Futurism (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Futurism |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 3:31, 3:28 (XX Anniversary RemiXX) |
| Alternative titles | Spectrum, Tesseract, Electro Empire, Apolitical |
| First live performance | 25th August 2000 |
| Latest live performance | 19th August 2017 |
| Recorded | 2001 |
| Writer/composer | Matthew Bellamy |
| Producer | David Bottrill |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feeling Good | < | Futurism | > | Megalomania |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Showbiz (1999) | < | Origin of Symmetry (2001) | > | Hullabaloo (2002) |
Additional information
The song itself is about a futuristic world, hence the pre-release name of "Electro Empire", and fits into the theme of Origin of Symmetry, but wasn't included due to its difficulty to play live. The song was otherwise called "Spectrum" and "Tesseract" whilst in production; tesseract being the name given to the 4-dimensional shape analogous to a cube.
The song features a powerful bass line and is similar to Hysteria's. According to Matt in a tweet, Futurism led to the idea for Hysteria bassline.[1]
An alternative interpretation is that the song is about a near-future world formed as a result of modern developments, particularly the way social networking in fact keeps us apart from people ("grounded, boxed in") and the use of technology makes us like "silent gods".
After playing the song twice in 2015, Matt cited Futurism and The Groove as two examples of b-sides he felt were better than some album tracks.[2]
The first seconds of the song bear a distinct resemblance to the song "Too Many Puppies" by Primus which has been occasionally played by Muse as a riff.
Futurism (XX Anniversary RemiXX)
On May 19th, 2021, it was announced that Muse will be releasing a remixed and remastered version of Origin of Symmetry, titled "Origin of Symmetry (XX Anniversary RemiXX)". This was released on June 18th, 2021.
Despite not appearing on the original international album, Futurism was included in the track-listing. The most notable changes included Matt's vocals which have less effects applied and therefore sound clearer than before, and the drums which have been remixed quite heavily to give them more presence, especially the snare which has a much lower and more boomy tone. The guitar solo now also pans from left to right regularly to fill the audio space more, unlike the original which remained panned left throughout.
Live
A first version of Futurism was performed live for the first time at Reading Festival 2000 in 2000, in which lyrics of the song were slightly different (the original live version is also one of only four Muse songs that contains swearing). Despite the band said it can get difficult to play, the song was performed live for the second time ever at Zepp Tokyo in 2013.
Other performances of the song were during the Psycho UK Tour in 2015, in Newport and in Exeter.
Lyrics
Ignorance pulls
Apostasy and apathy still rules Yeah you know it's cool Just suck and see A future turns us into silent gods And I won't miss you at all
Grounded Boxed in Like the evil in your veins Grounded Boxed in I am stuck with you
Fate can't decide Alignment of the planets in your hands Come on crush our plans Just suck and see A future that won't let you disagree And I won't miss you at all
Grounded Boxed in Like the evil in your veins Grounded Boxed in I am stuck with you
Feel it, hear it, right apathy you are, see it, be it, you'll see
2000 live version
Ignorance pulls
Apostasy and apathy still rules Yeah you know it's cool Can't wait and see A future turns us into silent gods And I won't miss you at all
Grounded Grounded Like the evil in your veins Grounded Boxed in I am stuck with you
Pursue Alignment of the planets in your hands Come on and fuck my plans Can't wait and see A future won't just let you disagree Won't miss you at all
Grounded Boxed in Like the evil in your veins Grounded Boxed in I am stuck with you
Be it, Be it, Be it, Be it
Quotes
- "<< spectrum (name??) >> this is actually bliss, the other one is unamed... by the way, the recording is RADICALLY different to the sketchy version we played at reading (both songs)"
Matt clearing up the Spectrum confusion, 10/19/2000.
References
- ↑ Matthew Bellamy. (2011-03-31). Twitter / Matt Bellamy: @purpleasuretard interesti .... Twitter. Retrieved 2011-04-02 from twitter.com.
- ↑ [1]