Ship to Wreck

"Ship to Wreck"
Single by Florence and the Machine
from the album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful
Released	9 April 2015
Format	Digital download
Recorded	The Pool (London, England)
Genre	Folk rock pop rock soft rock
Length	3:54
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Florence Welch Tom Hull
Producer(s)	Markus Dravs Kid Harpoon
Florence and the Machine singles chronology
"What Kind of Man" (2015) "Ship to Wreck" (2015) "Queen of Peace" (2015)

"Ship to Wreck" is a song by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine from their third studio album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (2015). It was released on 9 April 2015 as the album's second single. The track premiered on Huw Stephens' show on BBC Radio 1 on 8 April 2015 and the accompanying music video was released on 13 April, following the narrative of band's previous two videos of "What Kind of Man" and "St. Jude".

"Ship to Wreck" was met with critical acclaim, with critics praising frontwoman Florence Welch's vocals, as well as the song's production. The song received nominations for Best Rock Video at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

Composition

"Ship to Wreck" is a folk rock,^[1] pop rock,^[2] and soft rock^[3] song that carries an "upbeat, bouncy sound", in contrast to the lyrics, which speak of self-destructive behaviour.^[4] The song almost did not make the cut for How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, as producer Markus Dravs had disallowed Welch to write more songs about water, a recurring theme in the band's previous album, Ceremonials (2011), but she managed to include it.^[5] In a press release, Welch explained the meaning behind the song, saying: "I was thinking about my own self destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you're in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most."^[6]

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard included "Ship to Wreck" on its "Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far)" list in June 2015, stating, "Florence Welch may have reached a new peak with third album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful—she's certainly never been more effective as a live performer, and "Ship To Wreck" demonstrates that she's still growing as a pop songwriter. Everything comes together for Florence + The Machine on their latest single, as Welch's voice coils around the slender arrangement and squeezes hard on the chorus."^[7] Rolling Stone ranked "Ship to Wreck" at number 26 on its list of the 50 Best Songs of 2015.^[8] The song also reached number 40 on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2015.^[9]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.^[10]

Florence and the Machine

• Florence Welch – vocals, backing vocals, songwriting
• Rob Ackroyd – electric guitar
• Chris Hayden – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

Leo Abrahams – acoustic guitar Robin Baynton – engineering Iain Berryman – assistant engineering Markus Dravs – glockenspiel, production James Hallawell – Hammond organ Ted Jensen – mastering Kid Harpoon – bass, drums, electric guitar, percussion, production, songwriting, CP70 synth

Janelle Martin – backing vocals Nim Miller – backing vocals Baby N'Sola – backing vocals Jonathan Sagis – assistant engineering Mark 'Spike' Stent – mixing Geoff Swan – mixing assistance

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 48 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[12] 66 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[13] 12 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[14] 48 Canada Rock (Billboard)[15] 11 France (SNEP)[16] 125 Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 81 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 38 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 37 Poland (Polish Airplay New)[20] 1 Scotland (Official Charts Company)[21] 15 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 27 US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[23] 14 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24] 1 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[25] 8 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[26] 11

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[27] 4 US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[28] 33 US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[29] 35

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Canada	9 April 2015	Digital download	Island	[30]
United States				[31]
United Kingdom	26 April 2015	Contemporary hit radio		[32]
United States	19 May 2015	Alternative radio	Republic	[33]

References

1. Monger, James Christopher. "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence + the Machine". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
2. Johnston, Maura (1 June 2015). "Florence + the Machine, 'How Big How Blue How Beautiful'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
3. K., Rudy (2 June 2015). "Florence and the Machine – How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
4. Spanos, Brittany (8 April 2015). "Florence + the Machine Build a 'Ship to Wreck' in New Song". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
5. Cooper, Leonie. "Florence Welch reveals 'chaotic' year and 'nervous breakdown' behind new album". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
6. Beauchemin, Molly (8 April 2015). "Florence and the Machine Share "Ship to Wreck"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
7. Lipshutz, Jason (22 June 2015). "Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far)"". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
8. "50 Best Songs of 2015". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. 3 December 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
9. "1–100 List | Hottest 100 2015". Triple J. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
10. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful (CD liner notes). Florence and the Machine. Island Records. 2015. 602547236067.
11. "Australian-charts.com – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
12. "Austriancharts.at – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
13. "Ultratop.be – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
14. "Ultratop.be – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
15. "Search results: Canada Rock". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
16. "Lescharts.com – Florence and the Machine – Ship to Wreck" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
18. "Chart Track: Week 24, 2015". Irish Singles Chart.
19. "Charts.org.nz – Florence + The Machine – Ship to Wreck". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
20. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay New. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
21. "Archive Chart: 2015-06-13". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
22. "Archive Chart: 2015-06-13" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
23. "Search results: Bubbling Under Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
24. "Florence + The Machine – Chart history" Billboard Adult Alternative Songs for Florence + The Machine. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
25. "Florence + The Machine – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Florence + The Machine. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
26. "Florence + The Machine – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Florence + The Machine. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
27. "Adult Alternative Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
28. "Alternative Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
29. "Rock Songs: Year End 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
30. "Ship To Wreck (2015) | Florence + The Machine". 7digital (CA). Retrieved 4 March 2016.
31. "Ship To Wreck: Florence + The Machine: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
32. "BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist". BBC Radio 1. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
33. "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2016.