Reapers (song)

"Reapers"
Single by Muse
from the album Drones
B-side "Reapers" (Live in Koln) (7")
Released 16 April 2016 (2016-04-16)
Format
Recorded
Genre
Length 5:59
Label
Writer(s) Matthew Bellamy
Producer(s)
Muse singles chronology
"Aftermath"
(2016)		 "Reapers"
(2016)
Drones track listing

"Reapers" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second promotional single from the band's seventh studio album Drones, and was given a 7" single release, as part of Record Store Day 2016, on 16 April 2016. The song has peaked at number 75 on the French Singles Chart, number 71 on the Swiss Hitparade singles chart, number 37 on Billboard's Hot Rock Songs, and number 2 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs; it is the band's highest-charting track to date on the latter.

Release

"Reapers" was originally released a promotional single for Drones on 29 May 2015. The song got an actual single release as a Record Store Day 7" picture disc vinyl on 16 April 2016. The A-side consisted of the song's album version, while the B-side consisted of a live performance at the Gloria Theater in Köln, Germany. The release also included a fold-your-own paper plane (marketed as a "paper drone").[2][3]

Music video

An official lyric video for the song was uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel on 29 May 2015.[4] Rolling Stone magazine called it "brutal and chilling ... fittingly blunt, depicting a man caught in the crosshairs of a drone and running for his life while a woman with red lipstick waits to pull the trigger."[5]

Critical reception

In an album review for The Observer, Kitty Empire commented that the pacy song "exposes the overlap between the unfeeling destruction of drone warfare and the unfeeling destruction wrought by people tearing each other apart," referring to Muse frontman Matt Bellamy's break-up from fiancée Kate Hudson. She also compared Bellamy to Yngwie Malmsteen, noting that the song contains "meaty riffs."[6]

Track listing

Digital download

Digital download
No. Title Length
1. "Reapers"   5:59

7" vinyl

Side A
No. Title Length
1. "Reapers"   5:59
Side B
No. Title Length
1. "Reapers" (Live in Köln) 5:59

Personnel

Personnel adapted from single liner notes.[7]

Charts

Chart (2015–16) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[8] 45
France (SNEP)[9] 75
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 71
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 127
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[12] 37
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 2

References

  1. ↑ Drones (album liner notes). Muse. Warner Bros. Records / Helium-3. 2015.
  2. ↑ "Muse – "Reapers"". Record Store Day (via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "Record Store Day: Muse - Reapers". BBC Music (via Internet Archive. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Muse - Reapers [Official Lyric Video]". YouTube. 29 May 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Blistein, Jon (2 June 2015). "Muse Rage Against 'Reapers' and 'The Handlers' on New Songs". Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  6. ↑ Empire, Kitty (7 June 2015). "Muse: Drones review – an Orwellian breakup album". The Observer. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Reapers" (single liner notes). Muse (band). Warner Music UK / Helium-3. 2016.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Muse – Reapers" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Muse – Reapers" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Muse – Reapers". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "CLUK Update 13.06.2015". zobbel.de. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Muse – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Muse. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Muse – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Muse. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
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