"Uprising" is a song by the English rock band Muse. It was released on 7 September 2009 as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, The Resistance. The song was written by band member Matt Bellamy, produced by the band, and mixed by Spike Stent. "Uprising" peaked in the top 10 in seven countries. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom, gold in four countries, platinum in two countries, and double-platinum in the United States, making it Muse's best-selling single.
Composition
"Uprising" was described as a glam rock song. Several critics likened it to the theme music from the science fiction TV show Doctor Who.
Release
While "United States of Eurasia" was initially thought by the Muse fan community to be the first single due for release, Muse revealed, via their Twitter page, that it would in fact be "Uprising". It was revealed in July 2009 that the band would perform at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. They played at the theatre across the street from where the VMAs were held, and were introduced by Gerard Butler. On 28 July 2009, Zane Lowe played a 32-second sample on BBC Radio 1 ahead of its first play in full on 3 August 2009. The song peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart and is the band's fourth top 10 single on that chart. The song was a huge success in Poland, going up to number one on the Singles Chart. "Uprising" won the Best Single award at the 2010 Music Producers Guild Awards in London.
Commercial performance
"Uprising" peaked in the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It was certified silver by the BPI in the United Kingdom, gold by the ARIA in Australia, BEA in Belgium, MC in Canada, and FIMI, platinum by SNEP in France and IFPI in Switzerland, and double-platinum by the RIAA in the United States. After being released to radio in the United States, the single reached number one on the BillboardAlternative Songs chart on 9 September 2009, becoming Muse's sixth top 10 single and first number one on that chart, eventually spending 17 weeks at number one, becoming the second longest-running number one song ever on the chart. It also became one of three songs at the time to almost concurrently break the 52-week record held by 30 Seconds to Mars' "The Kill", Red Jumpsuit Apparatus's "Face Down", and Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer". As songs on the chart are retired for charting out of the top 10 beyond week 52, it was initially removed for a week after logging its 52nd week for missing the top 10. However, the following week it gained enough points to return to the top 10, returning it to the chart for a 53rd week, which would mark its final tally. In 2013, it was ranked the top song of all time in the magazine's 25th anniversary list of the top 100 songs to grace the chart. It became Muse's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 37 on the week ending 3 October 2009 and spent 20 weeks on the Hot 100. It remains the band's only top 40 single. It has sold 2,170,000 copies in the US as of 2013. The video and lyrics are critical of media and governmental PR influences and Uprising is regarded as a top modern Libertarian song.
Music video
The music video, directed by American collective Hydra, first aired on MTV2 on 17 September 2009. The band performs through a miniature city in the bed of an old, small truck, with a lit fuse following behind. At times, they are also seen performing inside a miniature airstream trailer, which seems to be exploding. Through the window of a store, the band at one point looks at TVs with teddy bears on the screens; Matt smashes the window and TVs with his guitar. At the end of the video, a group of teddy bears, similarly-looking to the teddy bears seen on the TVs, rise up from the ground and start destroying the miniature city, only to all fall down at the end of the video. This is said to pay homage to the climactic scene in Ghostbusters, with one shot even mirroring the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's introduction. The video won "Best Special Effects" in the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost "Best Rock Video" to Thirty Seconds to Mars' "Kings and Queens."
