"Ants Marching" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...

, released as the second single from their 1994

1994 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....

 album Under the Table and Dreaming

Under the Table and Dreaming

-Songs cut from the album:Songs that were recorded during the sessions, but weren't included on the final cut:*"Granny" – Dave wanted this to be the band's first single, but the song never made it to any of the studio albums. Nonetheless, the song remains a strong fan favorite and is being played...

. It reached #18 on the Modern Rock Tracks

Modern Rock Tracks

Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...

 chart and received some album-oriented rock

Album-oriented rock

Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...

 play as well. A different recording of it was included on their prior album, Remember Two Things

Remember Two Things

Remember Two Things is an album by Dave Matthews Band, released independently on the band's Bama Rags label in 1993. This was the only release where the band was referred to as "The Dave Matthews Band." It was reissued by RCA Records on June 24, 1997 and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 2002...

. A version of this song, recorded in concert on March 26, 2005, is included on the Dave Matthews Band compilation album The Best of What's Around Vol. 1.

"Ants Marching" is considered to be the definitive and most recognizable Dave Matthews Band song by many of their devoted fans. As Dave Matthews himself once said, "This song is our anthem". "Ants Marching" is a favorite of the band's to play live in concert, being the most played song over the course of the band's touring career, having been fully played 1,077 times over the band's 20-year career. The live versions of "Ants Marching" are recognizable by the typical snare intro by the band's drummer, Carter Beauford, as can be heard on the band's most recent live release, Live at Wrigley Field. For some live versions however, the band will skip the snare intro, and go straight into the song, which is known as the "direct intro"; the version on Live Trax Vol. 13

Live Trax Vol. 13

Live Trax Vol. 13 is a live album by Dave Matthews Band, and is the 13th volume in the band's Live Trax series. The album was recorded on June 7, 2008 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri...

has a unique guitar duet intro by Matthews and electric guitarist Tim Reynolds

Tim Reynolds

Tim Reynolds is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as the lead guitarist for Dave Matthews Band...

. The band's addition of trumpeter Rashawn Ross for the 2006 tour has had a positive effect on the band's horn section in live performances of "Ants Marching", as he introduced several new interpolations, including The Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)". Perhaps the most prominent feature of the song in a live setting is Dave dropping out on vocals and letting the crowd sing the lyric "People in every direction", adding to the experience of attending a Dave Matthews Band concert.

The song is centered on the idea that people get caught up in the monotony of their everyday lives and forget to focus on what is truly important. The metaphor used is that people are like marching ants in the line, "All the little ants are marching, red and black antennae waving, they all do it the same, they all do it the same way." The title of Under the Table and Dreaming is derived from the verse:

Goes to visit his mommy

She feeds him - well, his concerns, he forgets them

And remembers being small

Playing under the table and dreaming.

U.S. CD single

1. "Ants Marching" (Album Version) – 4:31
2. "Ants Marching" (Live Version) – 4:45
3. "Ants Marching" (Live Acoustic Version) – 4:19

Australia CD single 1

1. "Ants Marching" (Album Version) – 4:31
2. "Ants Marching" (Live Version) – 4:45
3. "Ants Marching" (Live Acoustic Version) – 4:19
4. "All Along the Watchtower
   All Along the Watchtower
   "All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...
   
   " – 7:04

Australia CD single 2

1. "Ants Marching" (Album Version) – 4:31
2. "What Would You Say
   What Would You Say
   "What Would You Say" is a song by the Dave Matthews Band, released as a single in 1994, taken from their album Under the Table and Dreaming. It reached #11 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. It is also featured on Dave Matthews Band's first compilation album, The Best of What's Around Vol. 1. The...
   
   " – 3:41
3. "Typical Situation
   Typical Situation
   "Typical Situation" is the title of a promotional single released by the Dave Matthews Band, released as the third single from their album Under the Table and Dreaming, as well as the song from which the single takes its name. The single did not chart...
   
   " (Edit) – 3:57
4. "Ants Marching" (Live Version) – 4:45

Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	22
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...	18
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	19