Blackbird (Alter Bridge song)
Encyclopedia
"Blackbird" is a song by the American rock band Alter Bridge
from their album of the same name
, which was released on October 8, 2007 by Universal Republic
. At nearly eight minutes long, it is the band's longest song to date. It has received critical acclaim since its release, having often been cited as the crowning point of both the album and the band's career by critics, fans, and the band members themselves. In March 2011, Guitarist
magazine listed the song's guitar solo, which is performed by both Myles Kennedy
and Mark Tremonti
, as the greatest guitar solo of all time.
. It was composed and arranged by Alter Bridge, and the lyrics were written by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy
, who said that the creation of the song was difficult and that it took a long time. "We beat our heads against the wall for months," he told TuneLab, "so when it finally came together it was a good moment." He also said that he feels that "Blackbird" is one of the most gratifying songs that the band has ever written.
He explained that the idea for the chorus of the song came from an experience in the band's rehearsal studio:
The song also appears on the band's 2009 live album and concert film, Live from Amsterdam
. The opening guitar piece of The Beatles
' song of the same name
is performed by Kennedy as an introduction for the song.
referred to "Blackbird" as the album's "pièce de résistance
" and stated, "An eight-minute paean to a lost loved one, it never comes close to sounding mawkish and instead counterpoints an ascendant tune with doomy, emotionally-charged riffs that somehow create a general sense of uplifting." In their review for the album, Ultimate Guitar Archive
said that the song "starts out like any other rock ballad you might hear, but by the end you’ve been taken in every which direction.". Sharon Mawer of Allmusic said, "It was on the title track with eight minutes of powerful emotions at work that the band really shone, the song alternating between a hard rock guitar riff-heavy number and an acoustic ballad about the loss of a loved one."
In addition to being a fan favorite, the members of the band have also cited the song as their favorite. Kennedy said in an interview with Hardrock Haven that he feels that the song is one of his top five musical achievements. When asked about the song in an interview with Rob Laing from MusicRadar
, Kennedy said, "That was a really special song, I'll never forget how it felt when we'd completed that. We tapped into something that doesn't come along on every record, that's for sure. We were really happy that the people who support us really embraced it as well."
In February 2011, Guitarist
named the song's two back-to-back guitar solos, which are respectively played by vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, as collectively the greatest guitar solo of all time. In a poll allowing readers to vote, the song won and defeated performances by famous rock guitarists such as Slash
, Eddie Van Halen
, Jimmy Page
, Jimi Hendrix
, John Petrucci
, Steve Vai
, and David Gilmour
by a wide margin. Guitarist posted via Twitter
that Alter Bridge's victory in the poll was "astonishing."
Production
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...
from their album of the same name
Blackbird (album)
Blackbird is the second studio album by rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 9, 2007. The first single, "Rise Today", was released on July 30, 2007. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, selling 47,000 copies in its first week on the charts. As of December 2008, Blackbird has...
, which was released on October 8, 2007 by Universal Republic
Universal Republic
Universal Republic Records is a record label, owned by Universal Music Group. It is based on the now-defunct Republic Records label founded by brothers Monte and Avery Lipman...
. At nearly eight minutes long, it is the band's longest song to date. It has received critical acclaim since its release, having often been cited as the crowning point of both the album and the band's career by critics, fans, and the band members themselves. In March 2011, Guitarist
Guitarist (magazine)
Guitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing...
magazine listed the song's guitar solo, which is performed by both Myles Kennedy
Myles Kennedy
Myles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
and Mark Tremonti
Mark Tremonti
Mark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the American rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands...
, as the greatest guitar solo of all time.
Background
"Blackbird" appears as the title and eighth track on Alter Bridge's 2007 album, also titled BlackbirdBlackbird (album)
Blackbird is the second studio album by rock band Alter Bridge, released on October 9, 2007. The first single, "Rise Today", was released on July 30, 2007. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, selling 47,000 copies in its first week on the charts. As of December 2008, Blackbird has...
. It was composed and arranged by Alter Bridge, and the lyrics were written by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy
Myles Kennedy
Myles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
, who said that the creation of the song was difficult and that it took a long time. "We beat our heads against the wall for months," he told TuneLab, "so when it finally came together it was a good moment." He also said that he feels that "Blackbird" is one of the most gratifying songs that the band has ever written.
He explained that the idea for the chorus of the song came from an experience in the band's rehearsal studio:
The song also appears on the band's 2009 live album and concert film, Live from Amsterdam
Live from Amsterdam (DVD)
Live from Amsterdam is the first concert film and live album by American rock band Alter Bridge, recorded on December 7, 2008 at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands and released to extremely positive reviews on September 12, 2009 via Amazon...
. The opening guitar piece of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' song of the same name
Blackbird (song)
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from the double-disc album The Beatles . Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Origins:...
is performed by Kennedy as an introduction for the song.
Reception and recognition
Reception towards "Blackbird" has been extremely positive since its release. Vik Bansal from musicOMHMusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
referred to "Blackbird" as the album's "pièce de résistance
Pièce de résistance
Pièce de résistance is a French term , translated into English literally as "piece of resistance," referring to the best part or feature of something , a showpiece, or highlight. It can be thought of as the portion of a creation which defies Pièce de résistance is a French term (circa 1839),...
" and stated, "An eight-minute paean to a lost loved one, it never comes close to sounding mawkish and instead counterpoints an ascendant tune with doomy, emotionally-charged riffs that somehow create a general sense of uplifting." In their review for the album, Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar Archive
Ultimate Guitar Archive, also known as Ultimate-Guitar.com or simply UG, is a large guitarist community website known for its large amount of guitar and bass tablature, reviews of music and equipment, interviews with notable musicians, online written and video lessons, and forums...
said that the song "starts out like any other rock ballad you might hear, but by the end you’ve been taken in every which direction.". Sharon Mawer of Allmusic said, "It was on the title track with eight minutes of powerful emotions at work that the band really shone, the song alternating between a hard rock guitar riff-heavy number and an acoustic ballad about the loss of a loved one."
In addition to being a fan favorite, the members of the band have also cited the song as their favorite. Kennedy said in an interview with Hardrock Haven that he feels that the song is one of his top five musical achievements. When asked about the song in an interview with Rob Laing from MusicRadar
MusicRadar
MusicRadar is a website for musicians. It covers information pertaining to artists and music, special features, product news and reviews, music lessons and a social network service in the style of Facebook and Myspace...
, Kennedy said, "That was a really special song, I'll never forget how it felt when we'd completed that. We tapped into something that doesn't come along on every record, that's for sure. We were really happy that the people who support us really embraced it as well."
In February 2011, Guitarist
Guitarist (magazine)
Guitarist is a monthly music making magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. The magazine features reviews of newly released guitars, amplifiers and other equipment, plus interviews with guitar players, features on the guitar industry, news articles, and features on playing...
named the song's two back-to-back guitar solos, which are respectively played by vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, as collectively the greatest guitar solo of all time. In a poll allowing readers to vote, the song won and defeated performances by famous rock guitarists such as Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
, Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, John Petrucci
John Petrucci
John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...
, Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
, and David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
by a wide margin. Guitarist posted via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that Alter Bridge's victory in the poll was "astonishing."
Credits and personnel
Alter Bridge- Myles KennedyMyles KennedyMyles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
– lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar - Mark TremontiMark TremontiMark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the American rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands...
– lead and rhythm guitar - Brian MarshallBrian MarshallBrian Aubrey Marshall is an American musician and songwriter best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He also co-owns a bed and breakfast called Mango Moon in Costa Rica.-Early life:...
– bass - Scott Phillips – drums
Production
- Michael "Elvis" Baskette – production