It's Not the End of the World But I Can See It from Here
Encyclopedia
"It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here" is the twelfth single
by Welsh rock
band Lostprophets
, and the first from their fourth studio album The Betrayed
. It was released on 11 October 2009 in the UK, the first time they had released anything since April 2007. The release also features the song "AC Ricochet". Former Drummer Ilan Rubin
Confirmed in a interview earlier this year that he wrote the song when he was 16.
.
and stated that the song consisted of "double-speed punk backbeat, the apocalyptic end-of-all-things lyrics, the massive terrace chant chorus, the strange effect on the vocals and the general air of churning turmoil". It was also described as being dramatic and raised expectations for the corresponding album. In a separate review BBC Wales Music said "it stands up with the likes of Burn Burn as one of their more abrasive hit singles".
Click Music called the single "typical Lostprophets - big riffs and an even bigger chorus" and praised the guitar motifs, but mentioned that it lacked "lyrical credibility".
Rock Louder was very favourable stating that it was a "Godzilla-sized" track that is "one of the catchiest songs to be released this year".
Q magazine described it as "an end-of-days anthem tailor-made for the closing credits of Roland Emmerich's next apocalyptic blockbuster".
It was included in Kerrang's Playlist for the week starting 30th September 2009 who described it as a "stadium-sized singalong".
Rock Sound magazine described the song as a "typical Prophets anthemic sing-alongs that’ll please the aficionados". Whilst in the Rock Sound Readers Poll 2009 it reached #5 in the Best Single category.
However not all reviews were positive. Gigwise thought the song was "one of the weaker tracks on the album" and noted that "despite two guitarists duelling each other admirably never truly feels as big as it should be".
's BBC Radio 1
show on 19 August 2009, and on the same day was announced as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record of the day, with the DJ saying "very few of the UK hard rockers have the catalogue of hits and here's another" and also calling it a "stomper". It was then given a place on the A List playlist on BBC Radio 1, as well as being extensively played on Kerrang Radio and Total Rock Radio. Ian Watkins was on BBC Radio 1's Review Show with Nihal on the 29th September 2009 to promote the single.
, nearly always being the second track in the setlist.
The video was posted to YouTube
by Visible Noise
on 18 September 2009. It has since been viewed nearly two million times making it one of the band's most popular videos.
It was nominated at the 2010 Kerrang Awards for Best Video, but lost out to Biffy Clyro
's "The Captain". The video also ranked #20 on Kerrang TV's Rock 100 list for 2010.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by Welsh rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
, and the first from their fourth studio album The Betrayed
The Betrayed
The Betrayed is the fourth studio album by the Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets, released through Visible Noise and Sony Music Entertainment on 13 January 2010. Although the band initially wished to record a quick follow-up to 2006's Liberation Transmission, problems with labels and...
. It was released on 11 October 2009 in the UK, the first time they had released anything since April 2007. The release also features the song "AC Ricochet". Former Drummer Ilan Rubin
Confirmed in a interview earlier this year that he wrote the song when he was 16.
Cover
The front cover features the band's new logo above all five members facing at an angle to the left. It is dark and murky with a black background, and thus links in with the themes and images of the corresponding album and the other two singles taken from that album. It is only the second time that the band have appeared on any release, the other such occasion being on their 2001 debut single Shinobi vs. Dragon NinjaShinobi vs. Dragon Ninja
-Personnel:* Ian Watkins – lead vocals* Lee Gaze – lead guitar* Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar* Stuart Richardson – bass* Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples* Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion-Chart positions:...
.
Reception
BBC Music made comparisons with the music of My Chemical RomanceMy Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance is an American alternative rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way and have a diverse sound incorporating elements of punk, emo, glam metal, and progressive rock...
and stated that the song consisted of "double-speed punk backbeat, the apocalyptic end-of-all-things lyrics, the massive terrace chant chorus, the strange effect on the vocals and the general air of churning turmoil". It was also described as being dramatic and raised expectations for the corresponding album. In a separate review BBC Wales Music said "it stands up with the likes of Burn Burn as one of their more abrasive hit singles".
Click Music called the single "typical Lostprophets - big riffs and an even bigger chorus" and praised the guitar motifs, but mentioned that it lacked "lyrical credibility".
Rock Louder was very favourable stating that it was a "Godzilla-sized" track that is "one of the catchiest songs to be released this year".
Q magazine described it as "an end-of-days anthem tailor-made for the closing credits of Roland Emmerich's next apocalyptic blockbuster".
It was included in Kerrang's Playlist for the week starting 30th September 2009 who described it as a "stadium-sized singalong".
Rock Sound magazine described the song as a "typical Prophets anthemic sing-alongs that’ll please the aficionados". Whilst in the Rock Sound Readers Poll 2009 it reached #5 in the Best Single category.
However not all reviews were positive. Gigwise thought the song was "one of the weaker tracks on the album" and noted that "despite two guitarists duelling each other admirably never truly feels as big as it should be".
Radio
The first airing of the single was on Zane LoweZane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show on 19 August 2009, and on the same day was announced as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record of the day, with the DJ saying "very few of the UK hard rockers have the catalogue of hits and here's another" and also calling it a "stomper". It was then given a place on the A List playlist on BBC Radio 1, as well as being extensively played on Kerrang Radio and Total Rock Radio. Ian Watkins was on BBC Radio 1's Review Show with Nihal on the 29th September 2009 to promote the single.
Live performances
The track was played when the band headlined the NME/Radio 1 Stage at Leeds Festival in 2010, appearing fifth in the setlist. And it was played first as part of a eight track setlist when the band appeared on the Main Stage of Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010 in Bangor, North Wales. It also featured in every single show of The Betrayed TourThe Betrayed Tour
The Betrayed Tour was a concert tour by alternative rock band Lostprophets, taking place in 2010, in support of their fourth studio album The Betrayed....
, nearly always being the second track in the setlist.
Music video
In the video the band is playing in a car park in a metropolis. Gradually all of the surrounding buildings crumble and the fragments float into the sky, eventually blocking out the sun. This is the first video to feature Luke Johnson on drums. Speaking behind the scenes of their next video "Where We Belong", Ian Watkins said that the video for "End of the World" had been directed by one of the band's closest friends, David Allen. Some scenes from the "Where We Belong" video were also filmed on the same day.The video was posted to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by Visible Noise
Visible Noise
Visible Noise is a British independent record label that focuses solely on British bands.-History:Founded in 1998 by ex-Cacophonous Records manager Julie Weir, the label was created with the goal of fostering and breaking new UK rock music...
on 18 September 2009. It has since been viewed nearly two million times making it one of the band's most popular videos.
It was nominated at the 2010 Kerrang Awards for Best Video, but lost out to Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band from Kilmarnock, comprising Simon Neil , James Johnston and Ben Johnston...
's "The Captain". The video also ranked #20 on Kerrang TV's Rock 100 list for 2010.
Track listing
Popular culture
- It was played on English TV soap EastEndersEastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in the background in the Queen VicThe Queen VictoriaThe Queen Victoria is a fictional Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, EastEnders. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20.-Appearance and development:...
pub on Thursday 3 June 2010. - It was used for the Deus Ex Human Revolution "Icarus" trailer.
Personnel
- Ian Watkins – lead vocals
- Lee Gaze – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Mike Lewis – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Stuart Richardson – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, backing vocals - Ilan RubinIlan RubinIlan Rubin is an American musician, best known for being former drummer of Lostprophets & industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails during their last tour...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Chart positions
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
16 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
2 |