Survival (Muse song)

Last updated

"Survival"
SurvivalMuse.jpg
Single by Muse
from the album The 2nd Law and A Symphony of British Music
Released27 June 2012 (2012-06-27)
Recorded2012
Genre Rock, pop rock
Length4:17(Single version)
5:15(with "Prelude")
Label
Songwriter(s) Matthew Bellamy
Producer(s) Muse
Muse singles chronology
"Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)"
(2010)		"Survival"
(2012)		"Madness"
(2012)

"Survival" is a song by the English rock band Muse. The track is the first single from the band's sixth studio album, The 2nd Law . "Survival" served as the official theme song of the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, United Kingdom and was released following its premiere on BBC Radio 1. The song is also used in a trailer for the 2020 movie Downhill.

Contents

Background and writing

"It's a huge honour to have the track chosen as such a major part of the London 2012 Olympic Games."

— Matt Bellamy on the song "Survival". [1] [2]

In 2011, Matthew Bellamy was asked to compose a song for the London 2012 Olympics. According to him, the project then "went away," though a song was written regardless. Bellamy and his fellow band members brought the song to Olympic staff, who "said they'd love to use it as the official tune." The track, Bellamy noted, "expresses a sense of conviction and determination to win." [3]

"Survival" was played as the athletes entered the stadium and in the period before medal ceremonies; international broadcasters played it while reporting on the Games. In addition, the song was included on the album London 2012 Rock The Games. [2] [3] The song was also premièred live during Muse's live set for the London 2012 closing ceremony. However NBC, the channel that broadcasts the Olympics in the US, did not broadcast their set.

Release

"Survival" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on 27 June 2012. [4] It was the first single from the band's 2012 album The 2nd Law , released in October. [5] The official music video was released on 4 July 2012. It showed a montage of past Olympic events, including both celebratory and disappointing experiences for certain athletes. [6]

Reception

"Survival" received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. The Associated Press called the song "a thundering rock anthem". [4] NME columnist Mark Beaumont was perturbed that the band's latest track was "assimilated into something as annoying" as the Olympics. He continued that "'Survival' might be amongst the most ear-scorchingly, arse-burstingly, aneurysm-inducingly brilliant songs in Muse’s canon, but it’ll forever be deemed corny by its association with one long-past sporting event." [7] Adam Boult of The Guardian referred to the track as "a hilarious five-minute onslaught of camp, falling somewhere between Queen, Gloria Gaynor and a Monty Python sketch. Swelling strings, battle drums, ludicrous falsetto shrieking and chugga-chugga guitar channelling the Little Engine That Could . It's as insanely overblown as the Olympics themselves." [8] Meanwhile, Jon Holmes of BBC Radio 4's The Now Show described it as an "Epically proportioned cacophony of enormous noise" that was like "the sound of an orchestra falling down some stairs" created by "throwing a hand-grenade into a music cupboard and recording the results". He depicted the drumkit as like "the noise of a rhino knocking a wall down" and memorably stated that "This is the song I want to hear when the world ends". [9]

Track listing

  • Digital download
  • UK promotional single
No.TitleLength
1."Survival"4:17
French promotional single
No.TitleLength
1."Survival" (Radio Edit)4:17
2."Survival" (Album Version)5:15

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [10] 72
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [11] 22
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [12] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [13] 90
Canada Rock ( Billboard ) [14] 34
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100) [15] 76
France (SNEP) [16] 18
Germany (Official German Charts) [17] 87
Ireland (IRMA) [18] 68
Japan (Japan Hot 100) [19] 24
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20) [20] 17
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [21] 12
Scotland (OCC) [22] 32
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [23] 25
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] 40
UK Singles (OCC) [25] 22
US Rock Songs ( Billboard ) [26] 39

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Worldwide27 June 2012 [27] Digital download Warner Bros. Records
United Kingdom6 August 2012 CD-R (Contemporary hit radio, BBC Radio 1 rotation)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muse (band)</span> English rock band

Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard.

<i>Absolution</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Muse

Absolution is the third studio album by the English rock band Muse, released on 22 September 2003 through Taste Media. It was produced by Muse and Rich Costey, with additional production by John Cornfield and Paul Reeve.

<i>Black Holes and Revelations</i> 2006 studio album by Muse

Black Holes and Revelations is the fourth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 3 July 2006 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. It was produced by Rich Costey over four months in New York City, London, Milan and southern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermassive Black Hole (song)</span> 2006 single by Muse

"Supermassive Black Hole" is a song by English rock band Muse. Written by Muse lead singer and principal songwriter Matt Bellamy, it was released as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations (2006), on 19 June 2006, backed with "Crying Shame".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knights of Cydonia</span> 2006 single by Muse

"Knights of Cydonia" is a song by English rock band Muse and is the closing track on their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations. The song's title refers to the Cydonia region of Mars, which gained public attention from the illusion of a rock formation which looked similar to a human face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starlight (Muse song)</span> 2006 single by Muse

"Starlight" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It was released on 22 August 2006 as the second single from their fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations (2006).

<i>The Resistance</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Muse

The Resistance is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Muse, released on 10 September 2009 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. Produced by the band and mixed by Mark Stent, the album was recorded from September 2008 to May 2009 at Studio Bellini in Lake Como, Italy. Musically, the record is similar to some of the band's previous material, mixing orchestral elements with rock and electronic music. The album also saw the band craft a three-part, 13-minute long symphony piece titled "Exogenesis". Lyrically, it is a concept record, as well as a continuation of the themes from their previous records, being influenced by politics and more oppressive subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uprising (song)</span> 2009 single by Muse

"Uprising" is a song by the English rock band Muse, released on 4 August 2009 as the lead single from their fifth studio album, The Resistance (2009). It was written by Matt Bellamy, produced by Muse and mixed by Spike Stent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Undisclosed Desires</span> 2009 single by Muse

"Undisclosed Desires" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Resistance, on 16 November 2009. The song was written by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy, who has described it as being "quite a personal song about me and my girlfriend." The song peaked at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved large success in Australia where it was certified Platinum and is Muse's highest-charting single in that country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)</span> 2010 single by Muse

"Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)" is a song by the English rock band Muse, featured on the soundtrack to the 2010 film The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Recorded by the band in 2010, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 17 May 2010.

<i>The 2nd Law</i> 2012 studio album by Muse

The 2nd Law is the sixth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 28 September 2012 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. Recording of the album took place in studios between London and Los Angeles County, beginning in October 2011 and ending in August 2012. The 2nd Law was Muse's second album to be solely self-produced, following The Resistance (2009), and features a plethora of additional musicians that performed brass, strings, and choir vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madness (Muse song)</span> 2012 single

"Madness" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It is the second track and second single from Muse's sixth studio album, The 2nd Law (2012), released as a download on 20 August 2012. It was written by singer and guitarist Matthew Bellamy and produced by the band. The music video premiered on 5 September 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psycho (Muse song)</span> 2015 single by Muse

"Psycho" is a song by the English rock band Muse from their seventh studio album Drones, released on 12 March 2015 as a promotional single and the first from the album. It was later featured as the B-side to the official lead single later that month, "Dead Inside".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Inside (song)</span> 2015 single by Muse

"Dead Inside" is a song by English rock band Muse. The opening track on their seventh album, Drones, it was released as the album's lead single and second overall on 23 March 2015. On the same day, a lyric video for the song was released on the band's YouTube channel, while the single premiered on BBC Radio 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothing but Thieves</span> English rock band

Nothing but Thieves are an English rock band, formed in 2012 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Conor Mason, guitarist Joe Langridge-Brown, guitarist and keyboardist Dominic Craik, bassist Philip Blake, and drummer James Price. In 2014, they signed to RCA Records and a year later in October 2015, they released their self-titled debut album. Their second album, Broken Machine was released in September 2017, receiving wide acclaim in addition to peaking at No. 2 in the UK Album Charts. They released an EP titled What Did You Think When You Made Me This Way? in October 2018, followed by their third studio album, Moral Panic, in October 2020. This was followed in July 2021 by the album's "second part" with the EP entitled Moral Panic II. In June 2023, they released their fourth studio album, Dead Club City, which became their first UK No.1 album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thought Contagion</span> 2018 single by Muse

"Thought Contagion" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from the band's eighth studio album, Simulation Theory, on 15 February 2018, following "Dig Down", released the previous year. The single debuted at number 76 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Something Human</span> 2018 single by Muse

"Something Human" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the third single from the band's eighth studio album, Simulation Theory. Matt Bellamy described the track as "intimate" and that it marked a departure from the "dark and moody" Drones. The track was released on 19 July 2018, following their previous single "Thought Contagion", which was released February of that year.

<i>Simulation Theory</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Muse

Simulation Theory is the eighth studio album by English rock band Muse. It was released on 9 November 2018 through Warner Bros. Records and Helium-3. Muse co-produced the album with Rich Costey, Mike Elizondo, Shellback, and Timbaland. Following the darker themes of Muse's prior albums, Simulation Theory incorporates lighter influences from science fiction and 1980s pop culture, with extensive use of synthesisers. The contemporary political climate of the United States informed the lyrics.

"Pressure" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the fifth single from the band's eighth studio album, Simulation Theory. The track was released on 27 September 2018, following the release of "The Dark Side", which was released August of that year.

<i>Will of the People</i> (album) 2022 studio album by Muse

Will of the People is the ninth studio album by English rock band Muse, released through Warner Records and Helium-3 on 26 August 2022. Self-produced by the band, it is a genre-hopping album that Matthew Bellamy described as "a greatest hits album – of new songs." "Won't Stand Down", "Compliance", "Will of the People", and "Kill or Be Killed" were released as singles before the album was released, and "You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween" was released as a single the same day the album came out.

References

  1. ↑ "Update: Listen to Muse's 'Survival' Song for 2012 London Olympics". Rolling Stone . 28 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Muse song "Survival" unveiled as the official London 2012. Olympic theme tune". The Daily Telegraph . 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Muse unveil official Olympic song". BBC. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Muse's "Survival" becomes official song of the London Olympics". CBS News . Associated Press. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Muse open up about the creation of new single 'Survival'". NME . 29 June 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  6. ↑ Marcus, Stephanie (4 July 2012). "Muse, 'Survival': Video Released For Official Song Of 2012 Olympic Games (VIDEO)". Huffington Post . Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  7. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (27 June 2012). "Muse – 'Survival'". NME . Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Boult, Adam (28 June 2012). "New music extra: Muse – Survival". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  9. ↑ The Now Show: A Week of Splits, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 2012-07-06
  10. ↑ "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ "Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  14. ↑ "Chart History". Billboard . Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201413 into search.
  16. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" (in French). Les classement single.
  17. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  18. ↑ "Top 100 Singles – Week ending 16th August 2012". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  19. ↑ "Chart Search Results – Japan Hot 100 Singles 2012-08-11". Billboard.biz . Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  20. ↑ "The Official Lebanese Top 20" . Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  21. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  22. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  23. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games" Canciones Top 50.
  24. ↑ "Muse – Survival – Official Song of the London 2012 Olympic Games". Swiss Singles Chart.
  25. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  26. ↑ "Chart Highlights: Maroon 5 Tops Pop Songs, Adult Pop Songs". Billboard . 2 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  27. ↑ "Muse – 'Survival' – Digital Download". iTunes (UK). Retrieved 28 June 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.