Kings and Queens (30 Seconds to Mars song)
Encyclopedia
"Kings and Queens" is a song by American rock
band 30 Seconds to Mars
, featured on their third studio album This Is War
. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto
, the song was released as the lead single from the album to American radio on October 6, 2009, and the physical single was released on October 13, 2009. The track was produced by Flood, Steve Lillywhite
and 30 Seconds to Mars, and was inspired by a book that described the world events from the recent years. 30 Seconds to Mars premiered the song on American radio station KROQ
, during Kevin and Bean
show on October 6, 2009.
"Kings and Queens" received positive reviews from contemporary critics. The song became 30 Seconds to Mars' second number-one single on the Billboard Alternative Songs. The song attained top-twenty positions on the charts of Taiwan, Portugal, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Belgium and Scotland. The song peaked the number one on the weekly Twitter's MusicMonday, and topped the chart for several weeks. After being replaced by the band's song "This Is War
" for one week, "Kings and Queens" again claimed the top spot on the chart.
The accompanying music video takes place in Los Angeles
where the band is riding featuring cyclists. It received positive response, described by critics as epic and innovative video. The video aired on November 12, 2009, and was uploaded to popular video-sharing website YouTube on the same day, where it has garnered over one hundred million views. It also received over forty million plays on MySpace. The “Kings and Queens” video was one of the most downloaded videos ever to be featured. The video reached on Fuse
’s number one Alternative Countdown and was also nominated in four categories at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
, winning the Best Rock Video
award.
On December 10, 2009, 30 Seconds to Mars performed "Kings and Queens" for the first time on television on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
, a performance described by critics as memorable. The performance featured Street Drum Corps
, a string quartet and ten-person choir.
, the song includes a heavy contribution from the band's fans, captured singing a chorus created from layers of the band's Summit recordings. Jared said the title and theme were inspired by a book found at the band's South Africa
n work space, but that it "ended up being a good metaphor" for world events from the past year.
While doing an exclusive track by track album preview, Jared had this to say about the song,
In early 2009, Jared told Billboard
that he was excited by this song as soon as he wrote it, saying "I had written a verse right as we were going to the airport—I literally almost missed the flight because I picked up the guitar and this song came out. You have that moment of discovery that's exciting."
commented that "30 Seconds to Mars want to inspire the listener with arena-ready anthems like 'Kings and Queens' and 'Vox Populi,' which are grand sing-along songs that have a populist feel." He also listed the song as one of the top tracks from the album. James Montgomery from MTV
felt that "there's [in the song] a triumphant feeling of the possibilities that we all have." Victoria Durham from Rock Sound
praised the song saying "‘Kings And Queens’ is epic and euphoric, and is also one of several tracks [...] to give Bono
and U2
a much-needed kick up the arse." Meena Ramadas from The Sun
felt that "tracks like Kings and Queens [...] stand out with strong guitars and persistent drumming." Alistair Lawrence from BBC
commented that "the sheen of leadoff single 'Kings and Queens' can’t disguise that it’s a song about the end of humanity that sounds anything but apocalyptic." Jon Bye from Gigwise.com
commented that "full on epic space rock, almost certainly designed with stadium in mind. With a little bit of a U2 take but highly affirming and uplifting." Kelly Staskel from Billboard
felt that "grounded by Leto's convincing vocals, 'Kings and Queens' is epic rock at its most affecting."
AOL Radio
placed "Kings and Queens" at number seven on the Top Alternative Songs of 2009. Virgin Radio Italia
placed "Kings and Queens" at number one on their Top Songs of 2009. The song was also honored as the best single of 2009 by Rock Sound
and was named Best Single at the Top In Rock Awards
.
. After eight weeks the song reached a peak of number eighty-two, making it 30 Seconds to Mars' lowest peaking song on the Hot 100. On the week ending October 24, 2009, "Kings and Queens" debuted on the Alternative Songs chart at number twenty and it rose to the top five only four weeks after its debut, moved to the top on the issue dated January 30, 2010, ending Muse
's song "Uprising
"'s dominant run at the top of the chart. It is the second number-one song from 30 Seconds to Mars, with the first being "From Yesterday
," which managed two weeks at the top, and has surpassed the weeks total on the top of the chart its previous number-one single had, with three. On the Rock Songs
chart, it debuted at number twenty-four. On the week ending March 6, 2010, it peaked at number four. The song debuted on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart at number thirty-nine and reached a peak of number twenty after fifteen weeks, becoming the band's third top twenty hit on the chart. It also debuted at number six on the Heatseekers Songs, and peaked number five on January 2, 2010. On the Canadian Hot 100
, it debuted at number eighty-seven. After thirteen weeks it reached a peak of number seventy. The song debuted and peaked on the European Hot 100 Singles at number fifty-two.
The song debuted in New Zealand on the RIANZ
chart at number twenty-six on the issue dated November 30, 2009. The next week, "Kings and Queens" moved to number eighteen. On its third week on the chart, the song set a peak of number fourteen. On the issue dated December 18, 2009, the song debuted on the Dutch Top 40
at number thirty-three. The song debuted within the top thirty on the UK Singles Chart
at number twenty-eight on its first week. On the week ending December 26, 2009, "Kings and Queens" debuted on the Czech Modern Rock chart at number twelve, and it rose to the top ten only seven weeks after its debut, moved to the top on the issue dated March 6, 2010, ending Kabát
's song "Raci v Práci"'s dominant run at the top of the chart. It is the first number-one song from 30 Seconds to Mars and managed one week at the top of the chart.
On October 8, 2009, the song reached number one on the KROQ
's Furious 5 and topped the chart for several weeks. On October 12, 2009, "Kings and Queens" won the Song of the Week by Zane Lowe
on BBC Radio 1
. The song reached the number one on the October 21, 2009 chart of the 107.7 The End
.
with the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins
, a recurring character in the Dr. Seuss
universe. The music video premiered at The Montalban Theater in Los Angeles
on November 9, 2009 and posted online on November 11. Leto explained the 30 Seconds to Mars' experience of filming the music video saying "For me it's impossible to think of these as videos 'cause I come from a film background. It's all I know, and I don't know how to make a music video really. [...] It's a lyrical and slightly metaphorical surreal journey through the city of Angels, from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Pier. We like to create an adventure and this has been an adventure. It's brought it to a place we haven't been before, even in our own city. It's so great. This is what we were supposed to do. And I doubted the idea up until the very last minute, but the process has been phenomenal." During an interview with MTV
, Leto explained "Our rule as a band is, when we do videos — which, I don't often think of them as videos, more as short films — let's make sure the experience is amazing. [...] We've been to China in the past. We've been to the Arctic, so really, to do this video, in one way, was much simpler ... but it's also been more of a challenge. It's still equally huge in its own way." Leto told MTV News
"I think this city is a beautiful place at night, and we have these empty streets, and it's kind of a haunting, forgotten landscape. It's been an incredible adventure, but it's also been really difficult, because there are so many people, and we're shutting down streets of Los Angeles."
They have been filming over the course of several nights in and around some of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks, recruiting scores of extras and all manner of surrealist street performers. On October 11 night, 30 Seconds to Mars had taken over the famed Santa Monica Pier and, along with an army of fixed-gear bikers
, were filming a segment called "The Ride," which is just a portion of the "Kings and Queens" short film. Referring to an immaculately framed silhouette shot of dozens of bikers
moving in slow motion backed by a sunset, Leto said "That shot was one of the earliest shots I storyboarded.” While he admits that a lot of the shots were painstakingly set-up and difficult to get, a few of the iconic moments from the video were achieved through happy accidents. “We were supposed to shoot downtown, but shot the other way instead because the smog was so bad,” he said of one sequence. On November 5, 2009, was made available an exclusive trailer of "Kings and Queens" by MTV Networks
.
. To shoot this part of the video, parts of the city were closed off, including the Santa Monica Pier
. The other part of the video simply features the band playing on a cliff edge in Griffith Park
overlooking the city. These two themes alternate between each other during the course of the video. From the scenic view of the city's skyline, the cast, crew and other members wrapped up and headed to downtown Los Angeles for scenes involving a fire thrower, among others. The majority of the video, however, involves biking after dark. "It's part Pied Piper, part chaotic circus and it rests upon the wonderful, beautiful individuals and amazing community of fixed-gear, masked night bike riders," Leto said. "I do the rides as well. A friend of mine is doing Critical Mass
and another friend is doing Crank Mob, these groups of riders that get together and kind of reclaim public spaces and take over the streets in several cities around America." “Kings and Queens” is filled with allusions to other art forms. Some of the bikers are dressed as the Baseball Furies gang from the cult movie The Warriors, and at one point a frame of the video meticulously recreates underground artist Banksy
’s Flower Chucker graffiti. In the video appears a horse running down a Los Angeles street in slow motion. This is a surreal and fantastic vision of downtown Los Angeles. And as “Kings and Queens” comes to a close, the group of bikers make their way onto Santa Monica Pier as the sun rises. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is played during the credits for the full music video. Jared Leto has been quoted saying that the video was "basically a love letter to Los Angeles."
felt that "Los Angeles is featured in all its glory in the 'Kings and Queens' video." Steve Baltin from Spinner
commented that "Unlike their previous efforts, this video isn't very worldly." He went on to add that it's still equally epic and huge in its own way. James Montgomery from MTV
felt that "'Kings and Queens' has become a gigantic event too. [...] No, it wasn't shot in China (like their 'From Yesterday
' clip was) or on the polar ice caps (like 'A Beautiful Lie
'), but it's no less of an epic undertaking." He further said that "the video is a thoroughly epic production."
On November 20, 2009, the video debuted at number two on MTV Italy
's TRL and topped the chart for several times, becoming the band's fourth number-one video. On November 23, 2009, "Kings and Queens" won the Hit of the Week on Rock TV
. The video peaked at number one on the Fuse
’s No. 1 Countdown, as well as the top in the No. 1 Alternative Countdown.
On November 26, 2009, “Kings and Queens” was the featured video on AOL
. On the issue December 22, 2009, it was possible to download the video for free on iTunes
. The “Kings and Queens” video was featured as iTunes Video of the Week and was one of the most downloaded videos ever to be featured. As January 20, 2010 it has garnered over one hundred million views on YouTube, and over forty million plays on MySpace.
In 2009, "Kings and Queens" was voted number one in Rock Sound
' s "Best Video" and was named Best Video at the Top In Rock Awards
.
On August 3, 2010, the video received four nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
in the categories of Best Art Direction
, Best Direction
, Best Rock Video
, and Video of the Year
. "Kings and Queens" went on to win the award for "Best Rock Video."
covered an a cappella version of the song in their Spring Show on March 5, 2010, and posted it on their YouTube channel on March 9, 2010.
.
Digital download
Digital download EP
Promo CD Single
EU CD single
UK White 7" Vinyl
UK Black 7" Vinyl
UK Blue 7" Vinyl
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 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, featured on their third studio album This Is War
This Is War
This Is War is the third studio album by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, released through Virgin Records and EMI on December 8, 2009. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200.- Background and development :...
. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
, the song was released as the lead single from the album to American radio on October 6, 2009, and the physical single was released on October 13, 2009. The track was produced by Flood, Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
and 30 Seconds to Mars, and was inspired by a book that described the world events from the recent years. 30 Seconds to Mars premiered the song on American radio station KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
, during Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean
Kevin and Bean is the morning show on KROQ-FM, an alternative rock-format radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is hosted by Kevin Ryder and Gene "Bean" Baxter. The show has been on the air since 1990 and intersperses music and news with comedy bits, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins,...
show on October 6, 2009.
"Kings and Queens" received positive reviews from contemporary critics. The song became 30 Seconds to Mars' second number-one single on the Billboard Alternative Songs. The song attained top-twenty positions on the charts of Taiwan, Portugal, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Belgium and Scotland. The song peaked the number one on the weekly Twitter's MusicMonday, and topped the chart for several weeks. After being replaced by the band's song "This Is War
This Is War (song)
"This Is War" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, featured on their third studio album This Is War. Written by lead vocalist Jared Leto, the song was released as the second single from the album to American radio on March 8, 2010, and the physical single was released on March 26,...
" for one week, "Kings and Queens" again claimed the top spot on the chart.
The accompanying music video takes place in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where the band is riding featuring cyclists. It received positive response, described by critics as epic and innovative video. The video aired on November 12, 2009, and was uploaded to popular video-sharing website YouTube on the same day, where it has garnered over one hundred million views. It also received over forty million plays on MySpace. The “Kings and Queens” video was one of the most downloaded videos ever to be featured. The video reached on Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
’s number one Alternative Countdown and was also nominated in four categories at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
, winning the Best Rock Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and...
award.
On December 10, 2009, 30 Seconds to Mars performed "Kings and Queens" for the first time on television on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
, a performance described by critics as memorable. The performance featured Street Drum Corps
Street Drum Corps
Street Drum Corps is a punk rock percussion band formed in Los Angeles, California in 2004 by Bobby Alt, of S.T.U.N. and Faculty X, Adam Alt, of Circus Minor, and Frank Zummo, of TheStart. To date the group have released two albums and have been part of tours such as Van's Warped Tour, Taste of...
, a string quartet and ten-person choir.
Background and recording
Opening with a wild hawk scream recorded live over the band's work space in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, the song includes a heavy contribution from the band's fans, captured singing a chorus created from layers of the band's Summit recordings. Jared said the title and theme were inspired by a book found at the band's South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n work space, but that it "ended up being a good metaphor" for world events from the past year.
While doing an exclusive track by track album preview, Jared had this to say about the song,
In early 2009, Jared told Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
that he was excited by this song as soon as he wrote it, saying "I had written a verse right as we were going to the airport—I literally almost missed the flight because I picked up the guitar and this song came out. You have that moment of discovery that's exciting."
Critical reception
"Kings and Queens" has been given mostly positive reviews from critics. Tim Grierson from About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
commented that "30 Seconds to Mars want to inspire the listener with arena-ready anthems like 'Kings and Queens' and 'Vox Populi,' which are grand sing-along songs that have a populist feel." He also listed the song as one of the top tracks from the album. James Montgomery from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
felt that "there's [in the song] a triumphant feeling of the possibilities that we all have." Victoria Durham from Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
praised the song saying "‘Kings And Queens’ is epic and euphoric, and is also one of several tracks [...] to give Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
a much-needed kick up the arse." Meena Ramadas from The Sun
The Sun (Malaysia)
The Sun is Malaysia's first national free daily newspaper in tabloid form. Available from Mondays to Fridays except on public holiday, with a target audience of white-collar workers and urban youth....
felt that "tracks like Kings and Queens [...] stand out with strong guitars and persistent drumming." Alistair Lawrence from BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commented that "the sheen of leadoff single 'Kings and Queens' can’t disguise that it’s a song about the end of humanity that sounds anything but apocalyptic." Jon Bye from Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com
Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....
commented that "full on epic space rock, almost certainly designed with stadium in mind. With a little bit of a U2 take but highly affirming and uplifting." Kelly Staskel from Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
felt that "grounded by Leto's convincing vocals, 'Kings and Queens' is epic rock at its most affecting."
AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
placed "Kings and Queens" at number seven on the Top Alternative Songs of 2009. Virgin Radio Italia
Virgin Radio Italia
Virgin Radio Italia is a music-based Italian radio station, which started nationwide broadcasting on 12 July 2007 at 12:00 AM...
placed "Kings and Queens" at number one on their Top Songs of 2009. The song was also honored as the best single of 2009 by Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
and was named Best Single at the Top In Rock Awards
Top In Rock Awards
The Rock on Request Awards are the American annual music awards run by the music webzine Rock on Request. The first awards show was held in 2007 as the Top In Rock Awards....
.
Chart performance
"Kings and Queens" debuted at number eighty-eight on the October 31, 2009 chart of the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. After eight weeks the song reached a peak of number eighty-two, making it 30 Seconds to Mars' lowest peaking song on the Hot 100. On the week ending October 24, 2009, "Kings and Queens" debuted on the Alternative Songs chart at number twenty and it rose to the top five only four weeks after its debut, moved to the top on the issue dated January 30, 2010, ending Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
's song "Uprising
Uprising (song)
"Uprising" is a song by English rock band Muse, featured on their fifth studio album The Resistance. Written by lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Bellamy, the song was released as the lead single from the album on 7 September 2009...
"'s dominant run at the top of the chart. It is the second number-one song from 30 Seconds to Mars, with the first being "From Yesterday
From Yesterday
"From Yesterday" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, and the third single released from their second album A Beautiful Lie. The music video for the song is believed to be the first ever American music video shot in the People's Republic of China in its entirety...
," which managed two weeks at the top, and has surpassed the weeks total on the top of the chart its previous number-one single had, with three. On the Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
chart, it debuted at number twenty-four. On the week ending March 6, 2010, it peaked at number four. The song debuted on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart at number thirty-nine and reached a peak of number twenty after fifteen weeks, becoming the band's third top twenty hit on the chart. It also debuted at number six on the Heatseekers Songs, and peaked number five on January 2, 2010. On the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
, it debuted at number eighty-seven. After thirteen weeks it reached a peak of number seventy. The song debuted and peaked on the European Hot 100 Singles at number fifty-two.
The song debuted in New Zealand on the RIANZ
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
chart at number twenty-six on the issue dated November 30, 2009. The next week, "Kings and Queens" moved to number eighteen. On its third week on the chart, the song set a peak of number fourteen. On the issue dated December 18, 2009, the song debuted on the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
at number thirty-three. The song debuted within the top thirty on the 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 ...
at number twenty-eight on its first week. On the week ending December 26, 2009, "Kings and Queens" debuted on the Czech Modern Rock chart at number twelve, and it rose to the top ten only seven weeks after its debut, moved to the top on the issue dated March 6, 2010, ending Kabát
Kabát
Kabát is a hard rock band hailing from Teplice, Czech Republic. The group is composed of Josef Vojtek , Milan Špalek , Tomáš Krulich , Ota Váňa and Radek Hurčík . Kabát have enjoyed major popularity in their home country since the 1990s...
's song "Raci v Práci"'s dominant run at the top of the chart. It is the first number-one song from 30 Seconds to Mars and managed one week at the top of the chart.
On October 8, 2009, the song reached number one on the KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
's Furious 5 and topped the chart for several weeks. On October 12, 2009, "Kings and Queens" won the Song of the Week by Zane Lowe
Zane 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...
on 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...
. The song reached the number one on the October 21, 2009 chart of the 107.7 The End
KNDD
KNDD , also known as "107.7 The End", is an alternative rock radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is operated by Entercom Communications Its studios are located in the Metropolitan Park West tower between Downtown and South Lake Union in Seattle...
.
Development
The music video for "Kings and Queens" was directed by Jared LetoJared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
with the pseudonym of Bartholomew Cubbins
Bartholomew Cubbins
Bartholomew Cubbins, a page, is the hero of two children's story books by Dr. Seuss:*The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins *Bartholomew and the Oobleck...
, a recurring character in the Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
universe. The music video premiered at The Montalban Theater in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on November 9, 2009 and posted online on November 11. Leto explained the 30 Seconds to Mars' experience of filming the music video saying "For me it's impossible to think of these as videos 'cause I come from a film background. It's all I know, and I don't know how to make a music video really. [...] It's a lyrical and slightly metaphorical surreal journey through the city of Angels, from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica Pier. We like to create an adventure and this has been an adventure. It's brought it to a place we haven't been before, even in our own city. It's so great. This is what we were supposed to do. And I doubted the idea up until the very last minute, but the process has been phenomenal." During an interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Leto explained "Our rule as a band is, when we do videos — which, I don't often think of them as videos, more as short films — let's make sure the experience is amazing. [...] We've been to China in the past. We've been to the Arctic, so really, to do this video, in one way, was much simpler ... but it's also been more of a challenge. It's still equally huge in its own way." Leto told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
"I think this city is a beautiful place at night, and we have these empty streets, and it's kind of a haunting, forgotten landscape. It's been an incredible adventure, but it's also been really difficult, because there are so many people, and we're shutting down streets of Los Angeles."
They have been filming over the course of several nights in and around some of Los Angeles' most iconic landmarks, recruiting scores of extras and all manner of surrealist street performers. On October 11 night, 30 Seconds to Mars had taken over the famed Santa Monica Pier and, along with an army of fixed-gear bikers
Fixed-gear bicycle
A fixed-gear bicycle is a bicycle that has no freewheel, meaning it cannot coast, as the pedals are always in motion when the bicycle is moving....
, were filming a segment called "The Ride," which is just a portion of the "Kings and Queens" short film. Referring to an immaculately framed silhouette shot of dozens of bikers
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
moving in slow motion backed by a sunset, Leto said "That shot was one of the earliest shots I storyboarded.” While he admits that a lot of the shots were painstakingly set-up and difficult to get, a few of the iconic moments from the video were achieved through happy accidents. “We were supposed to shoot downtown, but shot the other way instead because the smog was so bad,” he said of one sequence. On November 5, 2009, was made available an exclusive trailer of "Kings and Queens" by MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
.
Concept
The music video had two main themes; one featuring cyclists, Jared, Shannon and Tomo among them, riding in downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. To shoot this part of the video, parts of the city were closed off, including the Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica Pier
The Santa Monica Pier is a large double-jointed pier located at the foot of Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica, California and is a prominent, 100-year-old landmark.-Pacific Park:...
. The other part of the video simply features the band playing on a cliff edge in Griffith Park
Griffith Park
Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park covers of land, making it one of the largest urban parks in North America...
overlooking the city. These two themes alternate between each other during the course of the video. From the scenic view of the city's skyline, the cast, crew and other members wrapped up and headed to downtown Los Angeles for scenes involving a fire thrower, among others. The majority of the video, however, involves biking after dark. "It's part Pied Piper, part chaotic circus and it rests upon the wonderful, beautiful individuals and amazing community of fixed-gear, masked night bike riders," Leto said. "I do the rides as well. A friend of mine is doing Critical Mass
Critical Mass
Critical Mass is a cycling event typically held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. The ride was originally founded in 1992 in San Francisco. The purpose of Critical Mass is not usually formalized beyond the direct action of meeting at a set location and time and...
and another friend is doing Crank Mob, these groups of riders that get together and kind of reclaim public spaces and take over the streets in several cities around America." “Kings and Queens” is filled with allusions to other art forms. Some of the bikers are dressed as the Baseball Furies gang from the cult movie The Warriors, and at one point a frame of the video meticulously recreates underground artist Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
’s Flower Chucker graffiti. In the video appears a horse running down a Los Angeles street in slow motion. This is a surreal and fantastic vision of downtown Los Angeles. And as “Kings and Queens” comes to a close, the group of bikers make their way onto Santa Monica Pier as the sun rises. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is played during the credits for the full music video. Jared Leto has been quoted saying that the video was "basically a love letter to Los Angeles."
Reception
Tim Grierson from About.comAbout.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
felt that "Los Angeles is featured in all its glory in the 'Kings and Queens' video." Steve Baltin from Spinner
Spinner (website)
Spinner is an AOL Music property, which bills itself as "the ultimate music blog for free MP3s, free CD listening, [and] discovering new artists."...
commented that "Unlike their previous efforts, this video isn't very worldly." He went on to add that it's still equally epic and huge in its own way. James Montgomery from MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
felt that "'Kings and Queens' has become a gigantic event too. [...] No, it wasn't shot in China (like their 'From Yesterday
From Yesterday
"From Yesterday" is a song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, and the third single released from their second album A Beautiful Lie. The music video for the song is believed to be the first ever American music video shot in the People's Republic of China in its entirety...
' clip was) or on the polar ice caps (like 'A Beautiful Lie
A Beautiful Lie (song)
"A Beautiful Lie" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars. The song was released as the fourth single from their second album A Beautiful Lie. It was not released in the United Kingdom as a single.-History:...
'), but it's no less of an epic undertaking." He further said that "the video is a thoroughly epic production."
On November 20, 2009, the video debuted at number two on MTV Italy
MTV Italy
MTV Italy is the Italian speaking version of the popular 24 hour music and youth entertainment channel. Unlike its counterparts elsewhere in Europe, MTV Italia is a national channel available free-to-air on terrestrial television since September 1, 1997 and available on digital terrestrial...
's TRL and topped the chart for several times, becoming the band's fourth number-one video. On November 23, 2009, "Kings and Queens" won the Hit of the Week on Rock TV
Rock TV
This is the page related to the Italian TV Channel, for the episode of Super Mario World see List of Super Mario episodes.Rock TV is an Italian Music TV channel based in Milan, Italy, devoted to Rock, Alternative rock, Heavy metal, Punk rock launched in Italy on SKY Italia channel 718 in 2001...
. The video peaked at number one on the Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
’s No. 1 Countdown, as well as the top in the No. 1 Alternative Countdown.
On November 26, 2009, “Kings and Queens” was the featured video on AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
. On the issue December 22, 2009, it was possible to download the video for free on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. The “Kings and Queens” video was featured as iTunes Video of the Week and was one of the most downloaded videos ever to be featured. As January 20, 2010 it has garnered over one hundred million views on YouTube, and over forty million plays on MySpace.
In 2009, "Kings and Queens" was voted number one in Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
Top In Rock Awards
The Rock on Request Awards are the American annual music awards run by the music webzine Rock on Request. The first awards show was held in 2007 as the Top In Rock Awards....
.
On August 3, 2010, the video received four nominations at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2010 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 12, 2010 at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year...
in the categories of Best Art Direction
MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Award winners for Best Art Direction in a Video. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the biggest winners in this category with three wins in 1992, 2000, and 2006....
, Best Direction
MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction
The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards....
, Best Rock Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video was first given out in , and it was one of the four original genre categories added to the VMAs that year. That year, though, the award was called the Best Heavy Metal Video. From 1990 to 1995, the award was called the Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, and...
, and Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...
. "Kings and Queens" went on to win the award for "Best Rock Video."
Cover versions
BeelzebubsBeelzebubs
The Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", are an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." They have toured in Europe, Asia, and North America, and they competed in...
covered an a cappella version of the song in their Spring Show on March 5, 2010, and posted it on their YouTube channel on March 9, 2010.
Track listing
All songs written by Jared LetoJared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
.
Digital download
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
Digital download EP
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
- "Night of the Hunter" (Static RevengerStatic revengerDennis White, better known as his stage name Static Revenger, is an American record producer, video director, and DJ based in Los Angeles. He is best known for the worldwide club hits "I Like That", "Happy People", and "Everything is Beautiful"...
Redux) – 4:57 - "Kings and Queens" (InnerpartysystemInnerPartySystemInnerpartysystem is an American electronic rock band. The group consists of Patrick Nissley, Jared Piccone and Kris Barman. The band is also well known for their live performance lighting largely by Andrew Nissley and videos directed by Stephen Penta....
Remix Main) – 6:14
Promo CD Single
- "Kings and Queens" (Radio Edit) – 5:05
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
EU CD single
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
- "Kings and Queens" (Radio Edit) – 5:05
UK White 7" Vinyl
- "Kings and Queens" (Radio Edit) – 5:05
UK Black 7" Vinyl
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
- "Night of the Hunter" (Static Revenger Redux) – 4:57
UK Blue 7" Vinyl
- "Kings and Queens" (Album Version) – 5:47
- "Night of the Hunter" (Static Revenger Redux) – 4:57
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from This Is War liner notes.- Performed by 30 Seconds to Mars
- WrittenSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Jared LetoJared LetoJared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life... - Published by Apocraphex Music (ASCAP)/Universal Music - Z Tunes, LLC (ASCAP)
- ProducedRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Flood, Steve LillywhiteSteve LillywhiteSteve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
, 30 Seconds to Mars - RecordedSound recording and reproductionSound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by Ryan Williams, Matt Radosevich at The International Centre for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, CACaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Additional engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
by Tom Biller, Rob Kirwan, Jamie Schefman, Sonny Diperri - MixedAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Ryan Williams at Pulse Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA - Additional stringsString orchestraA string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
orchestrated and recorded by Michael EinzigerMike EinzigerMichael Aaron Einziger is a Grammy-nominated musician known as the co-writer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Incubus. Einziger is widely known as an innovator and enthusiast of the use of pedalboard guitar effects during live concerts, and was voted #41 in Total Guitar's top 100...
at Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, CambridgeCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, MAMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... - MasteredAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
by Stephen MarcussenStephen MarcussenStephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer of Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California. Marcussen is one of the most sought-after mastering engineers in the music industry and his expertise has been coveted by a wide range of artists over the years...
at Marcussen Mastering, HollywoodHollywood, Los Angeles, CaliforniaHollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, CA
Charts
| Chart (2009/2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
64 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
35 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) |
15 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
70 |
| Czech Airplay Chart Rádio Top 100 Oficiální Rádio Top 100 Oficiální is the name of the Czech national airplay chart published by the IFPI Czech Republic on a weekly basis.Besides the main Top 100 record chart, also two component charts are effective. While the Rádio CZ 50 Oficiální features songs released exclusively by Czech and/or Slovak... |
58 |
| Czech Modern Rock | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
21 |
| European Hot 100 Singles Eurochart Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,... |
52 |
| Germany Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
39 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
14 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
38 |
| Portuguese Singles Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
9 |
| Scottish Singles Chart Scottish Singles and Albums Chart The Scottish Singles Chart and Scottish Albums Chart are charts compiled by The Official Charts Company, based on physical and digital sales in the STV North, STV Central and ITV Border regions.... |
19 |
| Subscription Plays Chart | 37 |
| UK Download Chart UK Official Download Chart The UK Official Download Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. The chart week runs from Sunday to Saturday, with the chart being published on a Wednesday afternoon, so as to not to clash with the release of the main UK Singles Chart... |
28 |
| 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 ... |
28 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
82 |
| US Billboard Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... |
4 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 20 |
Certifications
| Country | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| New Zealand | Gold |
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Addiction | United States | Top 50 Songs of 2009 | 2009 | 30 |
| AOL Music AOL AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services... |
United States | Top Alternative Songs of 2009 | 2009 | 7 |
| Rock Sound Rock Sound Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:... |
United Kingdom | Best Single | 2009 | 1 |
| Virgin Radio Italia Virgin Radio Italia Virgin Radio Italia is a music-based Italian radio station, which started nationwide broadcasting on 12 July 2007 at 12:00 AM... |
Italy | Top Songs of 2009 | 2009 | 1 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 6, 2009 | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... /Virgin Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
| Italy | October 13, 2009 | CD single, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
|
| Norway | EMI | ||
| United States | EMI/Virgin | ||
| Germany | October 16, 2009 | EMI | |
| Finland | October 18, 2009 | ||
| Austria | November 20, 2009 | ||
| Switzerland | |||
| Japan | November 29, 2009 | EMI/Virgin | |
| United Kingdom | November 30, 2009 | ||