Helicopter (Bloc Party song)

"Helicopter"
Single by Bloc Party
from the album Silent Alarm
B-side"Skeleton"
Released25 October 2004 (2004-10-25)[1]
Genre
Length3:40
LabelWichita
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Bloc Party singles chronology
"Little Thoughts/Tulips"
(2004) 		"Helicopter"
(2004) 		"Tulips"
(2005)
Audio sample
30-second excerpt of "Helicopter".

"Helicopter" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party, originally released as a stand-alone single in the UK in October 2004 and appeared later on the Little Thoughts EP; it was released two years later as a single from their debut album, Silent Alarm, in the US. The song received acclaim, reaching number 26 on the UK Singles Chart but failing to chart in the US. Various remixes have been recorded. The song was included in the music video games Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, Burnout Revenge, FIFA 06, FIFA 23 and the episode "Alma Matter" from the sixth season of The Crown.

Composition

"Helicopter" is an indie rock[2][3] and garage rock[4] song, written by all band members prior to their debut studio album, Silent Alarm. Composed in B minor, it was written in common time and has a quick tempo of 171 beats per minute.[5] The main riff was adapted from "Set The House Ablaze", a song by The Jam featured on the 1980 album Sound Affects.[6]

Music video

The official video is displayed in black and white and shows the band playing in an old, empty house, intercut with surreal imagery. It has received the most views of any of Bloc Party's songs on YouTube, gaining over 30 million views.[7] A remastered version with HD video and audio can be found here.

Track listings

UK 7-inch

  1. "Helicopter"
  2. "Skeleton"

UK CD

  1. "Helicopter"
  2. "Always New Depths"
  3. "Tulips" (Minotaur Shock mix)

US CD

  1. "Helicopter" (Diplo remix)
  2. "Helicopter" (Weird Science remix featuring Peaches)
  3. "Helicopter" (Whitey remix)
  4. "Helicopter" (Original version)

US 12-inch

  1. "Helicopter" (Diplo remix)
  2. "Helicopter" (Weird Science remix featuring Peaches)

Charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 26

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 23 October 2004. p. 23.
  2. ^ Boydston, Joshua (17 February 2015). "A tribut to Bloc Party's Silent Alarm". Oxford Karma. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  3. ^ Taylor, Benji (14 August 2013). "Review: Bloc Party - 'The Nextwave Sessions'". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  4. ^ Fleischer, Norman (2 February 2015). "Hoping For a Miracle: 10 Years of Bloc Party's 'Silent Alarm'". Nothing but Hope and Passion. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  5. ^ Commercial sheet music for "Helicopter". Wichita Recordings Music Publishing. Distributed by International Music Publications. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  6. ^ Thomas, Lou. "BBC - Music - Review of The Jam - Sound Affects: Deluxe Edition". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. ^ Video on YouTube
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  9. ^ "British single certifications – Bloc Party – Helicopter". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 30 August 2024.