Violence (song) explained

Violence
Cover:Grimes and i o - Violence (Alternative cover).jpg
Border:yes
Caption:Cover art for later editions
Type:single
Artist:Grimes and I_o
Album:Miss Anthropocene
Genre:
Length:3:40 (original mix)
4:12 (club mix)
Label:
Producer:
  • Grimes
  • I_o
Chronology:Grimes
Prev Title:Pretty Dark
Prev Year:2019
Next Title:So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth
Next Year:2019

"Violence" is a song by Canadian musician Grimes and American DJ I_o. It was released on September 5, 2019, as the lead single from her fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene.

Background

On September 3, 2019, the singer teased the release by posting a painting of an angelic figure whose hands touch a sword pierced into a planet resembling earth.[1] She also blanked the remainder of her Instagram page.[2] The post was accompanied by the caption "A new way to die! 2 days." which led publications to believe it would be the name of the song.[3] However, she clarified the actual song title a day later.[4] Another post in anticipation of the release read "There were Humans and Gods and nothing but Angels in between."[5]

Critical reception

Selim Bulut of Dazed Digital described the track as "a more ethereal piece of electro-pop, driven by a thumping kickdrum and synth arp bassline".[6] Jem Aswad at Variety spoke of the song as a "synth-driven, soft-focus collaboration with DJ i_o".[5] Writing for Uproxx, Derrick Rossignol noted that "it's an engaging piece of atmospheric but dance-ready electronic pop" and compared it to some of her previous works.[7] In his review of Grimes' album, Miss Anthropocene, Anna Richmond described "Violence" as a song about "an abusive relationship, [...] only understood as being sung by the actual Earth to the very crisis of climate change" and, sonically, "four-to-the-floor trance with a Madonna-esque vocal melody".[8] Rhian Daly of NME described the song as "pulsating, intergalactic rave-pop".[9] The song appeared on Paper Mag list of the "10 Songs You Need To Start Your Weekend Right", where the writer, Michael Love Michael, described it as "a bouncy synthpop track that feels like equal parts Britney Spears club hit and PSA for toxic relationships and/or climate change".[10]

Music video

The music video for "Violence" was released through Grimes' YouTube channel alongside the song's official release on September 5, 2019.[11] It was directed by Grimes herself. The video begins with the singer reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu which would predict the outcome of the video.[12] [13] Later on March 15, 2020, the cover of the book got censored due to copyright claims made by that specific edition publishing company. After reading the book, Grimes is then seen performing dances among a group of female warriors whose movements mimic war combats;[14] all of them are wearing facemasks to obscure their features. Grimes is also seen in the area where she read the book, dancing, and singing. Grimes wears a simple black outfit while with the dancers, and while on her own she is dressed in a "silver, futuristic dress" from Iris Van Herpen's fall 2019 couture collection.[12] Variety compared the visuals to a "a supermodel session in the 1990s".[5] The video features choreography inspired by TikTok user Cindy,[15] and was filmed inside the Vibiana Cathedral.[16]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[17]

Charts

Chart (2019–2020)Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[18] 31
US Dance/Electronic Digital Songs (Billboard)[19] 5

Notes and References

  1. Gil. Kaufman. Grimes Teases 'A New Way to Die' Single. Billboard. September 3, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190903224803/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/dance/8528913/grimes-teases-new-single. September 3, 2019. live.
  2. Web site: Natalia. Panzer. Grimes to release new music this Thursday. Fact Magazine. September 3, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190904005629/https://www.factmag.com/2019/09/03/grimes-to-release-new-music-this-thursday. September 4, 2019. live.
  3. Web site: Nick. Reilly. Grimes confirms new single 'A New Day To Die' will arrive this week. NME. September 3, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190903234916/https://www.nme.com/news/music/grimes-a-new-way-to-die-new-single-2544437. September 3, 2019. live.
  4. Web site: Official press release for Violence - dropping tonight at midnight ! ⏰. Instagram. September 5, 2019. September 15, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200915155008/https://www.instagram.com/p/B2AFp-rHmtw. live.
  5. Web site: Jem. Aswad. Grimes Drops New Single and Video, 'Violence'. Variety. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190905142258/https://variety.com/2019/music/news/grimes-drops-new-single-and-video-violence-1203324574. September 5, 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Selim. Bulut. Grimes returns with a new single, 'Violence'. Dazed. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://archive.today/20200421110602/https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/45873/1/grimes-io-violence-watch-music-video. April 21, 2020. live.
  7. Web site: Derrick. Rossignol. Grimes Sets War To Thumping Electronic Pop In Her New 'Violence' Video. Uproxx. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190905160617/https://uproxx.com/pop/grimes-violence-video. September 5, 2019. live.
  8. Web site: Anna. Richmond. Review: Grimes' Miss Anthropocene Feels Both Deeply Personal and Communal. Slant Magazine. February 22, 2020. March 5, 2020. https://archive.today/20200223011723/https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review-grimes-miss-anthropocene-feels-both-deeply-personal-and-communal/. 23 February 2020. live.
  9. Web site: Rhian. Daly. Grimes - 'Miss Anthropocene' review: an iconoclast continues to march to the beat of her own drum. NME. February 20, 2020. March 16, 2020. https://archive.today/20200423125623/https://www.nme.com/reviews/grimes-miss-anthropocene-review-2612446. April 23, 2020. live.
  10. Web site: Michael Love Michael. Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right. Paper. September 6, 2019. April 7, 2020. https://archive.today/20200423130829/https://www.papermag.com/bops-only-kidd-kenn-2640232155.html. April 23, 2020. live.
  11. Web site: Noah. Yoo. Watch Grimes' Video for New Song "Violence". Pitchfork. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190905160615/https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-grimes-video-for-new-song-violence. September 5, 2019. live.
  12. Web site: Trey. Alston. Grimes Commands a Legion of Ninjas in 'Violence'. MTV. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190905160616/http://www.mtv.com/news/3138130/grimes-violence-video. September 5, 2019. dead.
  13. Web site: Marissa. Lorusso. Watch The Video For Grimes' New Song 'Violence'. NPR. September 5, 2019. August 9, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20190906032335/https://www.npr.org/2019/09/05/757857811/watch-the-video-for-grimes-new-song-violence. September 6, 2019. live.
  14. Claire. Shaffer. Althea. Legaspi. Emily. Zemler. Watch Grimes Learn the Art of War in 'Violence' Music Video. Rolling Stone. September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190905075954/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grimes-violence-i-o-video-880155. September 5, 2019. live.
  15. Web site: Chelsey. Sanchez. Grimes's Dance for the "Violence" Music Video Was Inspired by This TikTok. Harper's Bazaar. February 21, 2020. April 9, 2020. https://archive.today/20200421091023/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a31022820/grimes-violence-music-video-playback. April 21, 2020. live.
  16. Web site: Feb 20, 2020. Grimes Talks "Violence" Music Video and Taking Inspiration From Bollywood and TikTok Playback. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200805140928/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96_oQ5dANCc. August 5, 2020. YouTube.
  17. Web site: Violence / Grimes and i_o. Tidal. September 5, 2019. April 21, 2020. https://archive.today/20200421164938/https://listen.tidal.com/album/121193077. live.
  18. Web site: NZ Hot Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. September 16, 2019. September 14, 2019. April 21, 2020. https://archive.today/20200421201100/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/hotsingles?chart=4746. live.
  19. Grimes (chart history, Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Billboard. December 22, 2020 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Violence (song)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.