| Sunburn | |
| Cover: | Muse sunburn.jpg |
| Caption: | 'CD1' cover |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Muse |
| Album: | Showbiz |
| Released: | 21 February 2000 |
| Recorded: | April 1999 |
| Studio: | Sawmills Studio, Cornwall, England |
| Genre: | Alternative rock |
| Length: | 3:54 (album version) 3:33 (radio edit) |
| Label: | Taste/Mushroom |
| Producer: | John Leckie |
| Prev Title: | Muscle Museum |
| Prev Year: | 1999 |
| Next Title: | Unintended |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
"Sunburn" is a song by English rock band Muse, released as the fourth single from their 1999 debut album Showbiz.
Both "Sunburn" and "Falling Down" were the last songs written for Showbiz, being in late 1998 while the others were between 1996 and early 1998.
The lyrics, as Matthew Bellamy said, are about:[1]
"Sunburn" was released on 21 February 2000 on 7" vinyl—backed with a live acoustic version of the song—and double CD—backed with "Ashamed", a live version of the song, "Yes Please" and a live version of "Uno". It reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart,[2]
The music video for "Sunburn", directed by Nick Gordon,[2] depicts a young Brooke Kinsella—who later rose to fame as an actress on EastEnders—babysitting a young boy (Liam Hess) until she heads upstairs to investigate something. Entering a bedroom, she enters a wardrobe for a few minutes and begins to steal jewellery before Matthew Bellamy and Christopher Wolstenholme appear playing in the mirrors on the doors either side of her. Before she can see them, they quickly disappear in reality. Standing in front of a giant mirror, she's shocked when Bellamy, Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard emerge, playing only as their reflections. The young woman struggles to cope with seeing them perform in the mirror, clasping her head in frustration and throws an object at the mirror, smashing it. The young boy enters, he sees the room in a mess and then looks behind him. In the mirror, Muse have strangely vanished, and in their place is the girl. The video ends in a still of the boy staring in disbelief at the empty sofa, while in the mirror the girl is sitting on it.
"Sunburn" was one of Muse's most performed songs live, and was a permanent fixture in the band's concerts from 1999 to 2004. While not a staple, "Sunburn" was performed often on the Black Holes and Revelations Tour, and made occasional appearances on The Resistance Tour, The 2nd Law Tour, and Drones World Tour. The song has not been performed since 2016.
Personnel adapted from Showbiz liner notes[3]
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 21 February 2000 | Mushroom | 7" | MUSH68S |
| 2CD | MUSH68CDS/MUSH68CDSX | |||
| CD | MUSE 6 | |||
| 12" | MUSE 7 | |||
| Benelux | Play It Again Sam | CD | 481.2003.22 | |
| Germany | Motor | 12" | B033102-01 |
]
.