White Sky (song)

"White Sky"
Single by Vampire Weekend
from the album Contra
Released	August 6, 2010
Recorded	2009
Genre	Indie pop afropop worldbeat synth-pop
Length	2:58
Label	XL
Composer(s)	Chris Baio Rostam Batmanglij Ezra Koenig Christopher Tomson
Lyricist(s)	Ezra Koenig
Producer(s)	Rostam Batmanglij
Vampire Weekend singles chronology
"Holiday" (2010) "White Sky" (2010) "Diane Young" (2013)
Alternative cover
cover for 12" vinyl

"White Sky" is the fourth single from Vampire Weekend's second album Contra . ^[1] The single release features three remixes of the song by Basement Jaxx. It is also the first song to be written on Contra, dating back before their debut album was released.

Production and composition

Band keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij made a 30-second loop on his computer, and Ezra Koenig kept listening to it at his home until he came up with the melody for it. ^[2]

While Koenig considered Contra to be "something of a Californian album", "White Sky" deals with someone exploring New York and its residents. ^[2]

Track listing

• Digital EP ^[3]

1. "White Sky" - 2:58
2. "White Sky" (Basement Jaxx Club Mix) - 6:43
3. "White Sky" (Basement Jaxx Warp Dub Mix) - 5:13
4. "White Sky" (Basement Jaxx Vamp Dub Mix) - 3:57

• Digital Remixes EP ^[4]

1. "White Sky" - 2:58
2. "White Sky" (Cécile Remix) - 6:41
3. "White Sky" (New Look Remix) - 2:51
4. "White Sky" (Basement Jaxx Club Mix) - 6:42

Personnel

Vampire Weekend

• Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, guitar
• Rostam Batmanglij – piano, background vocals, vocal harmonies, keyboards, harpsichord, VSS-30, drum, synth, sampler programming, guitar
• Christopher Tomson – drums
• Chris Baio – bass, background vocals

Technical

• Rostam Batmanglij – mixing, engineering
• Shane Stoneback – mixing assistance, engineering
• Justin Gerrish – engineering
• Fernando Lodeiro – engineering assistance
• Emily Lazar – mastering
• Joe LaPorta – assistant mastering engineering

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Year	Rank
Rolling Stone	50 Best Songs of 2010 [5]	2010	7

Chart positions

Chart (2010–11)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [6]	16
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia) [7]	32
France (SNEP) [8]	60
Mexico Ingles Airplay ( Billboard ) [9]	14
UK Indie (OCC) [10]	6
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [11]	78
US Dance/Electronic Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [12]	7
US Hot Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [13]	22

References

1. "Vampire Weekend – "White Sky (Basement Jaxx Remix)"". Stereogum. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
2. "Vampire Weekend's Track-By-Track Guide To 'Contra'". NME . Inspire. January 13, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
3. "Vampire Weekend - White Sky". Junodownload.com. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
4. "White Sky (Remixes) - EP". iTunes. 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
5. Jon Dolan; David Fricke; Will Hermes; Melissa Maerz; Jody Rosen; Rob Sheffield; Jonah Weiner (December 15, 2010). "50 Best Songs of 2010: Vampire Weekend, "White Sky"". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media, LLC. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
6. "Vampire Weekend – White Sky" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
7. "Vampire Weekend – White Sky" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
8. "Vampire Weekend – White Sky" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
9. "Vampire Weekend Chart History". Billboard Mexico Ingles Airplay for Vampire Weekend. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
10. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
11. "Chart Log UK 2010: V". zobbel.de. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
12. "Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
13. "Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2014.