"Roots" | ||||
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Single by Imagine Dragons | ||||
from the album Evolve (Japanese edition) | ||||
Released | August 27, 2015 | |||
Recorded | 2015 | |||
Length | 2:54 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Alex da Kid | |||
Imagine Dragons singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Roots" on YouTube |
"Roots" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon along with producer Alex da Kid, and originally released as a non-album single, however it appears as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of their third studio album Evolve . They performed the song for the first time on September 2, 2015, at their Melbourne, Australia, show for the Smoke + Mirrors Tour. The music video was released on September 29, 2015, and was filmed in New Zealand. The song debuted atop the Billboard Rock Digital Songs chart. [1]
Guitarist Wayne Sermon stated that the song was written on the road during their Smoke + Mirrors Tour, and that it talks about the highs and lows of their lives as musicians. The short track features a distorted drum beat over a prominent piano riff. The track is dedicated to the support they have received from their fanbase. [2]
The music video for "Roots" was released on September 29, 2015. It was filmed in New Zealand, and directed by Matt Eastin, who previously directed the video for "On Top of the World" and the Broiler remix of "Shots".
The video follows lead singer Dan Reynolds as he finds a way to escape, and remember who he is, during his hectic tour lifestyle. Throughout the video, home videos of a young Reynolds are shown ranging from infant to young adult.
On August 19, 2015, Imagine Dragons began teasing the single when they changed their social profiles to all black, with the caption "My Roots". The social media post foreshadowed and promoted the impending release of "Roots". The next day, the band began posting pictures of themselves as children on social media with a hashtag (#MYROOTS). Twitter and Instagram users began submitting pictures of themselves when they were younger with the same hashtag. All pictures were used to form a collage. [3] The single was released to iTunes on August 27, 2015.
The single's artwork is by Louis Lander Deacon, who did the artwork for the band's 2012 EP, Continued Silence .
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [10] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [11] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Daniel Coulter Reynolds is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of the pop rock band Imagine Dragons. He is a recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award.
Imagine Dragons are an American pop rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and currently consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their single "It's Time", followed by their debut album Night Visions (2012), which resulted in the chart-topping singles "Radioactive" and "Demons". Rolling Stone named "Radioactive", which held the record for most weeks charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the "biggest rock hit of the year". MTV called them "the year's biggest breakout band", and Billboard named them their "Breakthrough Band of 2013" and "Biggest Band of 2017", and placed them at the top of their "Year in Rock" rankings for 2013, 2017, and 2018. Imagine Dragons topped the Billboard Year-End "Top Artists – Duo/Group" category in 2018.
"It's Time" is the debut single by American rock band Imagine Dragons, released on February 6, 2012, as the lead single from the band's first major label EP, Continued Silence. Later that year the song was included on the band's first full album Night Visions. The song had already been included on the band's independently released EP It's Time (2011), and it had been available on YouTube since 2010.
"Radioactive" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons from their major-label debut EP Continued Silence and later on their debut studio album, Night Visions (2012), as the opening track. It was first sent to modern rock radio on October 29, 2012, and then released to contemporary hit radio on April 9, 2013. Musically, "Radioactive" is an electronic rock and alternative rock song with elements of dubstep. In a 2021 podcast interview called The Turning Point, Dan Reynolds revealed that after almost a decade, he had realized that the lyrics were actually about him not giving up hope after losing faith in Mormonism.
"Demons" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by Alex da Kid, Ben McKee, Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Josh Mosser and produced by Alex da Kid. The song appears on their major-label debut extended play, Continued Silence, and also makes an appearance on their debut studio album, Night Visions, as the fourth track. "Demons" was solicited to American triple-A radio stations on January 28, 2013 and to modern rock stations two months later, on April 1, 2013. It serves as the album's overall fifth single and was released as the third single from Night Visions in the United States, later released to US contemporary hit radio stations on 17 September 2013 as an official single. The lyrics portray the protagonist warning the significant other of his or her flaws.
"On Top of the World" is a song by the American rock band Imagine Dragons first appearing on their major-label debut extended play Continued Silence (2012). The song also appears on their first full-length album Night Visions (2012). "On Top of the World" was released digitally as a single on March 18, 2013.
Benjamin Arthur McKee is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the bassist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.
"I Bet My Life" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The track, written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon, was released as the lead single from their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors on October 27, 2014. The band's network debut performing the track occurred at the American Music Awards (2014), where they received the award for Favorite Alternative Artist.
Daniel James Platzman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and composer. He is the drummer for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.
Smoke + Mirrors is the second studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The album was recorded during 2014 at the band's home studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Self-produced by members of the band along with English hip-hop producer Alex da Kid, the album was released by Interscope Records and Grant's Kidinakorner label on February 17, 2015, in the United States.
"Gold" is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons, which bases itself on the story of the Midas Touch. The track was released as the second single from their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors on December 16, 2014. The track was written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon, as well as the producer of the song, Alex da Kid. The music video was released onto Vevo on January 21, 2015. The song was used by FX to promote their FX Now app, and by Discovery Channel to promote their show Gold Rush's season 6 premiere. The Jorgen Odegard remix of the song was featured on the soundtrack of the video game, NBA 2K17.
"Shots" is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by band members Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon and released as the third and final single from their second studio album Smoke + Mirrors (2015).
"Believer" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released on February 1, 2017, through Interscope Records and Kidinakorner as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Evolve (2017). It was written by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Justin Tranter, Jamie marcel and its producers Mattman & Robin.
Evolve is the third studio album by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, released on June 23, 2017, by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records. After the release of their previous album Smoke + Mirrors (2015) and its respective world tour, a self-imposed hiatus for 2016 and cryptic messages from the band through their social media gained anticipation for their third album; it was finally announced on May 9, 2017, along with the initiation of its pre-order. In comparison to Smoke + Mirrors and their 2012 debut Night Visions, frontman Dan Reynolds called the album an "evolution" for the band.
"Whatever It Takes" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released on May 9, 2017, as a promotional single through Kidinakorner and Interscope. It later became the third single from the band's third studio album, Evolve, on October 6, 2017. It was also the official theme song for WWE's PPV event Battleground, in addition to its inclusion in the video game Madden NFL 18. The song was sent to US contemporary hit radio on February 13, 2018.
"Next to Me" is a song recorded by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. Written by all four members of the band and producer Alex da Kid, it was released through Kidinakorner and Interscope Records on February 21, 2018, as the fourth single from the band's third studio album Evolve, appearing as the first track on a re-issue of the album.
"Natural" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons, whose members co-wrote the song with Justin Tranter, Klinsmann Lucas S. Bernardo and their producers Mattman & Robin. It was released by Kidinakorner and Interscope Records on July 17, 2018, serving as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Origins (2018), as well as the seasonal anthem of the 2018 ESPN College Football. It became their fifth number one song on the US Hot Rock Songs chart.
"Bad Liar" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released through Interscope and Kidinakorner records on November 6, 2018, as the fourth single from their fourth studio album, Origins (2018). It was written by Imagine Dragons, Aja Volkman and Jorgen Odegard, and produced by Odegard.
"Wrecked" is a song by American band Imagine Dragons. It was released through Interscope and Kidinakorner on July 2, 2021, as the second single from their fifth studio album, Mercury – Act 1. It was written by band members Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, and Daniel Platzman, who also produced it.
"Bones" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released through Interscope and Kidinakorner on March 11, 2022, as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Mercury – Acts 1 & 2. It was written by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, and its producers Mattman & Robin.