"Red" is the second single by
Daniel Merriweather off his second album
Love and War, which was
released on
June 1 2009.
The single was released on
May 18 2009. It was produced by Mark Ronson, like the rest of
the songs on his album. It was released on the Columbia record
label.
Content
Merriweather said that this song "is about the blindness of war and
the absence of compassion displayed by western
administrations."
Music video
The video
for this song was shot in Brooklyn
, New York
and was
directed by Anthony
Mandler.
The video is made up mostly of scenes showing Merriweather and his
on-screen girlfriend in dark apartment. The video shows the
emotional strain that is taking its toll on their relationship. It
shows their anger and frustration with each other. Daniel
Merriweather is also seen sitting alone in the corner of a dark
room as images are projected over the wall behind him. The images
depict bullets shooting through glass as well as fire. These scenes
are interspersed with shots of Merriweather in a dark, abandoned
warehouse, we also see him walking the streets of Brooklyn. Though
the overall colour palette of the video is quite dark and dreary,
hints of red are used throughout the video in the clothing
Merriweather wears, the lighting in one of the rooms, as well as
some of the images projected on the wall.
The video was released on
15 April,
2009 on Daniel Merriweather's official YouTube
account. As of May 28, this video has received about 410, 427 views
and a 5 star rating from over 748 viewers.
Critical reception
"Red" has received quite mixed reviews from music critics:
Digitalspy gave the song 3 out of 5 stars saying
that "Sadly this press release description of Daniel Merriweather's
latest single is much like the singer himself - intriguing on
paper, but lacking in excitement when you actually sample the
goods". They also said that "but there's something rather cold and
clinical about the Australian's performance. He may list Stax and
Motown as influences, but the 26-year-old doesn't transfer the fire
and thrills of his heroes into his own melodic flow".
The Beat Review gave the song 4 out of 5 stars
saying that "It’s an emotional track that catches every emotion of
everybody who hears it. It’s somehow about being “perfect” as
Daniel sings, “It took something perfect, to paint it red”. Along
with the impressive arrangement, Daniel’s soulful, raspy vocals
ventures into the whole track making it one of his finest".
Chart Blog gave the song 3 out of 5 stars saying
"I can't tell if it's the quiet, uncharismatic way he has about him
or the song's melodic weak spots which is the problem - for all
that the chorus is great, there's a bridge which doesn't really
work - but somehow this isn't an easy song to get excited
about".
Tracklist
- "Red"
- "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)"
Release history
| Country |
Release Date |
Format |
Label |
| United Kingdom |
May 18, 2009 |
CD single, digital download |
RCA Label Group (UK) |
Charts
The song debut on the
UK Singles
Chart at 5, making it his second top ten as the lead vocalist.
In the next weeks chart it was announced that it had stayed at 5
for a second week and the week after it was also charted at #5. On
June 14 it was announced that the song was #5 for a 4th consecutive
week. The song debut on the
Irish
Singles Chart at 36, marking it the first Daniel Merriweather
song, with him as a lead vocalist, to chart in the country. On the
next weeks chart it rose 13 places to 23 and rose again on the
following weeks chart 7 places to 16.
B-Side: You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're
Told)
The song debuted on the
UK Singles
Chart at 126, without any promotion except from being the "Red"
b-side. It was the first b-side by Merriweather to chart.
References
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