Babel (song)
2013 single by Mumford & Sons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Babel" is a song performed by British folk rock band Mumford & Sons, released as the fourth single from their second studio album Babel (2012). It was released on 9 July 2013 as a digital download. The song was written by Mumford & Sons and produced by Markus Dravs.
| "Babel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Mumford & Sons | ||||
| from the album Babel | ||||
| Released | 9 July 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–2012 | |||
| Genre | Indie folk | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriters | Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford and Winston Marshall | |||
| Producer | Markus Dravs | |||
| Mumford & Sons singles chronology | ||||
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About the name
"Babel" is the name of both the song and the album on which their song appeared. The title is a reference to the story known as the Tower of Babel from Genesis 11:1–9 in the Bible.[1] The song features numerous other biblical references too, which is common for music by Mumford & Sons.[2]
Still, they maintain that their message is not intended to be explicitly religious in nature.[3] Rather, their bassist, Ted Dwane, noted in a Rolling Stone interview that the song is more generally about human striving and discontentment: "As humans, we’re such a discontented species. We’re always trying to further ourselves, and you get all the way to the moon and then it’s just discontent. You want to go to Mars."[4]
Music video
A music video to accompany the release of "Babel" was first released onto YouTube on 8 July 2013 at a total length of four minutes and five seconds.[5] The video shows the band performing the song in the former 16th Street station in Oakland, California.[6][7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Babel" | 3:29 |
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 9 July 2013 | Digital download | Island Records |
