Bliss (Muse song) explained

Bliss
Cover:Muse bliss.jpg
Caption:'CD1' cover
Type:single
Artist:Muse
Album:Origin of Symmetry
Released:[1]
Recorded:September 2000
Studio:
Genre:
Length:
  • 4:13 (album version)
  • 4:36 (single version)
  • 3:46 (radio edit)
Label:Taste
Producer:
Prev Title:New Born
Prev Year:2001
Next Title:Hyper Music
Next Title2:Feeling Good
Next Year:2001

"Bliss" is a song by English rock band Muse, released on 20 August 2001 as the third single from their second studio album Origin of Symmetry (2001).

Composition

"Bliss" is a space rock song that moves at a tempo of 129 bpm. The song opens and ends with synthesiser arpeggios, with the majority of the song driven by bass and synth. Bellamy's vocal lines in the song span from F3 to E5, except for live performances, where he hits a G5 in the final chorus. The song is written in the key of C minor and modulates to the parallel major key during the chorus.

Matthew Bellamy has said "Bliss" is his favourite song "because it's got all these 80s arpeggios and keyboards on it which remind me of some music I heard on some children's music programme when I was five. I think I ripped it off that. And that reminds me of when I was a bit simpler, a bit more of a pleasant state."[2]

Music video

The music video features Matt Bellamy standing on a ledge then the song begins as he leaps and begins falling through a shaft in space. The shaft looks to be on a space station possibly on an abandoned planet, but the clear technology looks to be futuristic and well beyond what exists at this time. The other band members can be seen throughout the video watching Matt Bellamy as he falls each in their own pods along the shaft that Matt Bellamy is falling through. As the song reaches its climax he exits the shaft into space and towards what looks like a nebula or a star's photo-sphere. At that point, the light causes him to fade out as he begins to turn into dust as he edges closer to a white light and the song fades out.

Release

Bliss reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart, making it one of the most successful singles from Origin of Symmetry.[3]

Notes and References

  1. New Releases – For Week Starting August 20, 2001: Singles. Music Week. 33. 18 August 2001. 16 August 2021.
  2. Web site: IMWR . inmuseworld.net – Bliss Lyrics and information .
  3. Origin of Symmetry. Muse. 2001. liner notes. Taste Media.
  4. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 19. 37. 7. 8 September 2001. 16 August 2021.
  5. Web site: Muse | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company |publisher=Official Charts Company] |access-date=30 June 2016}}

    Live performances

    During the tour in promotion of Origin of Symmetry, "Bliss" was usually played as the final song, often coinciding with the release of giant confetti-filled balloons from the venues' roof. The song was a live staple until 2006, and has made occasional appearances on all of the band's subsequent tours.

    Track listing

    • 'CD1'
    1. "Bliss" – 4:36
    2. "The Gallery" – 3:32
    3. "Screenager" (live) – 4:00
    4. "Bliss" (video) – 4:36
    • 'CD2'
    1. "Bliss" – 4:36
    2. "Hyper Chondriac Music" – 5:30
    3. "New Born" (live) – 5:57
    • 7" vinyl
    1. "Bliss" – 4:36
    2. "Hyper Chondriac Music" – 5:30

    Personnel

    Personnel adapted from Origin of Symmetry liner notes.[3]

    External links

    .