Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)
Encyclopedia
"Rabbit Heart" is a 2009 single by British indie rock
band, Florence and the Machine
. It was released on the Universal Island Record Label
and Moshi Moshi Records
on 21 June 2009. It is their second most successful single to-date, peaking at 12 on the UK Singles Chart
, only bettered by the cover of "You've Got the Love", which reached number five. Mixed by Cenzo Townshend, the track contains elements of "House Jam" by Gang Gang Dance
. It has been remixed by numerous artists, including Jamie T
, whose remix is featured on the track's CD single alongside the B-side "Are You Hurting the One You Love?".
: "The guy who mixed it nearly had a nervous breakdown."
The song was co-written by Welch together with Paul Epworth
who also produced the song which was recorded by Mark Rankin. The track features Tom Moth on harp and Rob Ackroyd on guitar. During the verses, the song features some of the melody and lyrics (e.g. "How quickly the glamour fades") from Gang Gang Dance
's song "House Jam".
Florence described her inspiration behind the song:
As part of the single's promotion, the band performed the song on The Jonathan Ross Show
as well as on BBC
's Live Lounge
. The single was also performed at numerous festivals around the UK
throughout 2009. Including: Glastonbury
, Electric Picnic
, Brighton
, T in the Park
, Bestival
and Reading
among others.
The song was also featured as BBC Radio 1
's Zane Lowe's 'Single of the Week'.
performed the song twice, first in Radio 1 Live Lounge alongside their then current single "About a Girl
" in November 2009 and again at Camden Crawl in 2010.
(2710011, Released: June 22, 2009)
UK EP promo
(Released: June 21, 2009)
UK 7-inch vinyl promo
(0602527100036, Released: June 22, 2009)
UK 5-inch vinyl promo
(602527100111, Released: June 22, 2009)
. It was shot on May 6, 2009 and later commercially released on June 22, 2009 (the day of the single's full-scale release).
The video starts in a field with a piece of cloth being lifted from in front of Florence's face, she then begins spinning as two girls follow her. The girls then start to dance all around the field, you see a harp being played and then Florence joins in the dancing. Florence sits at a table with six other people, including a man wearing a top hat, there are pig heads served on a plate.
Florence and the other six people then throw the food on the floor and begin to dance, Florence then lies down on the table and the other people lift up the sides to make it into a coffin. The people carry the coffin into the river and it drifts away as the video finishes. The video was uploaded on YouTube
on May 14, 2009 and has so far been viewed over 6,000,000 times.
Culturedeluxe.com also positively reviewed the song: "Florence and the Machine have accomplished my writer's block that is for sure. The amount of power behind this track is mind-blowing... From the touch of the harp to the authority of Florence's vocals, this song captivates you from start to finish bringing your goose bumps to the surface of your skin... This track is very melodramatic and has you gripping to every word.
. It spent a total of seven weeks on the top 20, and 17 on the official top 75 chart, a significantly longer charting period than any of the band's previous three singles. As of 26 July 2009, the single surpassed a total of 78,755 copies sold in the UK.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" debuted at 42 on the Irish Singles Chart
on 27 June 2009. The song then went onto peak at 41 and spend a total of eight weeks on the chart, all of these eight weeks being between position 40 and 50. This was the band's first and so far only chart hit outside of the UK. Its underperformance in Ireland was a result of the single being overshadowed by Lungs
album track, "Cosmic Love" - which had much more extensive selling success, peaking at #3 on the Irish Singles Chart
during the release period of "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" mainly due to its use in an advertisement for The O2, Dublin
.
|-
!Chart (2009)
!Position
|-
|UK Singles Chart
| style="text-align:center;"|102
|-
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band, Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
. It was released on the Universal Island Record Label
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and Moshi Moshi Records
Moshi moshi records
Moshi Moshi Records is a small London-based record label that has released music by bands such as The Rakes, Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Late of the Pier, Hot Club De Paris, Kate Nash, Junkboy, Architecture in Helsinki, Tilly and the Wall, Slow Club, Yeti, and Au Revoir Simone...
on 21 June 2009. It is their second most successful single to-date, peaking at 12 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 ...
, only bettered by the cover of "You've Got the Love", which reached number five. Mixed by Cenzo Townshend, the track contains elements of "House Jam" by Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American experimental music band based in Manhattan, New York City. The band is known for its distinctive sound which features synthesized electronics and percussion, plus the varied vocal styles of singer Lizzi Bougatsos...
. It has been remixed by numerous artists, including Jamie T
Jamie T
Jamie Alexander Treays , known by his stage name Jamie T, is an English singer/songwriter from Wimbledon, South London.-Early life:Jamie Alexander Treays, was born in Wimbledon, South-West London...
, whose remix is featured on the track's CD single alongside the B-side "Are You Hurting the One You Love?".
Background
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" features Welch's voice overdubbed with so many harmonies she sounds like a massed choir of one. She confessed to The IndependentThe Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
: "The guy who mixed it nearly had a nervous breakdown."
The song was co-written by Welch together with Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth
Paul Epworth is an award-winning British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash and Maxïmo Park.-Lomax:From 2002-2004 Paul provided...
who also produced the song which was recorded by Mark Rankin. The track features Tom Moth on harp and Rob Ackroyd on guitar. During the verses, the song features some of the melody and lyrics (e.g. "How quickly the glamour fades") from Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American experimental music band based in Manhattan, New York City. The band is known for its distinctive sound which features synthesized electronics and percussion, plus the varied vocal styles of singer Lizzi Bougatsos...
's song "House Jam".
Florence described her inspiration behind the song:
I'd written all these dark songs, and the label suggested we should have something that was a bit more upbeat. In the process of trying to do that, I realised maybe I was sacrificing something. So I had a really upbeat piano and drums, but the lyrics that came out were 'This is the gift/It comes with a price/ Who is the lamb/And who is the knife?' The rabbit heart is a reference to fear. I'm so afraid of what's about to happen. Of being in the spotlight.
As part of the single's promotion, the band performed the song on The Jonathan Ross Show
The Jonathan Ross Show
The Jonathan Ross Show is a British comedy chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. It was first broadcast on ITV on 3 September 2011 - in the Saturday 9:45pm timeslot - following the conclusion of Ross' BBC One chat show, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, in July 2010.-Production:The show is filmed...
as well as on 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 Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
. The single was also performed at numerous festivals around the UK
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...
throughout 2009. Including: 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...
, Electric Picnic
Electric Picnic
The 2005 festival took place on Saturday 3 September and Sunday 4 September. It is best remembered for Arcade Fire's performance which came before their subsequent mainstream success...
, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
, Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
and Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
among others.
The song was also featured as 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...
's Zane Lowe's 'Single of the Week'.
Covers
British girl-group the SugababesSugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
performed the song twice, first in Radio 1 Live Lounge alongside their then current single "About a Girl
About a Girl (Sugababes song)
"About a Girl" is an electropop song performed by English girl group Sugababes from their seventh studio album, Sweet 7. Written by Makeba Riddick and co-written/produced by RedOne, it was selected as the album's second single and was released on November 8, 2009...
" in November 2009 and again at Camden Crawl in 2010.
Track listings
UK CD promo(2710011, Released: June 22, 2009)
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (album version, mixed by Cenzo Townshend) — 3:54
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Jamie T's Lionheart Remix) — 4:49
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Leo Zero Remix) — 8:09
UK EP promo
(Released: June 21, 2009)
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (album version) — 3:52
- "Are You Hurting the One You Love?" — 2:58
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Jamie T & Ben Bones Lionheart Remix) — 4:51
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Leo Zero Remix) — 8:05
UK 7-inch vinyl promo
(0602527100036, Released: June 22, 2009)
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" — 3:52
- "Are You Hurting the One You Love?" — 2:58
UK 5-inch vinyl promo
(602527100111, Released: June 22, 2009)
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (album version) — 3:54
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Jamie T's Lionheart Remix) — 4:49
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Leo Zero Remix) — 8:09
Remixes
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Beatnik Remix) — 7:58
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Jamie T's Lionheart Remix) — 4:49
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Jamie T & Ben Bones Lionheart Remix) — 4:51
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Leo Zero Remix) — 8:09
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Pacemaker Mix) — 4:31
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (P.E.S.T. Remix) — 6:06
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Slof Man & Jor-One Dubstep Remix) — 5:23
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Slof Man & Jor-One Dubstep Radio Edit) — 3:43
- "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (Switch Remix) — 4:46
Music video
The music video for "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" was directed by Tom Beard and Tabitha of Queens of NoizeQueens of Noize
Queens of Noize are an English indie/disco or Wonky pop DJ duo based in London. The constituent members are Mairead Nash and Tabitha Denholm.-Career:...
. It was shot on May 6, 2009 and later commercially released on June 22, 2009 (the day of the single's full-scale release).
The video starts in a field with a piece of cloth being lifted from in front of Florence's face, she then begins spinning as two girls follow her. The girls then start to dance all around the field, you see a harp being played and then Florence joins in the dancing. Florence sits at a table with six other people, including a man wearing a top hat, there are pig heads served on a plate.
Florence and the other six people then throw the food on the floor and begin to dance, Florence then lies down on the table and the other people lift up the sides to make it into a coffin. The people carry the coffin into the river and it drifts away as the video finishes. The video was uploaded on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on May 14, 2009 and has so far been viewed over 6,000,000 times.
Critical reception
The song received positive reviews. Thisisfakediy.co.uk gave the song a positive review, saying "It's refreshing, telling in fact that perhaps we're getting a little tired of the 'sound of today'", they then said "Her range convinces you of her talents far more than the previous two singles that helped cement her position as a new born talent" and ended by saying "The most intelligent, forward-thinking work to come from Florence and the Machine indeed it may be, but you can't help but expect even more surprises from 'Lungs'". Pitchfork.com gave the song a positive review saying "adding some welcomed ambiguity to a Paul Epworth production that stunningly internalizes every pseudo-psych/freakishly-folk trend that's passed through these parts over the last few years. "The looking glass so shiny and new/ How quickly the glamor fades," wisely observes Welch. A gold record in every way". Glasswerk.co.uk writes, "The bewitchingly beautiful new single throws us into the dark, mysterious world of the enigmatic Florence & The Machine. Like the demos we first fell in love (Girl With One Eye and My Boy Builds Coffins) new single ‘Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)’ sees Florence twist and craft metaphorical couplets and mythical tales, turning them into something wonderfully intriguing and utterly, distinctively her" and ended by revealing their forthcoming tour dates.Culturedeluxe.com also positively reviewed the song: "Florence and the Machine have accomplished my writer's block that is for sure. The amount of power behind this track is mind-blowing... From the touch of the harp to the authority of Florence's vocals, this song captivates you from start to finish bringing your goose bumps to the surface of your skin... This track is very melodramatic and has you gripping to every word.
Charts
On July 4, 2009 "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" debuted at 12 on the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
. It spent a total of seven weeks on the top 20, and 17 on the official top 75 chart, a significantly longer charting period than any of the band's previous three singles. As of 26 July 2009, the single surpassed a total of 78,755 copies sold in the UK.
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" debuted at 42 on 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...
on 27 June 2009. The song then went onto peak at 41 and spend a total of eight weeks on the chart, all of these eight weeks being between position 40 and 50. This was the band's first and so far only chart hit outside of the UK. Its underperformance in Ireland was a result of the single being overshadowed by Lungs
Lungs (album)
Lungs is the debut album by English indie pop band Florence and the Machine, released 6 July 2009 by Island Records. The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release, behind The Essential Michael Jackson compilation. On 10 January 2010 the album returned to...
album track, "Cosmic Love" - which had much more extensive selling success, peaking at #3 on 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...
during the release period of "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" mainly due to its use in an advertisement for The O2, Dublin
The O2, Dublin
The O2 is a 14,000-seat amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland, which opened on 16 December 2008. The venue is jointly owned by Live Nation and Harry Crosbie with Live Nation in charge of programme booking and operating the venue...
.
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
50 |
| 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... |
41 |
| 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 ... |
12 |
End-of-year charts
{|class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2009)
!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 ...
| style="text-align:center;"|102
|-