of other genres such as electric blues and folk, and incorporated influences from jazz, classical and other musical styles. Musically, rock has centered on the electric guitar, usually as part of a rock group with electric bass, drums, and one or more singers. Usually, rock is song-based music usually with a 4/4 time signature using a verse–chorus form, but the genre has become extremely diverse. Like pop music, lyrics often stress romantic love but also address a wide variety of other themes that are frequently social or political.
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The most successful song on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart in 2009 was "New Divide" by American alternative rock band Linkin Park, which spent 13 consecutive weeks at number one. Muse spent seven weeks at number one in 2009, with "Undisclosed Desires" (four weeks), "Feeling Good" (two weeks) and "Supermassive Black Hole" (one week) all topping the chart. Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" was number one for six weeks, Nickelback were number one for five weeks with "Gotta Be Somebody", "If Today Was Your Last Day" (two weeks each) and "I'd Come for You" (one week), and "Mercury Summer" by Fightstar and "Ignorance" by Paramore were number one for four weeks each. Biffy Clyro's "The Captain" was number one for three weeks, while songs by Kid Rock, Goo Goo Dolls and Lostprophets spent two weeks each atop the chart.
"New Divide" is a song by American rock band Linkin Park. The song is released as a single and was recorded specifically for Michael Bay's film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The song serves as the film's main theme, and was released as a single on May 18, 2009.
Alternative rock is a style of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. In this instance, the word "alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream rock music. The term's original meaning was broader, referring to a generation of musicians unified by their collective debt to either the musical style or simply the independent, DIY ethos of punk rock, which in the late 1970s laid the groundwork for alternative music. At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not, that is seen to be descended from punk rock.
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/keyboardist Joe Hahn, and drummer Rob Bourdon, all of whom are founding members. Former members include bassist Kyle Christner and vocalists Mark Wakefield and Chester Bennington, the latter being a member until his passing in 2017.
