Undisclosed Desires

"Undisclosed Desires"
Single by Muse
from the album The Resistance
B-side"Remixes"
Released16 November 2009
Recorded2009
StudioStudio Bellini (Lake Como, Italy)
GenreAlternative dance, R&B
Length3:56
Label
Songwriter(s)Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)Muse
Muse singles chronology
"Uprising"
(2009) 		"Undisclosed Desires"
(2009) 		"Resistance"
(2010)

"Undisclosed Desires" (also known as "Undisclosed")[1] is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the second single from their fifth studio album, The Resistance, on 16 November 2009.[2] The song was written by lead vocalist Matthew Bellamy, who has described it as being "quite a personal song about me and my girlfriend."[3] The song peaked at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart. It also achieved large success in Australia where it was certified Platinum and is Muse's highest-charting single in that country.

Background and composition

In an interview with English music magazine Mojo, songwriter Matthew Bellamy described "Undisclosed Desires" as one of "some tracks [...] that really take an influence from contemporary R&B, and a little bit from the David Bowie Song "Ashes to Ashes" – heavy beats, syncopation, very melodic, rhythmic vocals," adding that "Dom [Howard, Muse drummer] has done all the drum programming. [...] It's the first song we've had where I don't play guitar or piano."[4] NME commented on the lack of guitar and piano, writing that "the song [is] built around electric drum patterns and some slap bass from Chris Wolstenholme."[5] Speaking about his slap bass contribution, Wolstenholme joked that "it's probably not ever been cool to play slap bass, [...] but on that song it just seemed to work so we kept it in."[5] When performed live, Bellamy plays a keytar. Music magazine Q describe the song as having a "minimal and dance-y feel."[3] In the interview with Q, Bellamy also revealed the inspiration behind the song's lyrics, explaining that "it's actually quite a personal song about me and my girlfriend. I'm thinking people have had enough of geo-political stuff by the end of the album."[3] The style of the song has been compared to that of new wave band Depeche Mode,[6] especially their single "New Life".[7]

Release and reception

The song garnered a mixed reception from critics, with some chastising the R&B sound while others thought of it as too much of a departure from their already diverse sound. Andrew Leahey of music website allmusic described the song as "bizarre Timbaland-meets-Depeche Mode ambiance," using it as an example of the band's apparent "tendency to pile excess upon excess."[8] Reviewing for NME, Ben Patashnik noted "Undisclosed" as evidence of the band "try[ing] to reignite the low-down R&B of ‘Supermassive Black Hole’," which he also suggests "backfires."[9] Patashnik went on to criticize the song further, slating it as sounding like "something Timbaland might find down the back of his mixing desk."[9] Mojo, on the other hand, identified "Undisclosed" as one of the highlights of The Resistance, along with "United States of Eurasia" and "Uprising".[4] Q Magazine also described it favourably, calling it "a stark, gothic take (on Timbaland's style)". On 19 February 2010, "Undisclosed Desires" finished on the Hot30 Countdown at a peak of number 9.

Music video

The video, directed by French duo Jonas & François, depicts all 3 members of Muse in a rather unusual room where there are wires lying and hanging everywhere. And before showing a speaker up close Chris is playing slap bass in the corner next to a massive hamster wheel filled with bass guitars; Dom is alternating playing the drum kit and pushing more drums into the kit; and Matt is at the front, playing keytar and singing into two microphones taped together, with three glass frames in front of him labelled "Matt Close up", "Matt Mid shot" and "Matt Long shot", and a small area above him with eight microphones surrounding it, where he occasionally puts his hand in to snap his fingers. There is also a dancer dressed in extravagantly bright colours performing various dance moves. In addition, there are at least thirty monitors on the walls, showing the lyrics word-by-word, all seem to be out of sync except two or three, but they are all right in sync chorus. At the beginning of the video Matt plugs a wire into his shoe. Sometimes a bleeding heart is seen in front of a white background.

Track listing

CD single • digital download[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Undisclosed Desires"3:56
2."Undisclosed Desires" (The Big Pink Remix)4:27
3."Undisclosed Desires" (Thin White Duke Remix)7:44
Muse.mu exclusive download[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Undisclosed Desires" (Album Version)3:56
2."Undisclosed Desires" (The Big Pink Remix)4:30
3."Undisclosed Desires" (Thin White Duke Remix)7:40
4."Undisclosed Desires" (Thin White Duke Remix (edit))4:51

Personnel

Muse
Main production personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] Platinum 70,000^
Italy (FIMI)[33] Gold 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Tom Kirk (Director) (14 September 2009). The Making of The Resistance (DVD). Warner Music Group.
  2. ^ "Undisclosed Desires – Out on 16th November". Muse. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b c "Hot New Albums 42: Muse". Q. July 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Progressive stadium rock three dream up album five". Mojo. August 2009.
  5. ^ a b "Muse new album - first listen". NME. July 2009.
  6. ^ "Jai ecoute le nouveau Muse". L'Express. July 2009.
  7. ^ Ben Thompson (6 September 2009). "Muse: The Resistance". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  8. ^ Andrew Leahey. "The Resistance > Review". allmusic. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  9. ^ a b Ben Patashnik (18 September 2009). "Album review: Muse – 'The Resistance'". NME. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  10. ^ "Undisclosed Desires - EP". iTunes. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  11. ^ "Undisclosed Desires - MP3". Muse.mu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  13. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  14. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  15. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  16. ^ "Muse Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires". Tracklisten. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  18. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  19. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Undisclosed Desires by Muse - Music Charts". αCharts.
  21. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  22. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  23. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  24. ^ "Muse – Undisclosed Desires". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  26. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  27. ^ "Muse Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  28. ^ "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  29. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2010". Ultratop. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2010". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  31. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
  33. ^ "Italian single certifications – Muse – Undisclosed Desires" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 28 November 2014. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Undisclosed Desires" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  34. ^ "British single certifications – Muse – Undisclosed Desires". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
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