Mercury (song)
Encyclopedia
"Mercury" is a song by Bloc Party
. It was produced by Jacknife Lee
. Like "Flux
", the band's previous single, the song uses mostly electronic instruments. The song was first played on Zane Lowe
's show on Radio 1
on 7 July 2008 and was uploaded to the Radio 1 website about fifteen minutes later. The single was made available for digital download on 10 July 2008. The track was named Single of the Week by Drowned in Sound
on 11 August 2008. It peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart
.
for "Mercury", directed by Ace Norton
, was simultaneously unveiled along with the song. It portrays monkey
scientists placing an assortment of body parts into a body. The resulting creature, which has a bull
's horned head, a crab
's pincer
, and a hairy human body then rises in popularity, eventually becoming the President of the United States
. The entire time, the scientists are controlling it. Eventually, the creature (named Smith) goes to war with other countries to get bananas for the monkey scientists. It was made available to view on Bloc Party's website.
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
. It was produced by Jacknife Lee
Jacknife Lee
Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including The Cars, U2, R.E.M., Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, AFI, The Hives, Weezer, Vega4 and Editors.-Biography:...
. Like "Flux
Flux (song)
"Flux" is a song by Bloc Party which was released as a single on 12 November 2007. It was produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic...
", the band's previous single, the song uses mostly electronic instruments. The song was first played on Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
's show on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
on 7 July 2008 and was uploaded to the Radio 1 website about fifteen minutes later. The single was made available for digital download on 10 July 2008. The track was named Single of the Week by Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
on 11 August 2008. It peaked at number 16 on 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 ...
.
Music video
The videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Mercury", directed by Ace Norton
Ace Norton
Ace Norton is a music video and commercial director.-Biography:Norton grew up in Venice, and is the son of writer/director Bill Norton Junior and grandson of motion picture screenwriter William Norton Senior.Norton spent most of high school shooting short films...
, was simultaneously unveiled along with the song. It portrays monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
scientists placing an assortment of body parts into a body. The resulting creature, which has a bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
's horned head, a crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
's pincer
Pincer (biology)
A pincer is the part of an arthropod that enables it to carry loads, to defend against other creatures, or to attack prey. In insects, the pincers are usually part of the creature's mandible, and often venom or acid can be injected through the pincer into an enemy during a pincer strike.Some...
, and a hairy human body then rises in popularity, eventually becoming the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. The entire time, the scientists are controlling it. Eventually, the creature (named Smith) goes to war with other countries to get bananas for the monkey scientists. It was made available to view on Bloc Party's website.
CD: Wichita / WEBB180SCD - United Kingdom
CD: Wichita / WEBB180CDAU - Australia
7": Wichita / WEBB180S - United Kingdom
12": Wichita / WEBB180T - United Kingdom
Charts
| Charts (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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 ... |
16 |
External links
- "Mercury" music video at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....