Get On Your Boots
| "Get On Your Boots" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Get on Your Boots" is the lead single from U2's upcoming album, No Line on the Horizon.[2] The song was made available digitally on 23 January 2009. The physical format will be released on 16 February.[1] The video received its premiere on 5th February 2009.
History
A bootlegged, early version of the song was partly released to YouTube during the band's recording sessions at the French resort of Èze. The poor quality version was subsequently removed from the site at the behest of the band's record label, Universal Records.[3] Media reports in August 2008 originally referred to the song by the title "Sexy Boots", and later as "Get Your Boots On". It was later revised to "Get on Your Boots".[4]
"Get on Your Boots" was scheduled to receive its world radio premiere on The Colm & Jim-Jim Breakfast Show on the radio station RTÉ 2fm at 8:10 on 19 January 2009 by the band's long-time friend and favoured disc-jockey Dave Fanning.[5] However, after a nearly 30 second sample of the song was leaked onto the Internet, the song was made available in the iTunes Store for purchase (an hour before its first play by Fanning) and the band decided to begin streaming the song on U2.com later that day.[6]
Composition
Following the success of the previous two albums, which resembled U2's earlier work, No Line on the Horizon is reportedly more in keeping with the experimental phase explored in Achtung Baby, Zooropa, and Pop. "Get on Your Boots" is described by Q magazine as "demented electro grunge employs a proto-rock n’roll riff, but propelled into the future, before taking a sudden hip-hop twist midway through." Rolling Stone magazine has called it a "blazing, fuzzed-out rocker that picks up where "Vertigo" left off."[7] Hot Press described the song as "[...] a thoroughly contemporary, intense electro grunge exercise, with Adam Clayton's powerful bass to the fore, which mixes hip hop influences with shades of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Beatles."[8]
Video
The music video was directed by Alex Courtes,[8] who previously co-directed the music videos for "Vertigo" and "City of Blinding Lights". The video was shot in London, with U2.com noting "there may have been some marching girls involved. With their boots on."[9] The Edge stated that the video is about letting women take over because "men have fucked things up so badly, politically, economically, and socially".[8]
The video was scheduled to premiere on the Irish Independent website on 30 January 2009, but this was later delayed. Universal Music issued a statement saying that the video had not been completed in time for its scheduled airing.[10] The video premiered at 17:00 UTC on Friday, 6 February on the newspaper's website.[11]
A leaked, almost complete version of the video was available on YouTube and shows the band performing in front of images of well known female activists and the like, along with marching girls in high leather boots in the background. The video also makes reference to war with fighter jets and soldiers seen running.[citation needed]
Track listing
- Digital download[12]
- "Get on Your Boots" - 3:24
- CD single[13]
- "Get on Your Boots"
- "No Line on the Horizon"
- "Get on Your Boots"
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart[14] | 26 |
| Canadian Hot 100[15] | 3 |
| Canadian Rock National Airplay[16] | 1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart[17] | 20 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[18] | 8 |
| U.S. AAA National Airplay[19] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[20] | 37 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[21] | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100[22] | 40 |
References
- ^ a b "First Single, Album Tracklisting". U2.com. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "U2 to perform new single at Brits". BBC Online. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
- ^ Young, Alex (2008-08-17). "U2 does little to downplay new album's title, sound, or release date". Consequence of Sound.net. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
- ^ Carr, Eamon (2008-08-11). "Blood on the Dance Floor". Evening Herald. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ "World premiere for new U2 on RTÉ 2fm". RTÉ. 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (2009-01-20). "U2's New Single "Get On Your Boots" Hits iTunes Early". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
- ^ Hiatt, Brian (2009-01-07). "U2 Break Down "No Line on the Horizon"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
- ^ a b c "Ireland leads the way with new U2 album". Hot Press. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "In London, shooting a video". U2.com. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
- ^ "Get On Your Boots: U2 video exclusive on Independent.ie - Music - Independent.ie". Independent.ie. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
- ^ Get On Your Boots: U2 video exclusive on Independent.ie
- ^ ASIN B001Q6KATI, "Get on Your Boots" MP3 download.
- ^ ASIN B001PP9Q5E, "Get on Your Boots" CD.
- ^ http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_singles.asp?chart=1U50
- ^ "Canadian Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Canadian Rock National Airplay". Canadian Rock National Airplay. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ "Top 40 singles". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 27 January 2009.
- ^ "Sveriges Officiella Topplista" (in Swedish). SverigeTopplistan. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ^ "AAA National Airplay". RadioandRecords.com. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ "The Billboard Hot 100: 11-50". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Pop 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
