Knights of Cydonia

Infobox Single
Name = Knights of Cydonia


Caption = CD cover
Artist = Muse
from Album = Black Holes & Revelations
B-side =
Released = 13 June 2006 (U.S.) 27 November 2006 (UK)
Format = Promo CD, download, 7", CD, DVD
Recorded =
Genre = Alternative rock
Progressive rock
Length = 6:06 (album version) 4:42 (radio edit)
Label = Helium 3, Warner Bros.
Producer = Rich Costey
Reviews =
Last single = "Starlight" (2006)
This single = "Knights of Cydonia" (2006)
Next single = "Invincible" (2007)
Misc =Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Type = Single


Lower caption = 7" picture disc cover Extra tracklisting
Album = Black Holes & Revelations
Type = studio
prev_track = "Hoodoo"
prev_no = 10
this_track = "Knights of Cydonia"
track_no = 11
next_track = "Glorious"
next_no = 12 (Japan Bonus track)

"Knights of Cydonia" is a song by English rock band Muse and is the closing track on the British release of their 2006 album "Black Holes & Revelations". The radio edit version was first aired on KROQ radio on 6 June 2006, and released to other radio stations in the United States on 12 June 2006. The song was released as the third single from "Black Holes & Revelations" in the UK on 27 November 2006, debuting at #10 in the UK Singles Chart (see 2006 in British music). cite web|title=Muse ready new single|date=2006-10-09|publisher=NME|accessdate=2006-10-09|url=http://www.nme.com/news/muse/24633] The song was described by BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac on 27 October 2006 as ‘six minutes and one second of pure genius’. In 2007, Eve of Summer recorded a remix. The song is also featured in the video game "".

The first live performance of "Knights of Cydonia" took place at a BBC Radio 1 event, Radio 1's Big Weekend, held at Camperdown Park in Dundee on 2006-05-13. Also performed at this event were "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Starlight", the first two singles from "Black Holes and Revelations". Live performances of "Knights of Cydonia" feature Bellamy's intro falsetto much more loudly and clearly than its studio counterpart. Recent live performances have featured Bellamy playing an extra guitar part during the solo at the end of song, as well as the coda of "Space Dementia" played as a finale.

On 26 January, 2008, "Knights of Cydonia" was announced as #1 in Australia's 2007 Triple J Hottest 100.

Track listing

*Promo CD PRO-101829
#Knights of Cydonia (radio edit) - 4:42
#Knights of Cydonia (album version) - 6:06
*7" HEL3004, Digital download
#Knights of Cydonia - 6:01
#Assassin (Grand Omega Bosses edit) - 5:19
*CD HEL3004CD
#Knights of Cydonia - 6:01
#Supermassive Black Hole (live from the Campo Pequeno in Lisbon)
*DVD HEL3004DVD
#Knights of Cydonia (video)
#Knights of Cydonia (audio)
#Knights of Cydonia (the making of)
#Gallery

Music and meaning

The song features vocals from both Bellamy's higher and lower ranges layered and both synthesised and live trumpet parts. The guitar sound in the song was inspired by the 1962 number one hit "Telstar" by The Tornados (George Bellamy, Matt Bellamy's father, was the band's rhythm guitarist). [citation | title = 2006 in Review | newspaper = Kerrang | issue = 1138 | pages = 45 | date = 2006-12-16] The song, taken in entirety, also bears a striking resemblance to George Bellamy's composition "Ridin' the Wind".

The song's meaning is to teach people to stand up for themselves. It says that we must seal our own fate.cite web|title=Muse: Close encounters|author=Jacqui Swift|date=2006-06-23|publisher=The Sun|url= http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2006140003-2006280787,00.html
accessdate=2006-11-30]

Bellamy has stated that on the album in general he tried to create a vision of what is occurring in the song. For example, if you listen closely you can hear that the bassline has a galloping rhythm depicting someone riding a horse.Fact|date=March 2008

Music video

The KOC video was shot over five days: three days in Romania; one day in London; and one day in Red Rock, California; it was made available on July 11, 2006. It was filmed and edited as a thematic smörgåsbord: a spaghetti western film with post-apocalyptic influence, complete with beginning and end credits, livened with the occasional kung-fu cowboy or metal-clad maiden astride a unicorn. In the end of the video we can see Roman numerals MCMLXXXI which translates to 1981. However, in the introduction the numerals MCLMXXXI are seen, [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_sBOsh-vyI YouTube - Knights of cydonia ] ] which do not represent any number due to incorrect nomenclature.

The video was directed by Joseph Kahn, and stars British actor Russ Bain as the protagonist (The Man With No Name), Richard Brake as the antagonist (Sheriff Baron Klaus Rottingham), and Cassandra Bell as the love interest (Princess Shane Kuriyami). Throughout the video, the actors mouth out the lyrics, such as Russ Bain ramshackled in town square mouthing ‘No one's going to take me alive’, and Cassandra Bell at the gallows ‘You and I must fight for our rights’. In both instances, the mouthed words occur after the song lyrics and complete before the song moves on to the next line. The band appears in some scenes as holographs, and there are also some scenes featuring lead singer Bellamy. Also, when it shows the population of the town Cydonia it is shown as "143" a common symbol for "I love you" although, it is unknown whether this is just a random number, or it was put there for a reason by the director or band.

A very brief scene in which Bain has sex with his love interest was edited out of the video for presentation on television. The complete, uncensored version is available for viewing at [http://www.josephkahn.com the Director's website, and at youtube.com.

Contest

Shortly after the making of the music video, Muse announced that they were giving away 1000 movie posters depicting the characters and general plot of the video itself to the first 1000 people who correctly guessed the fifteen major motion pictures referenced by the music video. Although various other references have been proposed, the fifteen responses accepted at [http://knightsofcydonia.com/ the contest website] include "Star Wars", "The Matrix", "Westworld", "Mad Max", "The Lone Ranger", "Batman", "Battlestar Galactica", "Buck Rogers", "Kung Fu", "Legend", " Maverick", "Heavy Metal", "The Searchers", "Planet of the Apes" and "Blade Runner". [ [http://knightsofcydonia.com/ http://knightsofcydonia.com/] ]

Chart performance

"Knights of Cydonia" entered the UK Singles Chart the week of 2006-12-04 at #10.Prior to its entry in the Singles Chart, "Knights of Cydonia" had been active in the Downloads Chart, and sat at #41 the same week that the physical release debuted at #10 in the Singles Chart. Three weeks earlier, the song sat at #104 in the Downloads Chart marking a substantial jump in that time period.

The song was the winner of Triple J's annual Hottest 100 countdown for 2007.

References

External links

* [http://muse.mu/ Official Muse website]
* [http://knightsofcydonia.com/ Knights of Cydonia contest]
* [http://www.last.fm/music/Muse/_/Knights+of+Cydonia Knights of Cydonia on Last.fm]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box|title=Triple J Hottest 100 #1|before=Augie March
One Crowded Hour
after=Incumbent
years=2007