Hysteria (song)
| Muse song | |
|---|---|
| Name | Hysteria |
| Album/single |
|
| Length | 3:47 |
| Alternative titles | Hysteria (I Want It Now), I Want You Now, New One |
| First live performance | 5th April 2002 |
| Latest live performance | |
| Recorded | Grouse Lodge, 2002-2003 |
| Writer/composer | Matthew Bellamy |
| Producer | Rich Costey |
| Chart position | 17 |
| Song Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interlude | < | Hysteria | > | Blackout |
| Album Nav | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hullabaloo (2002) | < | Absolution (2003) | > | Black Holes and Revelations (2006) |
Description
Described by Matthew Bellamy as: "Hysteria is a kinda fat bassline with a groovy straight beat on it. Its one of the tracks that has quite a heavy groove goin' on straight down the middle."
According to Matt and Chris, they wanted to wanted to try out mix electronic stuff on bass: "We did not really change our way of composing, but rather to record the songs"[1]
The song is about wanting something or someone that's out of reach so badly that this frustrates you till no end. It becomes an addiction as Matt said: The song "Hysteria" it's just about desire something you can't have and [...] the obsession of wanting to have something they can't have [...] kind of being in love with something you can't actually get yourself, you know.[2]
Information
The bass part started out as the lead part in a sound check on the Origin of Symmetry tour,[3]either in 2001 or very early 2002. At first, the band played around the part as a lead guitar part,[3] sometime later the band thought that it would sound good on the bass guitar and subsequently moved it to the bass, leaving the lead guitar for a more melodic part.[3] When the band felt that the song was ready to perform,[3] they did so at the Rockefeller Music hall in April 2002. At that stage, what is now the mid section was at the end and the parts either side of said section were not separate. On the 2002 tour, Bellamy played the bass part on his guitar at the start of the song, instead of slowly moving down the fretboard as on the album recording. He occasionally still does this.
According to what Matt said in a tweet, Futurism led to the idea for Hysteria bassline.[4]
In 2003, Hysteria was used as the intro music for the NHL hockey team Washington Capitals.
Live
Hysteria was first played live in April 2002. From then on, it was usually played intermittently with Apocalypse Please and The Small Print, the latter two being played during other concerts. On the Absolution tour, Hysteria was usually played toward the beginning of the setlist and either Hysteria or Apocalypse Please was usually the first song. Later, Hysteria was played during most Black Holes and Revelations concerts. During The Resistance Tour, it is often preceded by Interlude, as on the album. During the 2002 Origin of Symmetry tour, the lyric "Last chance to lose control" was instead "Give me complete control". Matt also copied the bass riff instead of sliding the plectrum through the strings at the beginning of the song.
Additional Information
Trivia
At 1:34, a scratching can be heard. When the guitar track is isolated, it is clear that the sound was produced by Matt playing the bassline on guitar, but instead of playing the strings, simply scratching along the strings with a plectrum.
The artwork for the 7" cover was chosen by competition, and the winner was Adam Falkus. The runner-up images are included in the DVD version of the single.[5]
Hysteria
Hysteria was originally a now-defunct psychoanalytical diagnosis particularly afflicted to females, akin to sexual frustration. The treatment consisted of a massage of the genitals leading to "hysterical paroxysm", or what is now known as the female orgasm. It later came to mean overwhelming fear, panic or emotional excess, or alternatively, a mental disorder that is without an organic cause.[6] Hysteria is sometimes referred to as "the slyest reference to a female orgasm in a rock song"[7]
Hysteria is still used, along with many remnants of the Freudian psychoanalytical line of thought, in day to day language and descriptions.
Hysteria is part of the European/PAL Territory release of the videogame Rock Band but will also be released as a download on the American version.
Lyrics
It's bugging me, grating me
And twisting me around Yeah I'm endlessly caving in And turning inside out
'cause I want it now I want it now Give me your heart and your soul And I'm breaking out I'm breaking out Last chance to lose control
It's holding me, morphing me And forcing me to strive To be endlessly cold within And dreaming I'm alive
'cause I want it now I want it now Give me your heart and your soul I'm not breaking down I'm breaking out Last chance to lose control
And I want you now I want you now I'll feel my heart implode I'm breaking out Escaping now Feeling my faith erode
References
- ↑ Rock Mag. (2003-09). "Apocalypse Now" September 2003. Rock Mag. [verify]
- ↑ Inside Trax (2005). Kerrang! TV. [verify]
- ↑ a b c d Adam Mamo. (2007-12-03). Tales of the Tracks. Rip It Up. [verify]
- ↑ Matthew Bellamy. (2011-03-31). Twitter / Matt Bellamy: @purpleasuretard interesti .... Twitter. Retrieved 2011-04-02 from twitter.com.
- ↑ Wikipedia article
- ↑ thefreedictionary.com definition of hysteria
- ↑ Muse Bootlegs; cover of Mark Beaumont's book which contains the quote