Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)
Encyclopedia
"Rooftops" is a song by Welsh rock
band Lostprophets
. The song is released as the first single
from their third album Liberation Transmission
.
The first live performance of the single in the UK was in the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd
on 24 April 2006 prior to it even getting radioplay. The B-sides found on the single came from the same sessions — all of which are brand new tracks.
The single entered the UK Singles Chart at #8, making it the highest performing Lostprophets single along with "Last Train Home".
for the song, filmed on location in Los Angeles, California
and directed by Ryan Smith, shows the band on top of what appears to be a helicopter pad. At the beginning, the individual members of the band are shown, while a flag showing the band's logo, flutters behind them. As the band sings, three teenagers are shown. They are a girl sitting at dinner with her parents when they suddenly start arguing, a boy in a kitchen as his boss starts shouting at him; he can be lip-read as saying either it's not quick or not cooked enough, and a boy sitting in the back seat of a car while his father shouts at him. As the band reaches the "scream your heart out" refrain near the end of the song, the teenagers start to scream suddenly. The girl with the arguing parents shatters every glass on the table as her mother covers her ears, the diner boy blowing plates off the shelf in front of him, and the boy blowing out the car's windows. The band finishes playing, and the view fades out.
where the characters are screaming into a chasm
. The general theme of the song also matches the film's — "make a mark" in your life while there's still time. One of its lyrics "scream your heart out" can also be found on Lostprophets' previous single "Goodbye Tonight
". The song lyrics and rhythm structure bear resemblance to the song of the same name by Mest
, recorded for their 2003 albums
.
The song is played at WWE
house show
s when Jeff Hardy
is about to wrestle
and was also used for his highlight video on two separate occasions. The song is also a playable track in in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour
and Lego Rock Band
. It was also featured on 2009's The X Factor
as a backing track to the auditions.
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 Lostprophets
Lostprophets
Lostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
. The song is 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 their third album Liberation Transmission
Liberation Transmission
Liberation Transmission is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets. The album was released in June 2006 and became the first Lostprophets album to enter the UK album chart at number one . The album peaked at number thirty three on the Billboard 200 album chart with 27,000...
.
The first live performance of the single in the UK was in the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
on 24 April 2006 prior to it even getting radioplay. The B-sides found on the single came from the same sessions — all of which are brand new tracks.
The single entered the UK Singles Chart at #8, making it the highest performing Lostprophets single along with "Last Train Home".
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song, filmed on location in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and directed by Ryan Smith, shows the band on top of what appears to be a helicopter pad. At the beginning, the individual members of the band are shown, while a flag showing the band's logo, flutters behind them. As the band sings, three teenagers are shown. They are a girl sitting at dinner with her parents when they suddenly start arguing, a boy in a kitchen as his boss starts shouting at him; he can be lip-read as saying either it's not quick or not cooked enough, and a boy sitting in the back seat of a car while his father shouts at him. As the band reaches the "scream your heart out" refrain near the end of the song, the teenagers start to scream suddenly. The girl with the arguing parents shatters every glass on the table as her mother covers her ears, the diner boy blowing plates off the shelf in front of him, and the boy blowing out the car's windows. The band finishes playing, and the view fades out.
Track listing
Personnel
- Ian Watkins – lead vocals
- Lee Gaze – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Mike Lewis – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Stuart Richardson – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samplesSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, backing vocals - Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
– 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 ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Chart positions
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Indie Chart UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
1 |
| 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 ... |
8 |
| US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 22 |
| US Billboard Alternative Songs | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100... |
14 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
94 |
Cultural references
The chorus was inspired by the scene in the film Garden StateGarden State (film)
Garden State is a 2004 comedy-drama film written by, directed by, and starring Zach Braff, with Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sir Ian Holm. The film centers on Andrew Largeman , a 26-year-old actor/waiter who returns to his hometown in New Jersey after his mother dies...
where the characters are screaming into a chasm
Rift
In geology, a rift or chasm is a place where the Earth's crust and lithosphere are being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics....
. The general theme of the song also matches the film's — "make a mark" in your life while there's still time. One of its lyrics "scream your heart out" can also be found on Lostprophets' previous single "Goodbye Tonight
Goodbye Tonight
"Goodbye Tonight" is the fifth single from Start Something, the second album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets. The single was fairly unsuccessful in comparison to the other singles such as "Burn Burn" and "Last Train Home"...
". The song lyrics and rhythm structure bear resemblance to the song of the same name by Mest
Mest
Mest was a pop punk band from Blue Island, Illinois. The band's lineup, prior to their breakup in 2006, consisted of vocalist and guitarist Tony Lovato, guitarist Jeremiah Rangel, bassist Matt Lovato, and drummer Nick Gigler...
, recorded for their 2003 albums
Mest (album)
Mest the third studio album by Pop punk band Mest. It peaked on the Billboard 200 at #64.-Track listing:# "Until I Met You" – 3:02# "Rooftops" – 3:54...
.
The song is played at WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
house show
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
s when Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
is about to wrestle
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and was also used for his highlight video on two separate occasions. The song is also a playable track in in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero World Tour is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. It is the fourth main entry in the Guitar Hero series...
and Lego Rock Band
Lego Rock Band
Lego Rock Band is a music video game and part of the Rock Band series developed by Harmonix Music Systems, but also incorporates elements from other Lego video games as developed by Traveller's Tales. The game is published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games...
. It was also featured on 2009's The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
as a backing track to the auditions.