My Body (Young the Giant song)
Encyclopedia
"My Body" is a 2010 song by American alternative rock
band Young the Giant
from their eponymous debut album
. Written by the band and released as a single in 2011, it peaked at number five on the Billboard
Alternative Songs chart and number 65 on the singles charts in both the US and Canada. Young the Giant performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
.
Guitarist Eric Cannata, in a separate interview, echoed Gadhia's remarks that the song "started just as a quirky joke" to help relieve stress. Cannata added, "The dynamic between tension and liberation came from the very basic literal interpretation of the struggle we experienced directly before the creation of the song. It was a stroke of inspiration, and later appreciated insight, that cut through a relatively frustrating time for us as writers."
Gadhia told Spinner.com
that the song "really embodies Young the Giant: a combination of youthful energy and slightly naïve but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process."
Five months later, the song reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart.
The song also peaked at number 65 in Canada
and number 56 in the Netherlands
.
Billboard
's Ryan Reed complimented Gadhia's vocals and wrote that the song "is representative of the group's charms, offering an infectious mix of stainless steel electric guitars, beefy drums and mammoth hooks."
In a review of the album, Caitlin Meyer of Consequence of Sound
said, "with a danceable, building beat and an explosive anthem of a chorus, it's truly difficult not to put this song on repeat, sing along, and forgo listening to the rest of the album."
Chris Conaton of PopMatters
compared the song's drumbeat to that of Marilyn Manson
's "The Beautiful People", and said "My Body" is "one of the better tracks on the album".
Drowned in Sound
's Alex Yau said the sound of the song's guitars is reminiscent of that on the Kings of Leon
album Come Around Sundown
.
Pitchfork
's Ian Cohen described the song as "rank Cold War Kids
karaoke".
The Song was also featured on the Hawaii Five-0 episode Mea Makame.
's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fuel TV
's The Daily Habit in January 2011, and then the BBC
's Later... with Jools Holland in May.
In August, they performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
.
The band invited 300 fans from their hometown of Irvine, California
onstage for the performance.
The appearance resulted in a 220 percent increase in digital downloads for the song during the following week.
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 Young the Giant
Young the Giant
Young the Giant is an American alternative rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up is Sameer Gadhia , Jacob Tilley , Eric Cannata , Payam Doostzadeh , and François Comtois...
from their eponymous debut album
Young the Giant (album)
Young the Giant is the eponymous debut album by American indie rock band Young the Giant. It was released digitally by the Roadrunner record label on October 26, 2010, and was followed by a physical CD and vinyl release in the United States on January 25, 2011...
. Written by the band and released as a single in 2011, it peaked at number five on the 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...
Alternative Songs chart and number 65 on the singles charts in both the US and Canada. Young the Giant performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
.
Background and composition
According to singer Sameer Gadhia, "My Body" was conceived at the end of a frustrating day for the band. "Why don't we just jam something out, like the most ridiculous thing you could imagine?" Gadhia recalled the discussion. "It doesn't even have to make sense. Just yell it out, because it means you're releasing your tension." Ten minutes later, he said, "the entire song had been created."Guitarist Eric Cannata, in a separate interview, echoed Gadhia's remarks that the song "started just as a quirky joke" to help relieve stress. Cannata added, "The dynamic between tension and liberation came from the very basic literal interpretation of the struggle we experienced directly before the creation of the song. It was a stroke of inspiration, and later appreciated insight, that cut through a relatively frustrating time for us as writers."
Gadhia told Spinner.com
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."...
that the song "really embodies Young the Giant: a combination of youthful energy and slightly naïve but optimistic determination. It captures a sense of passion, urgency and excitement that we've felt throughout the writing and recording process."
Release and critical reception
"My Body" was released onto the internet in July 2010 in advance of the band's debut album, which was released digitally in October. The song entered the US Alternative Songs chart in January and peaked at number 5 in April.Five months later, the song reached number 65 on the 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...
singles chart.
The song also peaked at number 65 in Canada
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....
and number 56 in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
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...
's Ryan Reed complimented Gadhia's vocals and wrote that the song "is representative of the group's charms, offering an infectious mix of stainless steel electric guitars, beefy drums and mammoth hooks."
In a review of the album, Caitlin Meyer of Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
said, "with a danceable, building beat and an explosive anthem of a chorus, it's truly difficult not to put this song on repeat, sing along, and forgo listening to the rest of the album."
Chris Conaton of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
compared the song's drumbeat to that of Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson may refer to:* Marilyn Manson , an American rock musician* Marilyn Manson , the American rock band led by the singer of the same name...
's "The Beautiful People", and said "My Body" is "one of the better tracks on the album".
Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
's Alex Yau said the sound of the song's guitars is reminiscent of that on the Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
album Come Around Sundown
Come Around Sundown
Come Around Sundown is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in Ireland, Australia and Germany on October 15, 2010, followed by releases in the UK on October 18 and North America on October 19. The official album covers and tracklist were revealed on 3 September...
.
Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Ian Cohen described the song as "rank Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett , Jonnie Russell , Matt Maust , and Matt Aveiro .-History:...
karaoke".
The Song was also featured on the Hawaii Five-0 episode Mea Makame.
Live performances
Young the Giant performed "My Body" on ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Fuel TV
Fuel TV
Fuel TV is a U.S. cable and satellite specialty channel that launched on July 1, 2003. It focuses on the cultures of such extreme sports as skateboarding, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, surfing, BMX and FMX. It is a unit of Fox Cable Networks and is currently available to 26-million...
's The Daily Habit in January 2011, and then the 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...
's Later... with Jools Holland in May.
In August, they performed "My Body" at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards
2011 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards took place on August 28, at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. On July 20, the nominees were announced...
.
The band invited 300 fans from their hometown of Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
onstage for the performance.
The appearance resulted in a 220 percent increase in digital downloads for the song during the following week.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
65 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs | 5 |
| 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... |
16 |
| 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... |
54 |
| Dutch Top 40 MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
56 |