"Gimme Sympathy" is the third single from Canadian rock group Metric

Metric (band)

Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...

's fourth studio album Fantasies

Fantasies (album)

- Singles :* "Help, I'm Alive" * "Front Row" * "Gimme Sympathy" * "Sick Muse" * "Gold Guns Girls"...

. The song was released for radio airplay in March 2009.

Song information

The song was written by Emily Haines

Emily Haines

Emily Haines is a Canadian indie rock singer-songwriter. She is the lead singer and keyboardist of the band Metric and a member of Broken Social Scene. As a solo artist, she performed with her own name and under the alias Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton...

 and Jimmy Shaw

James Shaw (musician)

James Shaw is the lead guitarist of the popular Canadian indie rock band Metric, and also a member of Broken Social Scene. He was born in London, England and raised in Bellevue, Ontario....

 and produced by John O'Mahony. It was one of the first songs written for Fantasies, and was written at Bear Creek Studios just outside of Seattle.

The band recorded the song as an acoustic version (during the filming of The Rawside Of...

The Rawside Of...

The Rawside Of... is a Canadian hour-long music documentary television series. The series is produced by Georgian Entertainment and distributed by Picture Box Distribution...

Metric), and gave it to fans who pre-ordered any of the packages of the new album, along with "Help, I'm Alive

Help, I'm Alive

"Help I'm Alive" is the lead single from Canadian rock group Metric's fourth studio album Fantasies. The song was released digitally on December 23, 2008.- Song information :The song was written by Emily Haines and produced by John O'Mahony...

" and Jimmy Shaw's cover of "Nobody Home

Nobody Home

"Nobody Home" is a song from the Pink Floyd album The Wall.-Overview:In the song, the character Pink describes his lonely life of isolation behind his self-created mental wall. He has no one to talk to, and all he has are his possessions. The song describes what Roger Waters says he experienced...

" by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...

.

The song references The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 and The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 in the chorus ("Who would you rather be?/The Beatles or The Rolling Stones"); "Something

Something

"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...

" and "Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun

"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...

" (two Beatles songs) are also referenced ("Come on baby, play me something/ like Here Comes the Sun"). In addition to this, the song takes its title from two Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

 songs, "Gimme Shelter

Gimme Shelter

"Gimme Shelter" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones. It first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1969 album Let It Bleed. Although the first word was spelled "Gimmie" on that album, subsequent recordings by the band and other musicians have made "Gimme" the customary spelling...

" and "Sympathy for the Devil

Sympathy for the Devil

"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by The Rolling Stones which first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. It was written by Mick Jagger credited to Jagger/Richards...

".

The song kicked off episode 133 of Tiesto's weekly radio show Club Life, in the 3M remixed version, on October 16, 2009.

A re-mixed version of the song appears in a Season 4 episode of the TV series "Secret Diary of a Call Girl".

Music video

The music video for "Gimme Sympathy" was filmed at The Sound Academy in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. It is a one-shot style video, very similar to Feist's music videos for "The Reminder

The Reminder

The Reminder is the third full-length album by indie artist Feist. It was released on April 23, 2007 in countries outside of North America, and May 1, 2007 in the United States and Canada....

" and Weezer

Weezer

Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

's "Undone (The Sweater Song)". It starts off with Haines getting ready for a concert backstage. The camera then follows her as she makes her way to the microphone. The three other band members are playing their instruments and as the video progresses, they all change outfits and instruments off screen and by the end they are all back to their starting positions. The video concludes with several children running into the room dressed as butterflies and pretending to float out of it again, and fades to white.

In the UK

1. "Gimme Sympathy" (Radio Edit) (2:51)
2. "Paranoid Eyes" (James Shaw's Pink Floyd Cover) (3:10)