Fear of a Blank Planet (song)
Encyclopedia
"Fear of a Blank Planet" is a Porcupine Tree
song. It appears as the first track on the album of the same name
. A promo single
of the song was released in Europe
and the US, by respective record labels. Both promos contain an edited version of "Fear of a Blank Planet" with the swearing removed. The lyrics deal with two common neurobehavioural developmental disorders for teenagers in the 21st Century: bipolar disorder
and attention deficit disorder.
promo CD includes three different versions of the song, and is pressed to look like a 7" vinyl.
two-track promo which came housed in a cardboard sleeve with unique artwork and contains two radio-edit versions of the song.
due to the band finding the content, namely children wielding guns, distasteful at the present. On 25 April 2007, the video was launched on the Fear of a Blank Planet microsite to view in high resolution and was replaced several months later by the live projection for "Sleep Together". The video is now included as a bonus along with the 17-minute film for "Anesthetize
" on the DVD-A version of Fear of a Blank Planet.
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
song. It appears as the first track on the album of the same name
Fear of a Blank Planet
Fear of a Blank Planet is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree and their best selling . Released by Roadrunner on 16 April 2007 in the UK and Europe, 24 April 2007 in the United States through Atlantic, 25 April 2007 in Japan on WHD and 1 May 2007 in Canada by WEA...
. A promo single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of the song was released in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the US, by respective record labels. Both promos contain an edited version of "Fear of a Blank Planet" with the swearing removed. The lyrics deal with two common neurobehavioural developmental disorders for teenagers in the 21st Century: bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and attention deficit disorder.
Atlantic
The Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
promo CD includes three different versions of the song, and is pressed to look like a 7" vinyl.
- Fear of a Blank Planet (Amended Edit) - 4:18
- Fear of a Blank Planet (Explicit Edit) - 4:18
- Fear of a Blank Planet (Album Version) - 7:28
Roadrunner
There is a Roadrunner RecordsRoadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
two-track promo which came housed in a cardboard sleeve with unique artwork and contains two radio-edit versions of the song.
- Fear of a Blank Planet (Clean Edit) - 4:18
- Fear of a Blank Planet (Dirty Edit) - 4:18
Personnel (song)
- Steven WilsonSteven WilsonSteven John Wilson is an English musician, best known as the founder, lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of progressive rock band Porcupine Tree...
- vocals, guitarGuitarThe 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... - Richard BarbieriRichard BarbieriRichard Barbieri, is an English synthesiser player, keyboardist and composer. He was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Colin EdwinColin EdwinColin Edwin is a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, where he plays both fretted and fretless bass guitar as well as double bass and guimbri. He joined the band in December 1993...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Gavin HarrisonGavin HarrisonGavin Harrison is a British drummer and percussionist. He is best known for playing with the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree which he joined in 2002. As of 2008, he also plays with the band King Crimson....
- drumsDrum kitA 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 .... - John WesleyJohn Wesley (guitarist)John Wesley is an American singer, songwriter and guitar player. John Wesley's professional music career began in the early 1980s in the Tampa, Florida area where he founded 1991 Southwestern Music Conference's showcase act Autodrive along with drummer/producer Mark Prator...
- backing vocals
Music video
On 16 April 2007, the same day as the European release date, the music video for the title track debuted on Porcupine Tree's MySpace, though it was temporarily removed a day later in the wake of the shootings at Virginia TechVirginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place on April 16, 2007, on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people...
due to the band finding the content, namely children wielding guns, distasteful at the present. On 25 April 2007, the video was launched on the Fear of a Blank Planet microsite to view in high resolution and was replaced several months later by the live projection for "Sleep Together". The video is now included as a bonus along with the 17-minute film for "Anesthetize
Anesthetize
"Anesthetize" is a Porcupine Tree song. It is the third track on the 2007 album Fear of a Blank Planet. It is the longest song on this album, clocking in at 17:42, making Fear of a Blank Planet the studio album containing the longest composition since 1995's The Sky Moves Sideways "Anesthetize" is...
" on the DVD-A version of Fear of a Blank Planet.