Handlebars (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Handlebars” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Flobots from the album Fight With Tools |
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| Released |  April 15, 2008 |
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| Format | digital download | |
| Genre | Alternative Rock, Rap rock | |
| Length | 3:27 | |
| Label | Universal Republic | |
"Handlebars" is the debut single from the indie rap rock group Flobots from Denver, Colorado. It was re-released in October 2007 on the group's commercial debut album, Fight With Tools, before its single release in April 2008.
The song debuted to great popularity in a type where rap rock genres were certainly not at the foreground of commercial music. In addition to the more common hard rock instruments, "Handlebars" features horns and strings. The song was performed live on the June 5, 2008 edition of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
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[edit] Meaning
"The song is about the idea that we have so much incredible potential as human beings to be destructive or to be creative. And it's tragic to me that the appetite for military innovation is endless, but when it comes to taking on a project like ending world hunger, it's seen as outlandish. It's not treated with the same seriousness," Flobots MC Jonny 5 (a.k.a. Jamie Laurie) said.[1]
The lead singer has also explained that one of the themes of the song was inspired by:
"The lyrics came to me as I was riding a bike home from work with my hands in the air — I had just learned how to do it — and I felt triumphant, but at the same time, I knew there were people at that moment who were being bombed by our own country. And I thought that was incredibly powerful. We have these little moments of creativity, these bursts of innovation, and every time that happens, that innovation is used to oppress and destroy people. So it struck me as beautiful and tragic at the same time."[1]
[edit] Music Video
The video for the song starts out lighthearted, showing two young males riding their bikes without handlebars. They arrive at a sign that points in two directions, one labeled with a corporate-like symbol, and the other labeled by a dove. They hug and head their separate ways.
The person who took the direction labeled with a dove arrives in a peaceful, serene city, while the other person arrives in a large, businesslike city. The business person goes on to become a tyrannic leader of the city, and aims to take over the peaceful city. The citizens of the peaceful city then form a rebellion against their new leader, headed by the peaceful person from earlier. Just after the rebels start a riot and fight against the leader's guards, the leader sees his former friend just before his friend is killed, and realizes that he has done wrong.
The video ends as it began, with the two people riding their bikes without the handlebars.
[edit] Chart performance
On May 1, 2008, less than three weeks after release, the song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.[2] Fueled by radio airplay, including six straight weeks at the top of KROQ's most played list, it was the first single since Semisonic's "Closing Time" to chart in the top ten so quickly.[3]
It has had similar success on the digital landscape, having over 880,000 total plays on the band's MySpace.com page and the video has had over 1.8 million views on YouTube.[4][5] Digital download purchases have placed the song at #20 on Amazon.com's rap and hip-hop charts.[6]
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 3 |
| Billboard Hot Digital Songs | 25 |
| Billboard Pop 100 | 44 |
| Billboard Hot 100 | 57 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b Montgomery, James (2008-05-05). Flobots Fight To Make The World A Better Place - News Story. news. MTV. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
- ^ Flobots - Billboard Artist Chart History. Retrieved on April 15, 2008.
- ^ Flobots Celebrate Kick Off of Debut Album Fight with Tools with Outdoor Hollywood Live Performance/In-Store. Retrieved on May 22, 2008.
- ^ MySpace.com - FLOBOTS - Denver, Colorado - Hip Hop / Progressive / Classical - www.myspace.com/flobots. Retrieved on May 22, 2008.
- ^ Flobots - Handlebars. Retrieved on May 24, 2008.
- ^ Product Details (Product sales page). Retrieved on 2008-05-23.Scroll to see sales information.
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