Army of Love

"Army of Love"
Single by Kerli
Released December 16, 2010
April 12, 2011
(see release history)
Format CD single, digital download
Genre Dance, synthpop
Length 3:24
Label Island
Writer(s) Kerli, Jean Baptiste, Mike McHenry, Ryan Buendia
Producer(s) Free School Music, Jean Baptiste
Kerli singles chronology
"Tea Party"
(2010)		 "Army of Love"
(2011)		 "Zero Gravity"
(2012)

"Army of Love" is a single released by Estonian recording artist Kerli, from her shelved second studio album Utopia. The song was written by Kerli, Jean Baptiste, Mick McHenry and Ryan Buendia[1][2] and was produced by Free School Music and Jean Baptiste.[2][3] It was released on December 16, 2010 via free download on Kerli's official website. It was released for purchase as a single on April 12, 2011. A 9-track remix EP was released on May 3, 2011,[4] and part 2 was released on June 21, 2011.[5]

The song charted on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play Songs chart for a total of 11 weeks, and peaked at number 1 for the week of May 7, 2011.[6] "Army of Love" was number 12 on the 2011 Billboard Year-End Dance/Club Songs chart.[7]

Background

Kerli announced on November 4, 2010 that the first promotional single from her sophomore album would be titled "Army of Love" and that the video had nearly finished production.[8]

Composition
"Army of Love"
A 30 second sample of "Army of Love", which features the first verse, build and chorus.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Army of Love" was written by Kerli, Jean Baptiste, Michael McHenry and Ryan Buendia. It was produced by Free School Music and Baptiste. "Army of Love" features a very distinct rhythmic electronic beat primarily consisting of an electronic keyboard, synths and a short drum beat. The song samples melody from 3 AM Eternal by the KLF.[9]

Critical reception

About.com Dance Music / Electronica's DJ Ron Slomowicz selected the track as "Song of the Day", stating "Whether blatantly selling out or making a true artistic shift in musical direction, 'Army of Love' is catchy and may just make Kerli more accessible across the board. "[10]

PopEater. com gave the song a positive review, commending the "infectious electronic beat" and noting that her "etherial vocals are the icing on the cake. "[11]

Chart performance

The song debuted at number 51 on the Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart and after eleven weeks, peaked at number 1.[6] It also peaked at number 3 on the "Raadio Uuno Top 40" and number 10 on the Estonian Top 40.[12]

Music video

The music video officially premiered on December 22 on YouTube through Kerli's Vevo channel.[13]

Development

The video was filmed over several days in Estonia.[8] It was directed by Kaimar Kukk.[2]

Synopsis

The video begins with a title that says: "Kerli", then "Army of Love". The first scene of the video is Kerli sitting in what appears to be a child's bedroom. She is in a rocking chair, playing with a Rubik's Cube. Then it shows Kerli in an abandoned warehouse where she picks up a phone and announces "Moonchildren, prepare to take over the universe". The scene cuts to Kerli outside the building singing the first chorus and verse into a megaphone. During this, people (presumably Moonchildren) come out of various places and follow her to the street for the next scene. They follow her into a forest, where she finds a unicorn as a fairy (Kerli) sits swinging on a swing. The next scene features Kerli on a truck singing for the large crowd that surrounds it. The video is concluded by the Moonchildren marching after her as she rides the unicorn. The screen fades to black and another title is shown: "To Be Continued..." In the beginning of the video, up until the point when she says "Moonchildren, prepare to take over the universe", you can hear words like "integrity", "love", and "unity" being whispered into the background. Throughout the first part of the video, words such as "integrity", "love", "unity", "we're coming", and "K713" blink on and off screen.

Reception

As of January 2015, the music video has 4,607,958 views on YouTube.[14] Review site Idolator said that the song's music video is the "hottest rave to hit Middle Earth, " referencing the works of J. R. R. Tolkien due to Kerli's elfin appearance in the video and the forest setting.[15]

Track listings and formats

  • Digital download
  1. "Army of Love" - 3:24
  • Digital remix EP[4]
  1. "Army of Love (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Radio Edit)" - 4:12
  2. "Army of Love (Chew Fu Rain Las Vegas Radio Edit)" - 3:46
  3. "Army of Love (Sultan & Ned Shepard Radio Edit)" - 3:39
  4. "Army of Love (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Remix)" - 7:02
  5. "Army of Love (Chew Fu Rain Las Vegas Refix Extended Club)" - 5:35
  6. "Army of Love (Sultan & Ned Shepard Extended Club Mix)" - 5:15
  7. "Army of Love (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Instrumental)" - 7:01
  8. "Army of Love (Chew Fu Rain Las Vegas Refix Dub)" - 5:35
  9. "Army of Love (Sultan & Ned Shepard Club Dub)" - 4:59
  • Digital remix EP, pt. 2[5]
  1. "Army of Love (Extended Army)" - 5:20
  2. "Army of Love (WAWA Edit)" - 3:32
  3. "Army of Love (Cherry Cherry Boom Boom Edit)" - 3:14
  4. "Army of Love (WAWA Extended Mix)" - 6:17
  5. "Army of Love (Cherry Cherry Boom Boom Refreak Mix)" - 4:39
  6. "Army of Love (DJ Lynnwood Club Mix)" - 7:07
  7. "Army of Love (WAWA Dub)" - 6:17
  8. "Army of Love (DJ Lynnwood Dub)" - 6:09
  • Digital remix EP, pt. 3[16]
  1. "Army of Love (Sonny Wharton Dub)" - 6:30
  2. "Army of Love (Sonny Wharton Remix)" - 6:29
  3. "Army of Love (Sonny Wharton Radio Edit)" - 3:25
  4. "Army of Love (Riley & Durrant Radio Edit)" - 3:37
  5. "Army of Love (Riley & Durrant Dub)" - 5:18
  6. "Army of Love (Riley & Durrant Vocal Mix)" - 5:48

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs[6] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2011) Position
US Hot Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[17] 12

Release history

Region Date Format
Worldwide December 16, 2010 Digital download (free via Kerli's website)
United States April 12, 2011 Digital download (for purchase)[18][19]
May 3, 2011 Digital remix EP
June 21, 2011 Digital remix EP, pt. 2

See also

References

  1. ↑ s, w, p, b, v&results_pp=20&start=1 "A. O. L.". ASCAP. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Army Of Love - Kerli". Vevo. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Intro". Chalkboard Music. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Army of Love (Remixes): Kerli". iTunes. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Army of Love (Remixes), pt. 2: Kerli". iTunes. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Club Music, Hot Dance Songs, Club Songs, Dance Club Music Charts". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  7. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2011/hot-dance-club-play-songs?begin=11&order=position
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Kerli uus muusikavideo aitab teistele paljastada tema "salajast Eestit"". Noorte Hääl. November 4, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2011. (Estonian)
  9. ↑ http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/89791/Kerli-Army%20of%20Love_The%20KLF-3%20A. M.%20Eternal%20(Live%20at%20the%20S. S. L.)/
  10. ↑ Slomowicz, DJ Ron. "Song of the Day: Kerli - "Army of Love"". About.com. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Kerli, 'Army of Love' -- Exclusive Song Premiere". PopEater.com. December 12, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Eesti top 40" (in Estonian). Raadio Uuno. 19. nädal (Week 19, 2011). Retrieved May 27, 2011. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ↑ "Kerli, 'Army of Love' -- Exclusive Video Premiere". PopEater. December 22, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  14. ↑ Vevo (December 17, 2010). "Kerli - Army Of Love". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2011.
  15. ↑ http://idolator.com/5724931/kerli-raves-in-the-woods-in-her-army-of-love-video
  16. ↑ "Army of Love (Remixes): Kerli". Amazon.com. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Best of 2011: Dance/Club Songs (41–50)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  18. ↑ "Army of Love - Single by Kerli". iTunes Store. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Army Of Love: Kerli: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved April 7, 2011.