Supermassive Black Hole (song)

"Supermassive Black Hole" is a song by English rock band Muse. Written by Muse lead singer and principal songwriter Matt Bellamy, it was released as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Black Holes and Revelations (2006), on 19 June 2006, backed with "Crying Shame".

"Supermassive Black Hole"
Single by Muse
from the album Black Holes and Revelations
B-side"Crying Shame"
Released19 June 2006 (2006-06-19)[1]
Genre
Length3:29
Label
Songwriter(s)Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)
Muse singles chronology
"Butterflies and Hurricanes"
(2004)		 "Supermassive Black Hole"
(2006)		 "Starlight"
(2006)
DVD single
7" single

The song charted at number four on the UK Singles Chart, the highest singles chart position the band has achieved to date in the United Kingdom. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 74 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[2] It was nominated for the Kerrang! Award for Best Single.

Composition and influences

"Supermassive Black Hole" has been described as alternative rock,[3] dance-rock,[4] and funk rock.[5] Bellamy said that the song was "the most different to anything we've ever done." Influences included bands such as the Beatles, and several Belgian bands; Millionaire, dEUS, Evil Superstars and Soulwax. Bellamy said that "these groups were the first to mix R&B rhythms with alternative guitar. We've added a bit of Prince and Kanye West. The drumbeat isn't rocky, with Rage Against the Machine riffs underneath. We've mixed a lot of things in this track, with a bit of electronica; it’s different, slow, quite funky."[6] In an interview with NME, Bellamy said "I was going out dancing in clubs around New York. That helped create tracks like 'Supermassive Black Hole'. Franz Ferdinand would have done it very well, with that dance type beat going on mixed with alternative guitar and I've always wanted to find that."[7]

Music video

The single's accompanying music video shows the band playing in a small furniture shop, clad in masks. This is intercut with images of dancers in Zentai suits which are then unzipped at the end to reveal beings made of space. The video was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who has directed videos for alternative bands such as Marilyn Manson, the White Stripes, Interpol, Incubus and the Cure. Sigismondi described the video as replicating a recurring dream she has experienced, in which dancers wearing masks of their own faces or mirrors and full body suits fill a dark mirrored room. There are also flashes of a black circle, a depiction of a supermassive black hole.

Release

"Supermassive Black Hole" was the first single released from Black Holes and Revelations available on vinyl, CD, DVD, and digital download formats. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, making it their most popular single released in the UK to date. In the US, it was the third single to be released, on 23 April 2007. The single reached number six on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, making it the eighth highest-charting Muse single in the US.

B-side

The single's B-side, "Crying Shame", was first performed on 19 December 2004 at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The key was changed during the 2005 tour, and the studio track omits the riff found in the earlier live version. The lyrics also appear to have changed, and this is the first studio release in which lead singer Bellamy uses profanity.

Reception

NME gave the song a score of 8.5 out of 10, describing it as "dirty funk guitars rub[bing] saucily against a Prince-ish falsetto over a pink leather couchette".[8] A reviewer on Blogcritics commented that the song has "a bit of a 'disco' feel that some fans may not be expecting".[9] Andrew Perry of The Observer wrote that the song "thunderingly mixes Automatic-era Jesus and Mary Chain with a Prince-like funk, and boasts lyrics like, 'Oo, baby, I'm a fool for you' – not the doings of a gothy navel-gazer."[10]

The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2015.[11]

Usage in media

The song featured in the FIFA 07 soundtrack. On 8 May 2008, the song was released as downloadable content for the rhythm game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, along with "Stockholm Syndrome" and "Exo-Politics". It was featured at the beginning of the Series 6 Doctor Who episode "The Rebel Flesh",[12] and was used as a wake-up for Space Shuttle Atlantis astronauts on the vessel's presumed final day in space, 26 May 2010.[13] The song is available to play on Rocksmith 2014 as part of a Muse 5-song pack.[14] Black Mirror featured the song in the episode "Mazey Day".[15] The song was also featured heavily during a scene in Twilight, where it plays over the Cullens engaging in an intense familial game of baseball.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy

CD and 7-inch single (HEL3001CD; HEL3001)[16][17]
No.TitleLength
1."Supermassive Black Hole"3:29
2."Crying Shame"2:38
Total length:6:07
DVD single (HEL3001DVD)[18]
No.TitleLength
1."Supermassive Black Hole" (video)3:29
2."Supermassive Black Hole" (audio)3:29
3."Supermassive Black Hole" ("Making Of" the video)12:04
4."Gallery" 
Total length:19:02

Charts

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 40,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[37] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[38] Gold 25,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[11] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 17 June 2006. p. 33.
  2. 150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years | NME.COM
  3. Sagers, Aaron (14 December 2008). "When only a gift with an inside joke will do". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
  4. Hogan, Marc (18 May 2007). "Fields – Everything Last Winter review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. East, Ben (30 June 2006). "MetroLife: CD Reviews". Metro. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  6. "Supermassive Black Hole". Rock Mag (65). 3 March 2006.
  7. "Muse reveal all about new album". NME. 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
  8. "Muse: Supermassive Black Hole". NME. 26 May 2006. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  9. JP (13 May 2006). "Single Review: Muse – "Supermassive Black Hole"". Blogcritics. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  10. Perry, ANdrew (18 June 2006). "Muse, Black Holes and Revelations". The Observer. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. "American single certifications – Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". Recording Industry Association of America.
  12. Marin, Dan (21 May 2011). "Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh – Series 32, episode 5". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  13. "Atlantis bows out with Kennedy touchdown". The Register. 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  14. "Video Game News & Reviews".
  15. What is the song in ‘Black Mirror’ episode ‘Mazey Day’?
  16. Supermassive Black Hole (UK CD single liner notes). Muse. Helium 3, Warner Bros. Records. 2006. HEL3001CD, 51011-4869-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. Supermassive Black Hole (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Muse. Helium 3, Warner Bros. Records. 2006. HEL3001, 5101-14871-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. Supermassive Black Hole (UK DVD single liner notes). Muse. Helium 3, Warner Bros. Records. 2006. HEL3001DVD, 5101-14872-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  20. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  21. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole" (in French). Ultratip.
  22. "Muse Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  23. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". Tracklisten.
  24. "Hits of the World – Eurocharts" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 27. 8 July 2006. p. 65. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  25. "Muse: Supermassive Black Hole" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  26. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole" (in French). Les classement single.
  27. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Supermassive Black Hole". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  28. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". Top Digital Download.
  29. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  30. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  31. "Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  33. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  34. "Muse Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  35. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  36. "Canadian single certifications – Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". Music Canada.
  37. "Danish single certifications – Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  38. "Italian single certifications – Muse – Supermassive Black Hole" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
  39. "British single certifications – Muse – Supermassive Black Hole". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
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