Capital G
| "Capital G" | |||||||
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| Single by Nine Inch Nails | |||||||
| from the album Year Zero | |||||||
| Released | June 11, 2007 | ||||||
| Format | Vinyl | ||||||
| Recorded | 2006 | ||||||
| Genre | Industrial rock, electronica | ||||||
| Length | 3:49 | ||||||
| Label | Interscope | ||||||
| Producer(s) | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross | ||||||
| Nine Inch Nails singles chronology | |||||||
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| Year Zero |
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 an alternate reality game by |
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Year Zero album |
| In-game |
"Capital G" is a single by Nine Inch Nails, the second from their 2007 album Year Zero. A promo CD of the track was released through Interscope Records on April 2, 2007, and a vinyl was later released through What Records on June 11.[1] The song was never released commercially in CD format, nor was an official music video ever released.
Music and lyrics
Though numerous reviews of the album speculated that "G" refers specifically to the G in George W. Bush, where the capitial G has a significant meaning Trent Reznor stated that the "G" stands for "Greed".[2][3][4]
Release and reception
"Capital G" was not released with a Halo number due to Reznor's increasing awareness of the overpricing of retail music, and his record label's alleged plans to overprice Halo releases to take advantage of Nine Inch Nails' dedicated fan base.[5] Art collaborator Rob Sheridan confirmed this fact:
| “ | It will not be a halo. It's a simple 9" vinyl release the record company really wanted to put out - Europe only, I believe. Side A is Capital G, side B is the Dave Sitek Survivalism remix. It will be nice for the people who have the 9" collector box, but we kept a halo # off of it because it doesn't warrant one, and so regular collectors wouldn't feel any pressure to pick it up just for the sake of completeness. | ” |
| —Rob Sheridan, The Spiral fanclub | ||
The song was first played on radio on April 4, 2007. As of April 27, 2007, "Capital G" is listed on the Mediabase Jump![6] and Taking Off[7] charts, which record the track's increase in radio airplay over 7 days. "Capital G" officially became available for airplay on May 14–15,[8] although it received the most adds in the alternative category during the week of April 27, according to Radio & Records.[9]
The song is available for download as an "exhibit" in WAV format at exterminal.net, a website within the Year Zero alternate reality game revealed by decrypting a binary code sequence on the Year Zero's thermo-chrome disc when heated.
On April 26, 2007, the official Year Zero website published the multitrack audio files of "Capital G" for GarageBand and Logic Pro, as well as WAV files for other applications.[10][11]
The song is available for download in the video game Rock Band.
"Capital G" is Nine Inch Nails' fifth consecutive top ten single on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[12]
Trivia
The cover design of the single draws from masonic symbolism - e.g. the "G", cross, radius.
Track listing
CD: Interscope / NINCAPGCDP1 (US)
- "Capital G" (album) - 3:51
- "Capital G" (edit) - 3:49
- US promo CD
CD: Interscope / INTR-12230-2 (US)
- "Capital G" (Phones 666 RPM Mix) - 7:23
- "Capital G" (Switch Remix) - 5:01
- US promo CD
9": Interscope / 173 613-9 (UK)
- "Capital G" (Album Version) - 3:49
- "Survivalism" (Dave Sitek Remix) - 4:30
Personnel
- Trent Reznor - lyrics, performance
- Josh Freese – drums
- Geoff "Double G" Gallegos – baritone saxophone
- Matt Demeritt – tenor saxophone
- Elizabeth Lea – trombone
- William Artope – trumpet
- Atticus Ross - production
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Modern Rock Tracks[13] | 6 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks[13] | 25 |
| UK Singles Chart[citation needed] | 140 |
References
- ↑ "Capital G [Halo 25]". What Records mailing list. 2007-04-26. http://www.whatrecords.co.uk/items/45384.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ↑ Dan Aquilante (2007-04-15). "A Good 'Year'". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-04-19. "Even though the "Year Zero" story is set 12 years in the future, the 16-song disc is anchored in the present with not-so-veiled references to President Bush, who's portrayed as a war monger in "Capital G.""
- ↑ James Munson (2007-04-18). "Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero Review [2]". 411mania. Retrieved 2007-04-19. "He mutters the insult “mo-tha-fu-ckers” in the most absurd manner possible on the 80’s synth-pop, Bush-bashing “Capital G”."
- ↑ Jason Nahrung (2007-04-19). "Dark days ahead". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 2007-04-19. "Nowhere is the target of his ire more obvious than on the bouncy little ditty, Capital G, which embraces the big end of town as well as Dubya."
- ↑ Daniel Kreps (2007-05-14). "Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor Slams Records Labels for Sorry State of the Industry". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
- ↑ "7 Day Charts - Jump! - Alternative". Mediabase. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ↑ "7 Day Charts - Taking Off - Alternative". Mediabase. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ↑ "Active & Mainstream Rock Available For Airplay". FMQB. April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ↑ "Alternative Most Added". Radio & Records. 2007-04-27. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ↑ "Year Zero". Nine Inch Nails. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ↑ "Multitracks for 3 YZ songs posted on nin.com". The NIN Hotline. 2007-04-26. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ↑ "allmusic ((( Nine Inch Nails > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Macrovision. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Billboard Music Charts - Search Results - Nine Inch Nails". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-09-28.
