Talk Shows on Mute
2004 single by Incubus
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"Talk Shows on Mute" is a song by the American alternative rock band Incubus. Released as the second single from the band's 2004 album, A Crow Left of the Murder..., it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 18 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and No. 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
| "Talk Shows on Mute" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Incubus | ||||
| from the album A Crow Left of the Murder... | ||||
| Released | 2004 | |||
| Recorded | October–November 2003 | |||
| Studio | Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:52 | |||
| Label | Epic/Immortal | |||
| Songwriters | Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, Ben Kenney, Chris Kilmore, José Pasillas | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| Incubus singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Talk Shows on Mute" on YouTube | ||||
Background
The song has a mellow and stripped-down sound, with lyrics containing references to George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Philip K. Dick's novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Lead singer Brandon Boyd says the inspiration for the song came to him while watching a talk show on an airplane.
"I was on an airplane when a talk show began playing on the TVs. I decided to start narrating for the people, which is a really great game if you're ever bored enough. I realized a time will probably come when television will watch us if we're watching it, if that hasn't already happened, figuratively or literally. It sounded like some sort of pseudo-Big Brother nightmare, so I wrote it down."[citation needed]
Music video
The song's music video was directed by Floria Sigismondi, who also directed the band's "Megalomaniac" video. The video alludes to another George Orwell novel, Animal Farm. It depicts a world where animals have taken over, and the members of Incubus are shown on a talk show demonstrating "stupid human trix".
Track listing
US/EU CD single
- Talk Shows on Mute
- Wish You Were Here (Live In Osaka, Japan)
- Talk Shows on Mute (Live In Osaka, Japan)
- Hello - BBC Radio 1 Version
Yellow 7"
- Side A
- Talk Shows on Mute
- Here in My Room - BBC Radio 1 Version
- Side B
- Vitamin - Live "Bootleg" Version - Osaka, Japan
- Hello - Live "Bootleg" Version - Osaka, Japan
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[1] | 42 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[2] | 24 |
| Scottish Singles Sales (Official Charts)[3] | 54 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts)[4] | 43 |
| UK Rock & Metal (Official Charts)[5] | 4 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[6] | 16 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[7] | 3 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8] | 18 |
