Unbelievers (song)
2013 single by Vampire Weekend
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"Unbelievers" is a song by American indie pop band Vampire Weekend. Written by the band's lead singer Ezra Koenig and multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, and produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and Batmanglij, the song was released as the third single from their third studio album Modern Vampires of the City in August 2013.[1] The band initially premiered "Unbelievers" in a live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 31, 2012.[2][3] They also performed the song live on an episode of Saturday Night Live prior to it being released as a single.[4]
| "Unbelievers" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Vampire Weekend | ||||
| from the album Modern Vampires of the City | ||||
| Released | August 12, 2013 | |||
| Length | 3:22 | |||
| Label | XL | |||
| Composers | ||||
| Lyricist |
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| Producers |
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| Vampire Weekend singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio video | ||||
| "Unbelievers" on YouTube | ||||
Commercial performance
The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, becoming the band's first top ten hit on the chart,[5] and has also peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart[6] and number 158 on the UK Singles Chart.[7]
Personnel
Vampire Weekend
- Chris Baio – bass
- Rostam Batmanglij – piano, guitars, banjo, vocal harmonies and backing vocals, drum and synth programming, keyboards, shaker
- Ezra Koenig – lead vocals, piano
- Chris Tomson – drums
Additional musicians
- Johnny Bravo – flistle
- Brendan Ryan – accordion
- Elizabeth Lea – trombone
- Danny T. Levin – trumpet
- Seth Shafer – tuba
- Ariel Rechtshaid – additional drum and synth programming
Technical
- Scott Jacoby – mixing
- Emily Lazar – mixing, mastering
- Joe LaPorta – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2013–14) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[8] | 20 |
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[9] | 21 |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[10] | 19 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] | 158 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[6] | 24 |
| US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[11] | 7 |
| US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 6 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[5] | 7 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2013) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[13] | 30 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||