Attack (30 Seconds to Mars song)
Encyclopedia
"Attack" is a song by American rock
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 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...

. The song was released by Immortal
Immortal Records
Immortal Records is an independent record label out of Los Angeles, California. Founded by Happy Walters in 1994, the label had helped launched the careers of such influential acts as Korn, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Incubus over the years. The label had also released soundtracks, including Judgment...

 and Virgin
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

 on May 3, 2005, as the lead single from the band's second album, A Beautiful Lie
A Beautiful Lie
A Beautiful Lie is the second album by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. It was released on August 30, 2005 through Virgin Records and was produced by Josh Abraham. The album produced four singles, "Attack," "The Kill," "From Yesterday," and "A Beautiful Lie"; of which three of those four...

. The song was written by Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...

 and was produced by Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham is a Grammy-winning record producer and co-owner of Pulse Management and Check Your Pulse Publishing. He has produced songs and albums for many of the industry's most successful artists such as Velvet Revolver, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson and Courtney Love...

 and 30 Seconds to Mars. The song is a dynamic expression of rebirth and renewal. 30 Seconds to Mars premiered the song on the American network Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....

 on May 25, 2005, during Daily Download.

"Attack" has been critically appreciated, with reviewers complimenting its energetic keyboards, vast, abrasive guitars and infectious vocals. The song was the most added track on alternative radio in its first week, becoming a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

's Modern Rock top 30 hit. It attained success during the years, debuting for the first time on European charts only after two years of its original release. The accompanying music video, which aired on August 29, 2005, takes place in an abandoned hotel in Hollywood and every frame hides some messages.

Background and recording

"Attack" had been around for a while and the band was unconvinced of its worth. The song proved to be somewhat problematic, and was nearly excluded from the album. During an interview in 2005, Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...

 said "'Attack' was a song that wasn't scheduled to be recorded at all. I'd been playing it – I'd play it in the desert in Morocco, I was playing it in Thailand – I was playing it everywhere." When Jared tried performing the song with the rest of the band, something was wrong. "On acoustic it was great; but when we played it as a band, it just fell flat on its face." "As soon as the bass got in there…" Matt Wachter
Matt Wachter
Matthew Walter "Matt" Wachter is the bassist, keyboardist, and the backing vocalist in the rock band Angels & Airwaves. He was the former bassist for alternative rock group 30 Seconds to Mars, He was with the band from 2001 to 2007...

 continued. "Yeah, so it was either replace Matt or throw the song out." Jared played it acoustically for Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham
Josh Abraham is a Grammy-winning record producer and co-owner of Pulse Management and Check Your Pulse Publishing. He has produced songs and albums for many of the industry's most successful artists such as Velvet Revolver, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson and Courtney Love...

; "I was playing it outside of the studio one night on acoustic guitar and Josh walked out and, as a joke, I said 'Hey, you wanna hear a hit song?' I was just talking. I started playing the verse and went into the chorus and he stopped me on the first chorus and said 'It's the best song you have. You have to record it'. So we all got in a circle and something about it changed. Something about us changed. And it became the first song on the record and the first single off our album. So he did a great job on encouraging us to do that song. And now I really love it." Jared told Josh Abraham that night "This song deserves to be a hit just so we can tell this story."

Release

"Attack" was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...

 from the album on May 3, 2005, and to American radio on June 6, 2005. The single was released in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2007, pressed with the B-side "The Fantasy". On May 2, 2006, the song was released on the single "Two Beautiful Lies", which also includes an edit version of "The Kill
The Kill
"The Kill" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars, the song was released as the second single from their second album, A Beautiful Lie...

" and a 36-page photo book of fans which submitted their digital photos. "Attack" live at CBGB
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...

 was also released on the European single of "The Kill" and on the digital extended play of "A Beautiful Lie
A Beautiful Lie (song)
"A Beautiful Lie" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars. The song was released as the fourth single from their second album A Beautiful Lie. It was not released in the United Kingdom as a single.-History:...

".

"Attack" was the most added track on alternative radio in its first week. It entered the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

Modern Rock Tracks at number 37 on July 16, 2005, and reached the peak position of 22 on October 22, 2005. On July 2, 2005, it peaked at number 38 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. The song also reached number 82 on the Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....

. On March 3, 2007, it entered 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 ...

 at number 148 and debuted on the UK Rock Chart
UK Rock Chart
The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales....

 at number 9. On the week ending April 20, 2008, the song peaked at number 22 on the Portuguese Download Chart
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa
The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA ....

.

The song is featured in ATV Offroad Fury 4
ATV Offroad Fury 4
ATV Offroad Fury 4 is a racing video game, developed by Climax Racing. The game was released in North America on October 31, 2006 exclusively for the PlayStation 2...

and in the EA Trax
EA Trax
EA Trax is the title of the in-game soundtracks on some of EA Games' video games featuring up and coming artists, as well as mainstream artists. Music genres featured range from hip hop to rock, depending on the game's genre...

 of Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series. It is the first in the video game series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.-Features:...

. "Attack" was released as a purchasable download for the music video game series Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...

on Christmas 2007. It is also available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...

as of February 4, 2010.

Critical reception

"Attack" has been given mostly positive reviews from critics. Chad of Alternative Addiction commented that the song "soars sonically with processing mixed and forceful vocals." Alternative Addiction also ranked the song at number 11 on the Top 50 Songs of 2005. Jim Campbell of Playback
Playback (magazine)
Playback is a Canadian film, broadcasting and interactive media website owned by Brunico Communications. In May 2010, after 24 years of publication, Playback magazine stopped publishing its biweekly print edition....

wrote that "the standout tracks (“Attack,” “A Beautiful Lie
A Beautiful Lie (song)
"A Beautiful Lie" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars. The song was released as the fourth single from their second album A Beautiful Lie. It was not released in the United Kingdom as a single.-History:...

,” “The Kill
The Kill
"The Kill" is a song by 30 Seconds to Mars, the song was released as the second single from their second album, A Beautiful Lie...

”) all exude the same strong elements: interesting lyrics, sweeping vocals, and a pulsing rhythm section. They all display a remarkable amount of musical maturity and charisma." Mike Horvath of The Sheaf
The Sheaf
The Sheaf is a student run newspaper serving the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan since 1912. A new issue comes out every Thursday with approximately 9,000 copies per issue.The Sheaf is a student-run non-profit organization...

praised the keyboard effects and guitar distortions of the song, and Stuff
Stuff (magazine)
Stuff is a men's magazine featuring reviews of consumer electronics, and other articles of interest to a predominantly male audience.- UK edition :...

listed the song as one of the top tracks from the album. Landon Christensen from Davis Enterprise felt that the song "is pretty catchy, with a cool keyboard pattern and Leto's impressive vocals." Jonathan Love of The Decatur Daily
The Decatur Daily
The Decatur Daily is a daily newspaper serving Decatur and the Tennessee Valley in North Alabama, United States. As of September 30, 2006, it had an average daily circulation of 20,824 and a Sunday circulation of 23,840...

wrote that "Attack" "is an expression of rebirth featuring energetic keyboards, abrasive guitars and addictive vocals, which range from a pain-stricken wail to an intimate whisper." Jason Silverstein from The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...

felt that "songs like "The Kill," "Attack" and "The Fantasy" show a little bit of the old school sound, and also how the new sound should have worked." Connie Phillips from Blogcritics
Blogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...

 commented that the song "is a digital extravaganza of synthesizers which gives way to Leto's powerful vocals. Though he occasionally moves to the screaming that is ever present in today's heavy music, he doesn't cheat on the vocals. For the most part, it is very melodic and his voice is commanding. What he is delivering with that voice is potent as well. The lyrics are intricate and nearly poetic. This song is a driven expression of endings and new beginnings. The deep seated emotions cross both sides of the spectrum, rage filled and mournful." Zone
WZNE
WZNE — branded The Zone @ 94.1 — is a modern rock commercial radio station in Brighton, Monroe County, New York, broadcasting to the Rochester, New York area...

 placed "Attack" at number 52 on the 210 Most Played Songs of the 2000s.

Music video

The music video was directed by Paul Fedor, who had previously worked with the band for their 2002 video "Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
Capricorn (A Brand New Name)
"Capricorn " is the debut song by American rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. The song was released by Immortal Records on July 23, 2002, as the lead single from the band's self-titled debut album. The song was written by Jared Leto and was produced by Bob Ezrin, Brian Virtue and 30 Seconds to Mars....

". 30 Seconds to Mars performed and presented the premiere of the video on August 29, 2005, on Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....

's Daily Download. In Canada, the video premiered on MuchMusic
MuchMusic
MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...

 during MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand
MuchOnDemand was an hour-long per broadcast viewer interactive television program aired on MuchMusic, Monday through Friday at 5pm ET. It was broadcast live from the Much broadcasting studio on 299 Queen Street West in Toronto. The Best of MuchOnDemand, aired Sundays at 10am ET, highlighting the...

on October 6, 2005, and was added to medium rotation a couple of days later. Jared Leto told MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...

 that "It's the first bestiality footage that you're ever going to see, but it's tastefully done. We're breaking new ground with this one." The music video for the song was filmed during July and August 2005 in an abandoned hotel in Hollywood where the crew encountered prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...

 and drug addicts
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...

 squatting
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....

 prior to filming. The crew ended up doing 70 effects shots in 7 days. Throughout the video, effects are greatly used for visual enhancement over bandmembers and around the females depicted. Each frame of the video hides some messages. Fedor explained that was difficult shot the video, and commented "I think this is one of my best videos. Every shot in this one is perfect... Look for hidden messages in this one." The video found success on Fuse
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....

, mtvU
MtvU
mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...

, MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...

 and MuchMusic.

Track listing

All songs written by Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...

.
Digital download
  1. "Attack" – 3:08


Promo CD single
  1. "Attack" – 3:12


UK picture disc 7" single
  1. "Attack" – 3:09
  2. "The Fantasy" – 4:29

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from A Beatiful Lie booklet.
  • Performed by 30 Seconds to Mars
    • Jared Leto
      Jared Leto
      Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...

       — vocals
      Singing
      Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

      , guitar
      Guitar
      The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    • Tomo Milicevic
      Tomo Miličević
      Tomislav "Tomo" Miličević is a Bosnian-American musician. He is the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band 30 Seconds to Mars.- Family :...

       — guitar, programming
      Programming (music)
      Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...

    • Shannon Leto
      Shannon Leto
      Shannon Leto is an American drummer and an occasional actor. He is the older brother of musician and actor Jared Leto; both are part of the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. -Career:...

       — drums
      Drum kit
      A 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 ....

    • Matt Wachter
      Matt Wachter
      Matthew Walter "Matt" Wachter is the bassist, keyboardist, and the backing vocalist in the rock band Angels & Airwaves. He was the former bassist for alternative rock group 30 Seconds to Mars, He was with the band from 2001 to 2007...

       — bass guitar
      Bass guitar
      The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

      , keyboards
      Musical keyboard
      A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...

      , synthesizer
      Synthesizer
      A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

  • Additional synthesizer by Oliver Goldstein
  • Written
    Songwriter
    A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...

     by Jared Leto
  • Published by Apocraphex Music (ASCAP)
  • Produced
    Record producer
    A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

     by Josh Abraham
    Josh Abraham
    Josh Abraham is a Grammy-winning record producer and co-owner of Pulse Management and Check Your Pulse Publishing. He has produced songs and albums for many of the industry's most successful artists such as Velvet Revolver, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson and Courtney Love...

     and 30 Seconds to Mars
  • Engineered
    Audio engineering
    An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...

     by Ryan Williams
  • Assistant engineer: Brandon Belsky
  • Additional engineering by Brian Virtue
  • Mixed
    Audio mixing (recorded music)
    In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...

     by Tom Lord-Alge
    Tom Lord-Alge
    Tom Lord-Alge is a four-time Grammy Award–winning record producer and mixer. He is the youngest of Vivian Lord's five children, Mark Lord-Alge, Lisa Lord-Alge, Chris Lord-Alge, Jeff Lord-Alge and Tom Lord-Alge...

     at South Beach Studios, Miami Beach, FL
    Miami Beach, Florida
    Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...

  • Mixing assistant: Hemio Fernandez
  • Mastered
    Audio mastering
    Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...

     by Brian Gardner
    Brian Gardner
    Brian Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner is a mastering engineer. He has worked on countless recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk, and dance pop. He is perhaps best known for his work on hip hop albums and in...

     at Bernie Grundman Mastering
    Bernie Grundman
    -Biography:He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1983 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan and Brian Gardner, mastered 37 projects which received Grammy Award nominations in 2005.Grundman...

    , Hollywood, CA

Chart positions

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Canadian Singles Chart
Canadian Singles Chart
The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....

82
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Bilboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

)
38
US Modern Rock Tracks (Bilboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

)
22
Chart (2007) Peak
position
UK Rock Singles
UK Rock Chart
The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales....

 (The Official Charts Company)
9
UK Singles
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 ...

 (The Official Charts Company)
148
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Portugal (AFP
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa
The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA ....

) Download Chart
22
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