Released January 28, 2013 Length 2:57 | Format Digital download | |
Recorded 2011–12,
Westlake Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California Genre Alternative rock
pop rock Label KIDinaKORNER
Interscope | ||
"Demons" is a song recorded by American rock band Imagine Dragons. It was written by Imagine Dragons and Alex da Kid, and produced by Alex da Kid. The song appears on their major-label debut extended play Continued Silence and also makes an appearance on their debut studio album Night Visions as the fourth track. "Demons" was solicited to American triple-A radio stations on January 28, 2013 and to modern rock stations on April 1 and serves as the album's overall fifth single and was released as the third single from Night Visions in the United States, and was later released to contemporary hit radio stations on 17 September 2013 as an official single. The lyrics portray the protagonist warning the significant other of his or her flaws.
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The song has been a commercial success, becoming their second top ten single after "Radioactive". It spent twelve weeks in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, four of which were spent at its number six peak. It is Imagine Dragons' second song to stay more than one year on the Hot 100 (61 weeks). The song has sold over 4.1 million copies in the United States as of January 2015, making it the eighth most downloaded song in rock history. It has also been a moderate commercial success worldwide, charting in several countries. The song won a MuchMusic Video Award for International Video of the Year - Group (2014) and an iHeartRadio Music Award for Alternative Rock Song of the Year (2014).
Composition
The song is written in E-flat major with a slow moderate tempo.
Music video
An MTV report on the "Demons" music video stated that it would "fit nicely with the artful imagery of 'It's Time' and the thoroughly out-there puppet grappling of 'Radioactive'." Released on May 7, 2013 and shot in Las Vegas, Nevada at the band's performance at The Joint on February 9, 2013, the video features a mix of live footage of the band and a companion narrative. Various characters with personal hardships are depicted, including a grieving daughter, a man with marfans syndrome who stares at himself in a mirror, a victim of parental abuse and a military veteran.The meaning imposed is that most don't see beyond the face that everyone puts on for the public. The clip ends with a dedication to Tyler Robinson (1995-2013), a fan of the band who died at the age of 17 in March 2013 following a battle with cancer.
Cover versions
Latvian-born American singer Masha covered "Demons" on her YouTube channel. Ryan Seacrest's official website described her cover as "a soulful ballad by replacing the studio version's heavy rock beats with the soft, resonating sound of a piano — showcasing her powerful vocals and truly capturing the powerful meaning behind the cryptic lyrics."
In February 2014, The Voice season 6 contestant Christina Grimmie performed a piano version of the song and uploaded the video on her YouTube channel.
In March 2016, Chris Daughtry and Jencarlos Canela performed a cover of the song during the Fox television special The Passion. It was sung in the story where Judas (Daughtry) betrays Jesus (Jencarlos) and gives his reasons, and Jesus seems to be sympathetic to Judas; the lyrics are modified to alternate between first-person and second-person tenses as they sang.