Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2008
Love Is Noise
Buy Love Is Noise now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Love Is Noise'" is a song by English alternative rock band the Verve, the second track on their fourth album, 'Forth' (2008). It was released as the first single from the album on 3 August 2008 as a digital download, with the physical release following on 11 August 2008 in the United Kingdom.Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044612/the-verve-storms-back-on-fourth-album "The Verve Storms Back on Forth Album"]. billboard.com. 1 August 2008. The song received its first airplay by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 on 23 June 2008.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio1_aod.shtml?radio1/zane_verve2 'Zane plays the new Verve single, avail until 30 Jun 08']
The single debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number five after during first week of release via online download alone. The following week, the song peaked at number four and stayed five weeks in the UK top 10, giving the Verve their first top-10 hit since 1997 with "Lucky Man". It was their third UK top-five single and their fourth to crack the UK top 10. "Love Is Noise" also reached the top 10 in Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. The song's music video debuted on the band's Myspace page shortly before the song's release.
Background
The song reworks lines from William Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time", commonly known as 'Jerusalem'. Where Blake begins "And did those feet in ancient time, / Walk upon England's mountains green?", "Love is Noise" asks: "Will those feet in modern times / Walk on soles that are made in China?", and alludes to "bright prosaic malls" in place of "dark Satanic Mills".'"Lyrically, look at it in the first few lines, as a kind of remake of Jerusalem by William Blake, rather than those feet in ancient times its those feet in modern times."', Richard Ashcroft, Love Is Noise Interview, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rXLSWrFVqg This is the second time Richard Ashcroft has referenced Blake, following 1995's "History".
"Love Is Noise" derived from "Columbo", another song on the album. While recording that track, Ashcroft created a new loop on a vocoder and added it to the song, which was essentially a jam the band had been working on for a few days. The band continued adding to it until it evolved into a different track.
Music video
The video for the song was released on the band's Myspace page on 9 July 2008. The video mixes up shots of the band performing in a dimly-lit room, with frontman Richard Ashcroft sitting on the floor, with montages of other images, including snow-capped mountains, a North Korean choreography, a couple about to kiss, a dancer and a blonde woman with an eagle.
Live performances
The song has been played live as early as the late 2007 gigs but was given different names such as "Modern Times", "Love is Pain", "Love is noise (with boy)". The band played it at 2008's Coachella as the setlist's closer, something that was repeated in Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage on 29 June.
Track listings
On 3 August a digital download of the "album version" of the song was released with the song's video in the iTunes Store. A week later, an exclusive iTunes Store bundle was released featuring a "Freelance Hellraiser" remix at the same time as another bundle featuring the "album version" and the physical format's B-sides. The physical formats (CD and 7-inch vinyl records) were released on 11 August 2008.
'7-inch vinyl gatefold' (VERVE002)
# "Love Is Noise"
# "Let the Damage Begin" (live 2007)
'7-inch clear vinyl' (VERVE003)
# "Love Is Noise"
# "A Man Called Sun" (live 2007)
'CD single' (VERVE004)
# "Love Is Noise"
# "Chic Dub"
'Digital download'
# "Love Is Noise"
# "Love Is Noise" (music video) 4:02
'Digital EP'
# "Love Is Noise" 5:27
# "Chic Dub" 6:09
# "Let the Damage Begin" (live 2007) 4:09
# "A Man Called Sun" (live 2007) 5:18
# "Love Is Noise" (The Freelance Hellraiser remix) 9:09
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
Category:The Verve songs
Category:2008 singles
Category:2008 songs
Category:Number-one singles in Scotland
Category:Parlophone singles
Category:Songs written by Nick McCabe
Category:Songs written by Peter Salisbury
Category:Songs written by Richard Ashcroft
Category:Songs written by Simon Jones (musician)
Buy Love Is Noise now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 2008