My Blood (Twenty One Pilots song)
"My Blood" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. The song was released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Trench, on August 27, 2018. The song peaked at No. 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"My Blood" | ||||
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Single by Twenty One Pilots | ||||
from the album Trench | ||||
Released | August 27, 2018 | |||
Format | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:49 | |||
Label | Fueled by Ramen | |||
Songwriter(s) | Tyler Joseph | |||
Producer(s) | Tyler Joseph | |||
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"My Blood" on YouTube |
Composition
"My Blood" is a disco-tipped indie rock song that lasts for a duration of three minutes and forty-nine seconds.[1][2][3] The moody, groove-driven track contains R&B hooks underpinned with robotic drums and thick funk generated by rolling, distorted bass line.[4][5][6] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 109 beats per minute.[2] "My Blood" is composed in the key of A♭ major while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans two octaves, from the low-note of E♭4 to the high-note of E♭6.[2] The song contains inspirational lyrics.[6] They express the idea not being alone, even when one feels desperately isolated.[7] "My Blood" speaks about remaining loyal to a friend, even when everyone else has deserted them.[8][7] The musical arrangement builds into an effervescent chorus where Tyler Joseph sings in a falsetto and cries out, "Stay with me, my blood, you don’t need to run."[6][9][5]
Release
A ten-second snippet of the song was played at the end of a commercial for Trench during the 2018 VMAs on August 20.[10] On August 27, 2018, a Twitter user leaked the full song onto his Twitter account in low quality after they found that it could be played on their Apple HomePod,[11] and the song was released onto streaming services later that day as the fourth single from Trench.[12] An audio was uploaded onto YouTube on the same day.[13] The audio release of the track included one-shot video footage of frontman Tyler Joseph in a recording studio lined by guitars on the walls. He is seen from behind playing the song's grooving bassline and bobbing his head to the melodies and beat of the track.[14]
Reception
The song received positive reviews. Billboard contributor Shea Lenninger called "My Blood" a fresh take on the duo's style and described its chorus as catchy.[9] Gil Kaufman, from the same publication, quipped that "Twenty One Pilots seemed determined to show us the full breadth of their musical playbook" with the release of the single.[4] Citing it among the "fresh tricks" found on Trench, Neil Z. Yeung of AllMusic applauded Joseph's use of his falsetto range on the track.[15] Chris Willman for Variety called "My Blood" an "uplifting, disco-tipped track."[5] Complimenting its "glowing ’80s chorus," Chris DeVille for Stereogum cites the song as Trench's "closest thing to a pop crossover bid."[7] He ranked "My Blood" at number 31 on their "40 Best Pop Songs of 2018" list and remarked, "Hooks on falsetto hooks over an impeccably funky rolling bassline, with inspirational lyrics and effervescent ’80s fizz to boot. Imagine the pools of saliva that would be forming under critics' mouths if this song was by the 1975."[16]
Music video
On September 27, 2018, the day of the album's release, an official music video for the song was premiered on YouTube.[17] It was directed by Tim Mattia and stars Trent Culkin, James Bud and Maximus Birchmore.[18] The video is not a continuation of the storyline of the three previous music videos for the album.
The video opens with a shot of a young boy (Maximus Birchmore) watching his dying mother. His older brother enters the room and comforts him. As they grow up, their father turns to alcohol and the older brother becomes a father figure towards his younger sibling and the two form a strong bond. Years later, they attend a Halloween house concert, dressed as skeletons, with Twenty One Pilots performing the song. When the brothers return home after the party, a group of jocks whom the older brother had taunted earlier, appear on their driveway and attack the older brother once he goes outside to confront them. The younger brother in a state of panic quickly picks up a baseball bat, before running outside and fending the group off, afterwards bringing his injured brother back into the house. His brother disappears as they enter the house. Through a series of flashbacks showing previous scenes from the video without the older brother, it's shown that he did not exist, and was just a creation by the younger brother to help himself cope with the death of his mother and his father's alcoholism. The video ends with the younger brother sitting alone on the couch inside of his house.[19][20]
The clip was named one of the top ten best alternative music videos of 2018 by iHeartRadio.[21]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "My Blood" (album version) | 3:49 |
2. | "My Blood" (instrumental) | 3:49 |
Commercial performance
The song debuted at No. 13 on the US Hot Rock Songs the week of September 8, 2018,[22] and peaked at No. 4 on January 8, 2019.[23] It debuted at No. 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 20, 2018, before falling out the following week.[24] It also entered the UK Singles Charts at No. 88 on September 7, 2018, before leaving the chart.[25] Upon the album's release, the song re-entered the chart at a new peak of 62.[26]
Personnel
- Tyler Joseph – vocals, keyboards, bass, synthesizers, programming
- Josh Dun – drums, percussion
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada)[45] | Gold | 40,000![]() |
Poland (ZPAV)[46] | Gold | 10,000* |
United States (RIAA)[47] | Gold | 500,000* |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
References
- Legaspi, Althea (August 29, 2018). "Hear Twenty One Pilots' Groove-Driven Song 'My Blood'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- Joseph, Tyler. "Twenty One Pilots 'My Blood' Sheet Music in A♭ major - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
- "Review: Twenty-One Pilots Bring Energy-Packed Bandito Tour to St. Paul". KSTP. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- Kaufman, Gil (August 28, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Get Funky on 'My Blood': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- Willman, Chris (October 7, 2018). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots - Trench". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- DeVille, Chris (December 13, 2018). "The Top 40 Pop Songs Of 2018". Stereogum. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- DeVille, Chris (October 11, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots May Not Be For You (Because They're For Everyone)". Stereogum. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- Legaspi, Althea (August 28, 2018). "Hear Twenty One Pilots' Groove-Driven Song 'My Blood'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- Lenninger, Shea (2018-10-05). "Here Are the Lyrics to Twenty One Pilots' 'My Blood'". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
- Unterberger, Andrew (August 20, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Release Snippet of New Song in 'Trench' Commercial During 2018 VMAs". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- Apaza, Kevin (August 28, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Unleash New Song "My Blood": Listen Here!". Directlyrics. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- Trapp, Philip (August 27, 2018). "twenty one pilots soar on soulful new song "My Blood"". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
- twenty one pilots (August 27, 2018), twenty one pilots: My Blood [Official Audio], retrieved September 6, 2018 – via YouTube
- Yeung, Neil Z. "Trench – Twenty One Pilots". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2019.
- DeVille, Chris (December 13, 2018). "The Top 40 Pop Songs Of 2018". Stereogum. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- twenty one pilots (September 27, 2018), twenty one pilots: My Blood [Official Video], retrieved September 27, 2018
- "Twenty One Pilots Are Celebrating The Release Of 'Trench' With The Video For 'My Blood' - News - Rock Sound Magazine". Rock Sound. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- Reed, Ryan (September 27, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Salute Sibling Bond in Dramatic 'My Blood' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- Kaufman, Gil (September 27, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Channel 'Fight Club' in Emotional 'My Blood' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- Nattress, Katrina (December 14, 2018). "Top 10 ALT Music Videos of 2018". iHeartRadio. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- "Top Rock Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History: Top Rock Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
- "Ultratop.be – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
- "Ultratop.be – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201841 into search. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 41/2018". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
- "Portuguesecharts.com – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
- "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201841 into search. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- "Canadian single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood". Music Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
- "Polish single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – My Blood". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 23, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.