Invincible (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Invincible |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 5:00 |
| Alternative titles | - |
| First live performance | 7th June 2006 |
| Latest live performance | 17th August 2008 |
| Recorded | Studio Miraval - 2005[1] |
| Writer/composer | Matthew Bellamy |
| Producer | Rich Costey[2] |
| Chart position | 21 (UK)[3], 1 (UK Rock)[4], |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soldier's Poem | < | Invincible | > | Assassin |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Absolution (2003) | < | Black Holes and Revelations (2006) | > | The Resistance (2009) |
Description
A romantic melody built around a military marching beat. Influenced by David Bowie's 'Heroes'.[5]
Bellamy believes that this is a very optimistic song.[1] He believes that Invincible is the "heart" of Black Holes and Revelations.[6]
Matthew said that: "Invincible" is about an almost unrealistic optimism, a bit like: We can do anything, we have the power".[7] Matt also said that the song it's about change: "It’s a song that you can apply to a few different things. Really, I’m just singing about change and how if you want it, it has to be done together. I feel that change needs to take place."[8]
Matt: "Songs like 'Invincible' explore the more optimistic side, in that if people just knew how much power we really had, we could change anything. Like the Iraq war, for example. A million people protesting is not really enough but maybe five million people, with a few bricks being thrown at Parliament, that probably would change things. I think the optimistic side is coming through, I suppose, through the idea that if people could see what's happening without being led all the time, then change would be easy to take place."[9]
Additional information
The intro to Invincible was originally composed whilst in a motel at a little town that looked like "Twin Peaks".[10] Bellamy has described himself as having been bored at the time of the intro's conception, due to the band being ill, and the weather consisting of snowfall.[10] The track starts with the faint sounds of footsteps on a wooden floor towards some sort of tap which is opened with a screeching sound (just like the sound noticeable in Eternally Missed after the 'winding-up sound').
The song originally was about politics but Matt felt that the lyrics didn't fit the music, so he changed the lyrics to talk about love: "When I wrote ‘Invincible’ the lyrics moved around on that song quite a bit. Originally it wasn’t a love song at all. There were lines in it that were more politically orientated. It was like a socialist call, like, ‘Come, let’s all get together, let’s go and burn down the Houses Of Parliament.’ It was a little bit like something from V For Vendetta or something. Then for some reason I switched it over completely to being a love song. I wasn’t comfortable with that either, so it ended up somewhere between the two."[8]
When Muse began to record, this song and Soldier's Poem were originally almost one continuous song. After Matt noticed that the falsetto in Invincible sounded weird, because it was too high for him, he changed the Key from D Major to C Major and also split Soldier's Poem and Invincible into two different tracks.[7]
Recording
The song was initially played entirely on the guitar, without any keyboard part - Bellamy altered the introduction to its present keyboard form whilst rehearsing in the live room of Miraval Studio, and the lyrics came sometime after this.[10] The band recorded Invincible in "a fit of rage" due to not having been able to record Take a Bow.[1] It was originally thought of as a track that would not make the final album, however, this changed after the recording came together quickly in the studio.[11] The recording presented on the album is mostly a live one,[1] with only a "couple" of overdubbed tracks.[10] When recording the marching drums, the band set up microphone by a window and marched towards it drumming, to build up the impression of an approaching army.
Live
The intro is usually played using a slide. Since July 24th 2008, Invincible has been played in the key of B instead of C (half step down).
Alternative versions
To promote the single release, a 4:10 radio edit was circulated in promotional media. The radio edit includes an shortened intro, and at 0.03 of the radio edit, Bellamy can be heard saying "1, 2, 3, 4".
Lyrics
Follow through
Make your dreams come true Don't give up the fight You will be all right Cause there's no one like you In the universe
Don't be afraid What your mind conceives You should make a stand Stand up for what you believe And tonight we can truly say Together we're invincible
And during the struggle They will pull us down But please, please let's use this chance to Turn things around And tonight we can truly say Together we're invincible
Do it on your own Makes no difference to me What you leave behind What you choose to be and whatever they say Your soul's unbreakable
And during the struggle They will pull us down But please, please let's use this chance to Turn things around And tonight we can truly say Together we're invincible Together we're invincible
And during the struggle They will pull us down Please, please let's use this chance to Turn things around And tonight we can truly say Together we're invincible Together we're invincible
References
- ↑ a b c d Discussion in London (2007-05). Rock Mag. [verify]
- ↑ Album notes
- ↑ luke simonds. (2007-04-16). Invincible only number 21. Muselive. Retrieved from muselive.com.
- ↑ (2007-05-06). [BBC Rock Singles chart]. BBC. Retrieved from bbc.co.uk.
- ↑ Reference needed!
- ↑ Colin Murray. (2006-10-05). [Interview with Matthew Bellamy]. BBC Radio 1. [verify]
- ↑ a b INTRO Magazin. (2007). INTRO Magazine online article. Retrieved 2015-01-16 from INTRO.
- ↑ a b Magic mushrooms and drowning fantasies (2007-03-09). NME magazine. Retrieved 2015-01-16. [verify]
- ↑ Muse: A Short History of Everything (2008-04-03). State. Retrieved 2008-04-09 from board.muse.mu[dead link]. [verify]
- ↑ a b c d Jeff Touzeau. (2007-03). An Evening with Rich Costey. EQ. [verify]
- ↑ Rip It Up article 200801
See also
Back to Black Holes and Revelations