Subways (song)

"Subways"
Single by the Avalanches
from the album Wildflower
Released22 June 2016
RecordedSing Sing Studios (Melbourne, Victoria)
Genre
Length3:10
LabelModular
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Avalanches
The Avalanches singles chronology
"Colours"
(2016) 		"Subways"
(2016) 		"We Will Always Love You"
(2020)

"Subways" is a song by Australian electronic music group the Avalanches. The song was released as the third single from their second studio album, Wildflower (2016), on 22 June 2016. The song rose to number 81 on the Australian ARIA Charts.

Composition

"Subways" has been described as a disco-funk song.[2] Like the other tracks on Wildflower, it is a mainly sample-based track, which samples "Warm Ride" by the Bee Gees, performed by Graham Bonnet, as well as "Black Water" by Patrick Simmons.[3] The main vocals of the song are pulled from a 1980 song titled "Subways" by Chandra Oppenheim, who was 12 years old at the time of its release. She had not previously heard about the Avalanches until they approached her regarding the sample.[4] Featuring strings throughout, the song had been compared to the group's previous work by Spin[5] and described as featuring a "grooving bassline" and "richly-textured sonic layers" by Rolling Stone.[6]

Track listing.[7]

Digital download
No.TitleLength
1."Subways"3:10

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 81

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Subways – The Avalanches". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  2. ^ Horton, Matthew (5 July 2016). "The Avalanches". The Quietus. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  3. ^ Wildflower (liner notes). The Avalanches. Modular Recordings. 2016. XLLP755.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Iadarola, Alexander (7 June 2016). "We Spoke to the Now-Grown Up 12-Year-Old The Avalanches Sampled on Their New Song". Thump. Vice. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (22 June 2016). "The Avalanches Take 'Subways' Back to Their Classic Sound". Spin. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. ^ Legaspi, Althea (21 June 2016). "Watch the Avalanches' Minimalist 'Subways' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  7. ^ Subways, 2016-07-08, retrieved 2023-02-19
  8. ^ "CHART WATCH #377". auspOp. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  9. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.