Chlorine (song)

"Chlorine" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released through Fueled by Ramen on January 22, 2019 as the fifth single from their fifth studio album, Trench (2018). The track was written and produced by lead singer Tyler Joseph and Paul Meany of rock band Mutemath. It is a trip hop, rap rock and electropop song which discusses "how creativity can cleanse dark impulses but cause its own pain".[3]

For other uses, see Chlorine (disambiguation).
"Chlorine"
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Trench
ReleasedJanuary 22, 2019 (2019-01-22)
Studio
Genre
Length
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Tyler Joseph
  • Paul Meany (co.)
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"My Blood"
(2018)		 "Chlorine"
(2019)		 "The Hype"
(2019)
Music video
"Chlorine" on YouTube

"Chlorine" was well-received by music critics, who highlighted its catchiness and musical restraint compared to the band's previous work. It became the band's fifth number one single on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and the first track from Trench to be certified platinum. The song was sent to alternative radio on January 29, 2019 and to top 40 radio on March 19, 2019.

Composition

As with much of Trench, "Chlorine" was written and produced by Tyler Joseph, the lead singer of Twenty One Pilots, and Paul Meany of Mutemath, who also provided the voice for the track's opening lines.[4] The songwriting process and recording took place in secret in Joseph's basement studio in Columbus, Ohio, while the track was mixed by Adam Hawkins and mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, New York City.[1][5] In an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit, Joseph wrote that "wrestling on trying to tackle what he was feeling in 'Chlorine' was exhausting."[6]

According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, "Chlorine" is set in common time with a "melancholy" tempo of 90 beats per minute. The song is composed in the key of B♭ minor, with Joseph's vocals ranging between the notes of F3 and D♭5.[7] It is a pop, electropop, trip hop and rap rock song featuring a lowered voice found on the band's previous album Blurryface and a "menacing, Zaytoven-esque piano twinkle".[8][9][10][11][12] It has been described as a "menacing slow-burner" with an "annoyingly infectious" chorus comparable to the work of Bastille, Thom Yorke, DJ Shadow and Gym Class Heroes.[11][13][14][15] Paige Williams of Billboard suggested that the track was about cleansing your mind from dark thoughts,[10] while Caryn Ganz of The New York Times stated that it "describes how creativity can cleanse dark impulses but cause its own pain."[13]

Release

Trench was released on October 5, 2018. Chlorine was released as the fifth track of the album. On January 22, 2019, fans of Twenty One Pilots began speculating that a music video for the song "Chlorine" would be released the following day due to a series of teasers that the band posted on social media, including a short clip of a dirty swimming pool soundtracked by a drum beat similar to the one found on the track. Tyler Joseph, the band's lead singer, also posted a message on Twitter which reads "there's someone i'd like you guys to meet. i'll introduce you to him tomorrow. his name is Ned. <{•.•}>".[16][17] However, the band later announced that they could not wait to share the video any longer and subsequently released the music video that same day.[18][19] Just prior to this release, an image of a letter written by Clancy, the protagonist of the storyline of Trench, was uploaded to the website dmaorg.info, which prompts the file name 17–35.4527, 17 and 35.4527 being the atomic number and atomic mass of the chemical element chlorine respectively.[20] Additionally, on January 23, the letter was updated with the words "than" and "happened" being replaced by "that" and "happen" respectively. A Reddit user later discovered that the letter changes spelled out the name "Ned", the name of the creature featured in song's music video.[21]

On January 29, 2019, "Chlorine" was serviced to alternative radio and then released to Top 40 radio on March 19, 2019.[22] Finally on February 8, the "Alt Mix" version of the song, which cuts the song's intro and outro, was released on streaming services.[23]

Reception

"Chlorine" pleased music critics, with positive sentiments being directed towards its catchiness and the band's increased songwriting maturity compared to their antecedent records. Joshua Copperman of PopMatters complimented "Chlorine"'s musical restraint in comparison to the band's previous work and opined that it featured the "catchiest chorus on the record."[9] Gary Ryan of NME wrote that the track was one of the songs off Trench "strong enough to exist outside of any story," referring to the narrative found on the album.[14] Billboard writer Chris Payne found that the evolution of the band's musical style on tracks off Trench including "Chlorine" as "jarring."[11] GIG Soup's Jo Cosgrove expressed a similar sentiment, further adding that the song was "catchy" and "in-depth."[24] David Hayter of 411 Mania hailed the track as "delightful," ultimately concluding that it "is something both murky and spritely, psychologically wrought, but charmingly euphoric."[25] Anne Nickoloff and Troy Smith of Cleveland.com named the release the eighth best Twenty One Pilots song, deeming it the most accessible track off Trench.[26]

Music video

The music video for "Chlorine" was uploaded upon the song's release as a single on January 22, 2019, and was directed by Mark C. Eshleman of Reel Bear Media.[27] It shows the duo filling up a dirty swimming pool and cleaning it while being watched by a small, white alien-like creature with small antlers, black eyes and hairy bat-like ears named Ned. When the duo finish cleaning and filling the pool, Ned dives into it and his antlers seem to grow in response. The video ends with Joseph sitting in an empty pool accompanied by the creature, whose antlers begin to shrink again, before offering it a cup containing an unknown substance, which Ned refuses to take.[28][29] As of June 2023, the video has surpassed 525 million views on YouTube.

The creation of the character Ned was undertaken from mid-December 2018 using 3D VFX and physical stand-in mold.[30] In an interview in Kyiv during The Bandito Tour, the band explained that Ned represents "this idea of creativity and trying to take care of it and trying to please it... or appease it."[31]

19.4326° N, 99.1332° W version
"Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)"
Song by Twenty One Pilots
from the EP Location Sessions
ReleasedJune 21, 2019 (2019-06-21)
Recorded2019
Length3:58
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)
  • Tyler Joseph
  • Paul Meany
Music video
"Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)" on YouTube

"Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)" is a re-imagined version of the track released to streaming services on June 21, 2019.[32] It is the first unplugged performance of a track from Trench to be released from the band's Løcatiøn Sessiøns series, and is presumed to have been recorded at a private concert in Mexico City, where the coordinates in the song's title points. Musically, it features Joseph singing "Chlorine" over a piano and a sparse beat.[33][34][35][36]

Track listing
US promotional CD
No.TitleLength
1."Chlorine" (radio edit #1)2:55
2."Chlorine" (radio edit #2)2:02
3."Chlorine" (radio edit #3)1:59
4."Chlorine" (album version)5:24
5."Chlorine" (instrumental)5:25
Chlorine (Alt Mix)
No.TitleLength
1."Chlorine" (Alt Mix)3:11
Spotify single[37]
No.TitleLength
1."Chlorine"5:24
2."Chlorine" (Alt Mix)3:11
Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)[32]
No.TitleLength
1."Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)"3:58
Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W) on Spotify[38]
No.TitleLength
1."Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W)"3:58
2."Chlorine"5:24

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Trench and Twenty One Pilots' official YouTube channel.[5][39]

Recording and management

Twenty One Pilots

  • Tyler Joseph – lead vocals, bass, synthesizers, guitar, piano, programming, keyboards, songwriting, production
  • Josh Dun – drums, trumpet, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[65] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[66] 2× Platinum 40,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[67] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[68] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[69] 2× Platinum 2,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States January 29, 2019 Alternative
[22]
United States March 19, 2019 Top 40 radio [70]

References
  1. Carter, Emily. "Twenty One Pilots: They're back! And their journey to create Trench is a story that could only come from them... - Kerrang!". PressReader. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  2. mj (September 7, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Tracks Songs for "Trench" at United Recording - United Recording Studios". United Recording Studios, Los Angeles. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  3. Ganz, Caryn (15 October 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Want to Stay Strange". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  4. Goeman, Collin (January 25, 2019). "Voice behind twenty one pilots' "Chlorine" intro revealed". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  5. Trench (Media notes). Twenty One Pilots. Fueled by Ramen. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. Brooks, Hayden (January 23, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Befriend An Alien In 'Chlorine' Music Video". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  7. "Twenty One Pilots "Chlorine" Sheet Music in B♭ Minor (transposable) – Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. 12 March 2019. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  8. Eldrenkamp, Gracianne (October 17, 2018). "Twenty-One Pilots Releases 'Trench'". The Fairfield Mirror. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  9. Copperman, Joshua (October 12, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Get Sensitive on 'Trench'". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  10. Williams, Paige (October 5, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots' 'Trench': Decoding the New Album's Hidden Meanings". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  11. Payne, Chris (October 5, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Continue to Defy Critics on Surprisingly Cohesive 'Trench': Album Review". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  12. "Chlorine - Twenty One Pilots | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  13. Ganz, Caryn (October 15, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Want to Stay Strange". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  14. Ryan, Gary (October 5, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots – 'Trench' review". NME. Archived from the original on October 5, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  15. DeVille, Chris (October 11, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots May Not Be For You (Because They're For Everyone)". Stereogum. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  16. Jamieson, Brii (January 22, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Are Teasing Something For Tomorrow". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  17. Jamieson, Brii (January 23, 2019). "Watch The Brand New Twenty One Pilots Video For 'Chlorine' Here". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  18. Hannan, Devon (January 22, 2019). "twenty one pilots unleash "Chlorine" music video, introduce "Ned"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  19. Reed, Ryan (January 23, 2019). "Watch Twenty One Pilots' Cryptic, Poolside 'Chlorine' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  20. Campbell, Rachel (January 22, 2019). "Clancy returns in mysterious, new twenty one pilots letter". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  21. Campbell, Rachel (January 23, 2019). "Clancy edits latest mysterious twenty one pilots letter". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  22. "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  24. Cosgrove, Jo (November 2, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots 'Trench'". GIG Soup. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  25. Hayter, David (October 9, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots – Trench Review". 411 Mania. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  26. Nickoloff, Anne; Smith, Troy (July 5, 2019). "All 65 Twenty One Pilots songs ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  27. twenty one pilots - Chlorine (Official Video). YouTube. January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  28. Gil, Kaufman (January 23, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Clean Pools, Chill With Adorable Alien Pal Ned in 'Chlorine' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  29. Aubrey, Elizabeth (January 23, 2019). "Watch Twenty One Pilots new video for 'Chlorine' and meet 'Ned', the band's animated friend". NME. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  30. Hannan, Devon (January 26, 2019). "twenty one pilots' Ned was not just a VFX character, creators share experience on "Chlorine"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  31. Trapp, Philip (February 4, 2019). "twenty one pilots discuss Ned, say he's "not a gremlin"". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  32. "Chlorine (19.4326° N, 99.1332° W) - Single". Apple Music (US). 21 June 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  33. "twenty one pilots Reimagine Chlorine For The Løcatiøn Sessiøns". Kerrang!. June 21, 2019. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  34. Jamieson, Brii (June 21, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Have Launched The 'Location Sessions' - News". Rock Sound. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  35. Kaufman, Gil (June 21, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots Release Unplugged 'Chlorine' From 'Location Sessions': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  36. Darus, Alex (June 21, 2019). "twenty one pilots kick off Location Sessions with "Chlorine" stripped". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  37. "Chlorine". Spotify. 8 March 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  38. "Chlorine". Spotify. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  39. Twenty One Pilots, Chlorine, retrieved January 28, 2019
  40. "Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  41. "Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  42. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  43. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  44. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201915 into search. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  45. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201908 into search. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  46. "Twenty One Pilots: Chlorine" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  47. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Twenty One Pilots". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  48. "2018 41-os SAVAITĖS (spalio 5-11 d.) SINGLŲ TOP100" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 12, 2018. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  49. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  50. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. October 15, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  51. "Airplay 100 – 17 martie 2019" (in Romanian). Kiss FM. March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  52. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  53. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201841 into search. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  54. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201922 into search. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  55. "Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  56. "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2019-05-20." TopHit. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  57. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  58. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  59. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  60. "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  61. "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2018". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  62. "Digitālās Mūzikas Tops 2019" (in Latvian). LAIPA. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  63. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  64. "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  65. "Canadian single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine". Music Canada. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  66. "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
  67. "Portuguese single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  68. "British single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  69. "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Chlorine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  70. "Top 40/M Future Releases". Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.