Recorded 2008 | Length 3:13 | |
B-side Memory Tapes Remix (7-inch single)
"Love Like a Sunset" (Animal Collective Remix 12-inch single) Released February 23, 2009 (2009-02-23) Format 7-inch single
12-inch single
CD
digital download Genre Indie pop
new wave
synthpop | ||
"1901" is a song by French alternative rock band Phoenix and is featured on their fourth studio album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. It was released in February 2009 as the album's lead single, originally as a free download from the band's official website, but was issued as a retail single due to the song's popularity. A black-and-white music video for the song was released in May. In July, the song entered the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs chart, where it later reached number one, becoming only the fourth independent label single to achieve the feat. The single was re-issued in the UK in February 2010. According to lead singer Thomas Mars, the song is about early 20th century Paris. Mars said, "Paris in 1901 was better than it is now. So the song is a fantasy about Paris."
Contents
Critical reception
The song has received very positive reviews from music critics, with Pitchfork Media's Jason Crock saying it is "just as smooth and spirited and dementedly catchy as any of their best singles." The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll ranked "1901" at number two to find the best music of 2009, after Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind". In October 2009, "1901" ranked number 228 in Pitchfork's list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s," the fifth-highest placement on the list amongst 2009 songs. The NME's Gavin Haynes praised the song's "rave-like stop-go guitars," while Evan Sawdey of PopMatters said it might be Phoenix's "finest song to date." Philadelphia Inquirer music critic Dan DeLuca described the song as "joyously exultant riff-happy pop." The song was ranked number two on Spin magazine's list of the "20 Best Summer Songs of 2009."
In popular culture
Phoenix performed "1901" on television programs such as The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, and MTV's It's On with Alexa Chung. The song is also featured in episodes of Friday Night Dinner, Gossip Girl, Melrose Place, The Vampire Diaries and Hellcats, the trailer for the film New York, I Love You, television advertisements for PlayStation and the 2010 Cadillac SRX, and appears on the soundtrack to the NHL 2K10 video game. The song was released for the Rock Band series on January 19, 2010 along with "Lisztomania". It was released as part of a Phoenix Track Pack for Guitar Hero 5 on April 8, 2010. It appears on the Test Drive Unlimited 2 soundtrack. The song is also featured as the default music for the "Modern" template in the iOS version of iMovie. The song is also featured on the NBA 2K13 soundtrack. The song also appears on the soundtrack of Forza Horizon, playing on the Horizon Pulse in-game radio station. An edited version is also used as the theme tune for BBC Radio 5 Live's 6-0-6 football phone-in show. Samples from the song were also used for the track "Triple Double" from Girl Talk's fifth studio album, All Day, and in the free-to-play MMOTPS sandbox game APB: Reloaded (All Points Bulletin: Reloaded). In 2014, the song was featured in Boyhood.
Track listing
- "1901" (Thomas Mars) – 3:13
Chart performance
For the week ending December 19, 2009, "1901" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 90. It peaked at number 84 for the week ending January 23, 2010. The single also reached number 73 on the Canadian Hot 100. The single would also top the Alternative chart for two weeks, and become the second longest running song on the chart at the time at 57 weeks, trailing only Savior by Rise Against, which was also in the latter part of its record breaking 65 week run.
Birdy version
English musician Birdy released a cover version of the song on March 9, 2012 as a digital download in the United Kingdom.
Music video
The music video for "1901" was uploaded to YouTube on February 10, 2012. Featured artists include Helen George and Ian Roe.