"Talk Shows on Mute" | ||||
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Single by Incubus | ||||
from the album A Crow Left of the Murder... | ||||
Released | 2004 | |||
Recorded | October—November 2003 | |||
Studio | Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Epic/ Immortal | |||
Songwriter(s) | Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, Ben Kenney, Chris Kilmore, José Pasillas | |||
Producer(s) | Brendan O'Brien | |||
Incubus singles chronology | ||||
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"Talk Shows on Mute" is a song by the American alternative rock band Incubus. It was released as the second single from the band's 2004 album, A Crow Left of the Murder..., and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and also peaked at number 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
The song has a mellow and stripped-down sound, with lyrics containing references to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Lead singer Brandon Boyd says the inspiration for the song came to him while watching a talk show on an airplane.
"I was on an airplane when a talk show began playing on the TVs. I decided to start narrating for the people, which is a really great game if you're ever bored enough. I realized a time will probably come when television will watch us if we're watching it, if that hasn't already happened, figuratively or literally. It sounded like some sort of pseudo-Big Brother nightmare, so I wrote it down."
The song's music video was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who also directed the band's " Megalomaniac" video. The video alludes to another George Orwell novel, Animal Farm. It depicts a world where animals have taken over, and the members of Incubus are shown on a talk show demonstrating "stupid human trix".
US/EU CD Single
Yellow 7"
Charts (2004) | Peak Position |
---|---|
Netherlands ( Single Top 100) [1] | 42 |
New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ) [2] | 24 |
UK Singles ( OCC) [3] | 43 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard) [4] | 16 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard) [5] | 3 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard) [6] | 18 |