Love Is Noise
Encyclopedia
"Love Is Noise" is a song by English
alternative rock
band
The Verve
and is the second track on their fourth album
, Forth. It was released as the first single
from the album on August 3, 2008 as a digital download, with the physical release on August 11, 2008 in the United Kingdom
(see 2008 in British music
). The song received its first airplay by Zane Lowe
on BBC Radio 1
on June 23, 2008. The promo video for the song debuted on the band's MySpace
on July 9.
Richard Ashcroft stated that lyrically the song is a take off of William Blake
's "And did those feet in ancient time
", commonly known as 'Jerusalem'. Whereas in Blake's song the title verse is "and did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England's mountains green?" Love is Noise asks: "Will those feet in modern times / Walk on soles that are made in China?", and allusion to "Bright prosaic malls" instead of "dark Satanic mills". This is the second time Richard Ashcroft has referenced Blake, following 1995's "History
".
"Love Is Noise" derived from another song off the album, "Columbo". While recording that track Richard created a new loop on a vocoder and added it to the song. "Columbo" was practically a jam the band had been working on for a couple of days. After that loop was added, all the band started adding some stuff on to it until finally, it evolved into a different track.
The song has been played live as early as the late 2007 gigs, but was given different names such as "Modern Times." The band played it with a huge warm reception at 2008's Coachella
as the setlist's closer, something that was repeated in Glastonbury
's Pyramid Stage on June 29.
The video for the song was released on the band's MySpace
. The video mixes up shots of the band performing in a dimly-lit room, with frontman Richard Ashcroft sitting on the floor, with montages of other images, including snow-capped mountains, a North Korea
n choreography, a couple about to kiss, a dancer and a blonde woman with an eagle.
The single debuted in the UK Singles Chart
at #5 after its first week of release via online download alone. The following week the song peaked at #4 and stayed 5 weeks in the UK Top 10. It marked a great return for The Verve, charting as their third UK Top 5 single and their fourth to crack the UK Top 10. It had great success around Europe, charting on the Top 20 for 6 weeks so far. It also reached the Top 10 in Ireland
, Malta
, Sweden
, and Italy
.
. A week later, an exclusive iTunes Store bundle was released featuring a "Freelance Hellraiser" remix at the same time as another bundle featuring the "album version" and the physical format's B-sides
. The physical formats (CD
and 7" vinyl
records) were released on August 11, 2008.
UK Promo CD (Black cover below)
Digital bundle
iTunes Store exclusive bundle
7" vinyl Gatefold (VERVE002)
7" clear vinyl (VERVE003)
CD (VERVE004)
CDR promo
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
The Verve
The Verve
The Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
and is the second track on their fourth album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Forth. It was released as the first single
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...
from the album on August 3, 2008 as a digital download, with the physical release on August 11, 2008 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(see 2008 in British music
2008 in British music
This is a summary of the year 2008 in British music. 21 singles occupied the number one position during the year, with 11 being new. The average sale for a number one, for the whole of 2008 was 71,528, a vast improvement over 2007, when the average sale for a number one was 55,425...
). The song received its first airplay 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...
on June 23, 2008. The promo video for the song debuted on the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
on July 9.
Richard Ashcroft stated that lyrically the song is a take off of William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's "And did those feet in ancient time
And did those feet in ancient time
"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was printed c. 1808...
", commonly known as 'Jerusalem'. Whereas in Blake's song the title verse is "and did those feet in ancient time. Walk upon England's mountains green?" Love is Noise asks: "Will those feet in modern times / Walk on soles that are made in China?", and allusion to "Bright prosaic malls" instead of "dark Satanic mills". This is the second time Richard Ashcroft has referenced Blake, following 1995's "History
History (The Verve song)
"History" is a song by English rock band The Verve, and is featured on their second album, A Northern Soul. It was released 18 September 1995 as the third and final single from the album, charting at #24 in the UK Singles Chart...
".
"Love Is Noise" derived from another song off the album, "Columbo". While recording that track Richard created a new loop on a vocoder and added it to the song. "Columbo" was practically a jam the band had been working on for a couple of days. After that loop was added, all the band started adding some stuff on to it until finally, it evolved into a different track.
The song has been played live as early as the late 2007 gigs, but was given different names such as "Modern Times." The band played it with a huge warm reception at 2008's Coachella
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
as the setlist's closer, something that was repeated in Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
's Pyramid Stage on June 29.
The video for the song was released on the band's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. The video mixes up shots of the band performing in a dimly-lit room, with frontman Richard Ashcroft sitting on the floor, with montages of other images, including snow-capped mountains, a North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n choreography, a couple about to kiss, a dancer and a blonde woman with an eagle.
The single debuted in 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 #5 after its first week of release via online download alone. The following week the song peaked at #4 and stayed 5 weeks in the UK Top 10. It marked a great return for The Verve, charting as their third UK Top 5 single and their fourth to crack the UK Top 10. It had great success around Europe, charting on the Top 20 for 6 weeks so far. It also reached the Top 10 in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Track listings
On August 3, a digital download of the "album version" of the song was released with the song's video in the iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. A week later, an exclusive iTunes Store bundle was released featuring a "Freelance Hellraiser" remix at the same time as another bundle featuring the "album version" and the physical format's B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. The physical formats (CD
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
and 7" vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
records) were released on August 11, 2008.
UK Promo CD (Black cover below)
- "Love Is Noise" (Radio Edit) - 4:04
- "Love Is Noise" (album version) - 5:30
Digital bundle
- "Love Is Noise" (album version) - 5:30
- "Chic Dub" - 6:11
- "Let the Damage Begin" (live 2007) - 4:09
- "A Man Called Sun" (live 2007) - 5:19
iTunes Store exclusive bundle
- "Love Is Noise" (album version)
- "Love Is Noise" (Freelance Hellraiser remix) - 9:10
7" vinyl Gatefold (VERVE002)
- "Love Is Noise"
- "Let the Damage Begin" (live 2007)
7" clear vinyl (VERVE003)
- "Love Is Noise"
- "A Man Called Sun" (live 2007)
CD (VERVE004)
- "Love Is Noise"
- "Chic Dub"
CDR promo
- "Love Is Noise" (death metal disco scene remix)
- "Love Is Noise" (death metal disco scene dub)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tom Neville silent lover mix)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tom Neville silent lover instr)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tom Neville noisy lover mix)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tom Neville noisy lover instr)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tong & Rogers wonderland mix)
- "Love Is Noise" (Tong & Rogers wonderland instr)
- "Love Is Noise" (album version)
Chart performance
| Chart (2008) | Peak 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 ... |
4 |
| Irish Singles Chart Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... |
7 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 8 |
| New Zealand 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... |
35 |
| Ö3 Austria Top 40 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... |
29 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
10 |
| Danish Singles Charts Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
18 |
| Swiss Singles Top 100 Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
26 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 64 |