| "Simple Song" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Shins | ||||
| from the album Port of Morrow | ||||
| Released | January 10, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 4:15 | |||
| Label | Aural Apothecary, Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | James Mercer | |||
| Producer(s) | Greg Kurstin, James Mercer | |||
| The Shins singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Simple Song" is a song by American indie rock band The Shins from their fourth studio album Port of Morrow . Written by the group's frontman James Mercer, the song was released as the first single from the album.
In an interview with Q , the band's frontman, James Mercer, has stated that the song was "about my wife, our relationship and this whole new life we [had] ahead of us." Additionally, Mercer stated that the song was also, in part, about the departures of drummer Jesse Sandoval and keyboardist Martin Crandall from The Shins. [1]
Explaining the origins of the song, Mercer revealed that he wrote the song in the living room of his apartment, shortly following his marriage and in the period leading to the birth of his first daughter. [1]
The surrealist music video, staged as Mercer's funeral, was directed by DANIELS, a directing duo best known as the team behind the video for the song "Turn Down for What", and the films Swiss Army Man and Everything Everywhere All at Once . His backing band at the time, Richard Swift, Joe Plummer, Yuuki Matthews and Jessica Dobson, appeared in double roles as Mercer's children and as the performers of the song, although none of them were featured on the actual recording.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Flanders) [2] | 4 |
| Canada Alternative Rock (America's Music Charts) [3] | 11 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [4] | 192 |
| Japan Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [5] | 96 |
| Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade) [6] | 95 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [7] | 6 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard) [8] | 10 |
| US Rock Songs (Billboard) [9] | 19 |
| Chart (2012) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard) [10] | 38 |
| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard) [11] | 61 |
The discography of British virtual band Gorillaz consists of eight studio albums, three compilation albums, 11 extended plays, one remix album, and 46 singles.
The American rock band Dave Matthews Band has released ten studio albums, eighty-five live albums, three compilation albums, eight video albums, two extended plays, thirty-six singles, and twenty-one music videos. DMB has sold over 33 million albums in the United States.
"6th Avenue Heartache" is a song by the American rock band The Wallflowers. It was released in April 1996 as the lead single from their second album Bringing Down the Horse. The song became their first hit, peaking at No. 8 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 10 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and No. 33 on the US Hot 100 Airplay chart. The background vocals in this song are by Adam Duritz from Counting Crows. Though the song was a hit on rock radio, it was overshadowed by its follow-up single, "One Headlight".
The discography of Kings of Leon, an American rock band, consists of eight studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, two video album, five extended plays, 26 singles, one promotional single and 26 music videos. As of 2016 the band has sold over 21 million albums worldwide and 38 million singles. The band released their debut extended play Holy Roller Novocaine in February 2003, followed by the release of the extended play What I Saw in May. Their debut studio album, Youth and Young Manhood, was released in July 2003, peaking at number 113 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the UK Albums Chart. The album has since been certified two times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and three times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Three singles were released from the album, including the UK top 40 hit "Molly's Chambers". In November 2004, Kings of Leon released their second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak. The album peaked at number 55 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the UK Albums Chart. It has been certified double platinum by the BPI and the ARIA. The album's first single, "The Bucket", peaked at number 16 in the UK; it also became the band's first single to chart in the United States, where it peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
Broken Bells is an American indie rock band composed of artist-producer Brian Burton and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band The Shins. Broken Bells compose and create as a duo, but are joined by Dan Elkan and Jon Sortland when performing live. The previous live band included Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band sidemen Nate Walcott and Nik Freitas, and Jonathan Hischke and Dan Elkan, both ex-members of Hella. Following their 2010 self-titled debut album, the duo released an EP, Meyrin Fields, in 2011 and their second studio album, After the Disco, in 2014. In 2022 they released a third studio album titled "Into the Blue".
"Letter from a Thief" is a song by American rock band Chevelle. The song serves the second single from the band's album, Sci-Fi Crimes. It was released on December 7, 2009. Chevelle originally debuted this track on April 9, 2009, at a concert in Atlanta. Frontman Pete Loeffler said the song is about a personal experience for the band when their gear was stolen in Dallas, and his prized red PRS guitar seen in the video for "Send the Pain Below" was stolen, along with the rest of the band's gear, and returned by a man in California who returned the guitar to PRS after learning it was Loeffler's.
British rock band Mumford & Sons have released four studio albums, three live albums, six studio extended plays, seven live extended plays and twenty-one singles.
The Strumbellas are a Canadian rock band from Lindsay, Ontario, whose music has been described as alternative country, indie rock, farm emo, and gothic folk.
The discography of Australian singer-songwriter Orianthi consists of five studio albums, six singles, ten music videos, a re-issue, an extended play, and 21 other collaborations. Her second studio album, Believe, was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in 2010.
"Call It What You Want" is a song by American indie pop band Foster the People. It was released as the group's third single in December 2011 from their debut album Torches. The song was written by frontman Mark Foster and produced by Paul Epworth. The song was also featured in the soundtrack of the videogame FIFA 12 and the World Cup mode of FIFA 23. The song appeared at number 14 on the Triple J Hottest 100, 2011 poll.
"The Fighter" is a song by American rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, from their fifth studio album The Papercut Chronicles II. The song features vocals from American singer-songwriter and record producer Ryan Tedder of the band OneRepublic, and was released as the third and final single from the album on November 8, 2011. It was featured in the season finale of 90210 season 4 and the Cathay Pacific television commercial for the 2013 Hong Kong Sevens, as well as the background music of the introduction video of F1 2014.
Port of Morrow is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Shins. The album was released March 19, 2012, on Aural Apothecary and Columbia Records and was co-produced by Greg Kurstin and frontman James Mercer. The Shins' first studio album in five years, following the release of 2007's Wincing the Night Away, followed major lineup changes in the group: founding members Dave Hernandez, Marty Crandall (keyboards) and Jesse Sandoval (drums) departed in 2009. Mercer deemed it an "aesthetic decision" to part ways with his bandmates, and in the interim, founded side project Broken Bells with Danger Mouse.
American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys has released twelve studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, sixteen extended plays, thirty-five singles and forty-five music videos.
"Days Go By" is a pop punk song by the American punk rock band the Offspring. It is featured as the third track on the band's ninth studio album of the same name and was released as its first single. The song was premiered on the Los Angeles, California rock station KROQ on April 27, 2012. "Days Go By" was released to radio on May 1, 2012; the song was written by frontman/lyricist Dexter Holland. It peaked at No. 2 on the US Mainstream Rock chart.
"Lover of the Light" is a song performed by British rock band Mumford & Sons, released as the second single from their second studio album Babel (2012). It was released on 5 November 2012 as a digital download. The song was written by Mumford & Sons and produced by Markus Dravs.
"Whispers in the Dark" is a song performed by British folk rock band Mumford & Sons, released as the third single from their second studio album Babel (2012). It was released on 11 March 2013 as a digital download. The song was written by Mumford & Sons and produced by Markus Dravs.
"Coming of Age" is a song by American indie pop band Foster the People from their second studio album, Supermodel. It was written by Mark Foster, Mark Pontius and Cubbie Fink of the band, along with British music producer Paul Epworth and close collaborators Sean Cimino and Isom Innis. The song was released as the lead single from Supermodel in the United States on January 14, 2014, and in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2014.
"S.O.B." is a song by American rock band Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. It was released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album. The song gained exposure after the band performed it on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show on August 5, 2015.
The discography of American rock band Band of Horses consists of six studio albums, one live album, two extended plays (EPs), and 14 singles. Formed in 2004 in Seattle by Ben Bridwell, their self-released Tour EP (2005) was made available at shows and at Sub Pop's website. The band's debut full-length album, Everything All the Time, followed in 2006 and reached the charts in Norway and Sweden. Their second album, Cease to Begin was released in 2007 and charted at number 35 on the US Billboard 200. "Is There a Ghost", the first single from the album, peaked at number 34 on the US Alternative Songs chart and number 30 in Denmark.
American singer Jack White has released five studio albums, six live albums, one compilation album, and 20 singles. Prior to releasing solo records, White recorded albums with several bands, including the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, and the Dead Weather. Throughout his career, he has also produced the works of many other artists and made guest appearances on albums.
