Mayhem (Imelda May song)
Encyclopedia
"Mayhem" is a song by Irish rockabilly
singer Imelda May
. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fourth single on September 13, 2010 and the second single from her third studio album of the same name
. It has become one of May's signature songs, next to her first single "Johnny Got a Boom Boom
."
, which she was promoting on tour at the time of writing. The song was recorded during the Mayhem sessions at Embassy Studios, a sixteen track analogue recording studio in a coverted cow shed, near Basingstoke
, United Kingdom
. A remastered version of the song was released as a bonus track on the iTunes
version of Mayhem. Alternate mixes by Andy Green and producer Andy Wright were released as part of a desktop widget available on Imelda May's official website.
Speaking of the writing and production of both the song and the album, May said: "I'm over the moon with how Mayhem has turned out – I hope people enjoy it. I feel I’ve made the album I wanted that reflects the spectrum of all my influences from music past but is a record firmly in the here & now."
The song was performed on The Late Late Show
on September 10 and Later... with Jools Holland on October 12, respectively.
"Mayhem" was May's first release to chart in Ireland. Entering the charts on September 9, it peaked in its second week at No. 24 in the Irish Singles Chart
.
", the promotional music video for "Mayhem" is centered around the lyrics of the song, which is a story of a recently-separated couple. The video also feature The Imelda May Band performing the song.
Technical personnel
.
Digital download
7" vinyl
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
singer Imelda May
Imelda May
Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
. Written solely by May, the song was released as her fourth single on September 13, 2010 and the second single from her third studio album of the same name
Mayhem (Imelda May album)
Mayhem is the third studio album by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May, released on 3 September 2010 in Ireland and on 4 October 2010 in the United Kingdom.-Background:...
. It has become one of May's signature songs, next to her first single "Johnny Got a Boom Boom
Johnny Got a Boom Boom
"Johnny Got a Boom Boom" is a song by Irish rockabilly musician Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her debut single, and lead single from her second studio album, Love Tattoo, on 26 January 2009 on Ambassador Records, a sub-label of Universal Music Ireland...
."
Origin and recording
The song was written after the release of May's second studio album, Love TattooLove Tattoo
Love Tattoo is the second album by Irish singer Imelda May. "Johnny Got A Boom-Boom" and "Big Bad Handsome Man" were released as singles. The album reached number 1 in the Official Irish Top 100 Album Chart.-Track listing:...
, which she was promoting on tour at the time of writing. The song was recorded during the Mayhem sessions at Embassy Studios, a sixteen track analogue recording studio in a coverted cow shed, near Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
, 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...
. A remastered version of the song was released as a bonus track on the 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....
version of Mayhem. Alternate mixes by Andy Green and producer Andy Wright were released as part of a desktop widget available on Imelda May's official website.
Speaking of the writing and production of both the song and the album, May said: "I'm over the moon with how Mayhem has turned out – I hope people enjoy it. I feel I’ve made the album I wanted that reflects the spectrum of all my influences from music past but is a record firmly in the here & now."
Release and promotion
"Mayhem" was released on September 13, 2010 after the release of Mayhem in Ireland ten days earlier and after the album was delayed for release in the United Kingdom.The song was performed on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
on September 10 and Later... with Jools Holland on October 12, respectively.
"Mayhem" was May's first release to chart in Ireland. Entering the charts on September 9, it peaked in its second week at No. 24 in the Irish Singles Chart
Irish Singles Chart
The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured...
.
Music video
Filmed on a similar budget to her previous single "PsychoPsycho (Imelda May song)
"Psycho" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her third single on June 28, 2010 and the lead single from her third studio album, Mayhem...
", the promotional music video for "Mayhem" is centered around the lyrics of the song, which is a story of a recently-separated couple. The video also feature The Imelda May Band performing the song.
Musicians and personnel
The Imelda May Band- Imelda MayImelda MayImelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, bodhránBodhránThe bodhrán is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm . The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side... - Darrel HighamDarrel HighamDarrel Higham is an English rockabilly guitarist.-Career:Higham started playing lead guitar with British rockabilly bands in the late 1980s. By the mid-1990s, he had created the band that would become his main gigging and recording project: Darrel Higham & The Enforcers...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Al Gare - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Stevew Rushton - 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 ....
, percussion - Dave Priseman - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, flugelFlügelFlügel may refer to:*The Harpsichord in the 18th and early 19th centuries*The Grand Pianoforte in the late 19th century *The flugelhorn*The "wing" or tenor joint of the Bassoon*The following persons:...
, percussion
Technical personnel
- Imelda May - producer, mixingAudio 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...
- Andy Wright - producer, mixing
- Gavin Goldberg - producer, mixing
- Graham Dominy - engineer
- Darrel Highham - mixing
- Guy Davie - mastering
Track listing
All songs written by Imelda MayImelda May
Imelda Mary Higham, Clabby , known as Imelda May, is an Irish vocalist and musician. She began her career in music at 15 and released her debut album in 2005. She also plays the bodhrán and guitar...
.
Digital download
- "Mayhem" - 2:46
- "Mayhem" (acoustic) - 2:23
- "Proud and Humble" - 4:00
- "Mayhem" (mastered version) - 2:58
7" vinyl
- "Mayhem" - 2:46
- "Proud and Humble" - 4:00