Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)

"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)"
Single by Lostprophets
from the album Liberation Transmission
Released	19 June 2006 (2006-06-19)
Recorded	Hawaii 2006
Genre	Alternative rock emo
Length	4:11
Label	Columbia Visible Noise
Songwriter(s)	Lee Gaze Mike Lewis Jamie Oliver Stuart Richardson Ian Watkins
Producer(s)	Bob Rock Joel Kaufmann
Lostprophets singles chronology
"Goodbye Tonight" (2004) "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" (2006) "A Town Called Hypocrisy" (2006)
Music video
"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" on YouTube

"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" is a power ballad by Welsh rock band Lostprophets. It was released as the lead single to the band's third album Liberation Transmission , first to American radio on 16 May 2006 and then as a physical single on 19 June 2006, preceding the album's release by a week. ^[1]

The song debuted at No. 8 on the UK singles chart, tying "Last Train Home" for the band's highest-peaking song. ^[2] It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single. ^[3] In the United States, it peaked at No. 15 on the Alternative Airplay chart.

Background

The first live performance of the single in the UK was in the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd on 24 April 2006 prior to it even getting radioplay. The B-sides found on the single came from the same sessions – all of which are brand new tracks.

Music video

The music video for the song was filmed on location in Los Angeles, California and was directed by Ryan Smith. It shows the band performing on what appears to be a helicopter pad at the top of a tall building (possibly a hospital or a news station). At the beginning, the individual band members are shown while a flag showing the band's logo flutters behind them. As the band begins, three teenagers are shown: a girl sitting at dinner with her parents, who suddenly start arguing, a boy sitting in the back seat of a car as his father shouts at him while driving and another boy working in a restaurant kitchen as his boss starts berating at him. When the band reaches the "scream your heart out" refrain near the end of the song, the teenagers start to scream suddenly: the girl shatters every wine glass on the table as her mother covers her ears, the boy in the kitchen blows plates off the shelf in front of him, and the boy in the car shatters the car's windows. Another group of teenagers are then shown on the helicopter pad, in front of the same flag the band members were in front of at the beginning of the video, during the final chorus. The band then finishes the song, and the video fades out.

Track listing

CD1

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)"	4:13
2.	"Ordinary Life" (demo)	3:24

CD2

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)"	4:13
2.	"Dead to Me" (demo)	3:25
3.	"No Way Out" (demo)	3:52

Vinyl

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)"	4:13

(The B side of the vinyl release was an etched design rather than containing music)

Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rooftops" (demo)	4:08

Personnel

• Ian Watkins – lead vocals
• Lee Gaze – lead guitar
• Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
• Stuart Richardson – bass guitar
• Jamie Oliver – piano, keyboard, samples, vocals
• Josh Freese – drums, percussion (recording)
• Ilan Rubin – drums, percussion (music video)

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA) [4]	36
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [5]	25
UK Singles (OCC) [6]	8
UK Indie (OCC) [7]	1
UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [8]	2
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 ( Billboard ) [9]	14
US Pop 100 (Billboard)	94
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [10]	15
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)	22

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [11]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other media

• The song was included as a playable track in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour and Lego Rock Band . ^{[12] [13]}
• WWE used the song as the background track for a promotional video highlighting the career of Jeff Hardy. ^[14] However, on the WWE Network, the song has been replaced due to the sexual offences of Ian Watkins.

References

1. "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
2. "Profile: Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins". BBC News. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
3. "Kerrang! Awards 2006 - Rockfreaks.net". www.rockfreaks.net. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
4. irishcharts.com - Lostprophets - Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)
5. "Lostprophets – Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)". Top 40 Singles.
6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
7. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
8. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart". Official Charts Company. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
9. "Lostprophets Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
10. "Lostprophets Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
11. "British single certifications – Lostprophets – Rooftops". British Phonographic Industry.
12. "What Is the Track List for 'Guitar Hero World Tour'?". Lifewire. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
13. Jacques, John (15 October 2009). "LEGO Rock Band Tracklist Revealed". Game Rant. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
14. "Soar from the 'Rooftops' with Jeff Hardy and Lostprophets". WWE. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

External links

• ContactMusic review