"Planetary (Go!)" was announced to be released as a single on March21,2011, with a music video featuring a live performance of the song being released on that day; however, the single was ultimately released for digital download and streaming on the 25th. The track received divided reviews from music critics, with some regarding it as an album highlight while others criticized its sound and lyrics. "Planetary (Go!)" was notably included as the opening song of the 2010 video game Gran Turismo 5, and appeared on May Death Never Stop You, the band's 2014 greatest hits album. The song topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart, and was nominated for Best Single at the Kerrang! Awards 2011.
Background
Ray Toro used an Electro-Harmonix POG pedal (example pictured) to make his guitar sound like a synthesizer for "Planetary (Go!)".
Following the success of their third studio album The Black Parade (2006), My Chemical Romance began sessions to record their fourth studio album; however, the band shelved the project due to being unsatisfied with the final result.[1] The band subsequently started again, with an emphasis on experimentation and pushing boundaries when writing new songs.[1][2] During this process, the entire band was trying out synthesizers, as they had long wanted to write a dance song; My Chemical Romance biographer Tom Bryant wrote how the song "just popped out" when, according to Toro, Gerard Way "heard the hook" late at night.[2] Toro also noted how the song, particularly its repetitive nature, was inspired by songs by the Rolling Stones like "Paint It Black".[3] To make his guitar sound like a synthesizer on the track, Toro used an Electro-Harmonix POG pedal.[4]
Lyrically, the song is a "call-to-arms", where Way chants lines like "Fame is now injectable" and "We just get up and go".[3] Way later called the former line one of the favorite ones he wrote, noting how "it sums up how I feel".[14] Ben Hewitt of The Quietus additionally interpreted the song as being a "beacon of hope", due to its "proclamations of immortality" through lines like "I can't slow down" and "I'm undefeatable".[11]
Release
A snippet of "Planetary (Go!)" was first released to Spin on October26,2010.[15] The song was later released on November22,2010, as the fifth track on the band's fourth studio album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.[16] On February4,2011, the band announced on their website that the song would officially be released as a single on March21,2011;[17][18] however, the single was ultimately released for digital download and streaming on the 25th.[19] The song was also released on May Death Never Stop You, the band's 2014 greatest hits album.[20]
An accompanying "J-pop indebted" music video for "Planetary (Go!)" was released on March21,2011.[29][30] The band announced on February22,2011 that the video would be filmed at the Islington Academy on the 24th, with tickets costing £4.[31][32] According to Penilla Holl, the general manager of the Islington Academy, promoters chose the venue for its "intimate" quality.[33] Before filming began, the band played a short set to the 600 audience members in attendance.[32][33] Once the band left the stage, props like masks and guns were given out. Afterwards, three or four takes of the audience members "rock[ing] out" were recorded, as the song played over the venue's sound system. Finally, the band returned to the stage to record several live takes of the track, with balloons and confetti being released onto the crowd.[32] The final video had visual effects and "comic book-like text" overlaid atop the live footage, which according to Aliya Chaudhry of Kerrang! allowed it to maintain an energy typically lost in performance videos.[34]
Reception
"Planetary (Go!)" received mixed reviews from music critics. Both Sawdey and Megan Ritt of Consequence called the song a highlight on Danger Days, with the former calling it "one of the most lyrically biting tracks on the album".[9][10] Additionally, David Edwards of Drowned in Sound regarded the song as a "firm kick-start" to the album, praising its energy. In contrast, a review for Alternative Addiction called the song "fine", but criticized how it followed mainstream trends and called it a low point on the album; a review for Alternative Press similarly called the song a dud.[35] Channing Freeman of Sputnikmusic called the song "awful", writing that the track "desperately wants to be emotional [...] but it falls flat on its face".[36] Nonetheless, Jessica Sager of Parade named "Planetary (Go!)" one of the 50 best songs of the 2010s,[37] while Andy Belt of PopMatters ranked it the ninth-best song in My Chemical Romance's discography.[38] Chloe Spinks of Gigwise placed the song at No. 28 (of 79) in her ranking of the band's entire discography, praising how it "feels like a party",[39] while Cassie Whitt and Richardson, writing for Loudwire, placed it at No. 45 (of 71).[40]
↑Verrico, Lisa (February 14, 2011). "My Chemical Romance, Wembley Arena". The Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025. Planetary (Go!), another new song, was energetic electro-pop...
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