Silvia (song)

"Silvia"
Single by Miike Snow
from the album Miike Snow
Released 22 January 2010 (2010-01-22)
Format
Recorded Robotberget (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genre Electronic
Length 6:26
Label Columbia
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Miike Snow
Miike Snow singles chronology
"Black & Blue"
(2009)		 "Silvia"
(2010)		 "Remedy"
(2010)

"Silvia" is a song performed by Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow. Written and produced by the band, it is a six-minute electronic piano ballad with drum, piano and synthesizer instrumentation and electro house beats. Lyrically, it speaks of longing and lead singer Andrew Wyatt's vocals are edited with Auto-Tune. "Silvia" served as the third and final single from the band's 2009 self-titled debut album. Columbia Records first digitally released it as a remix extended play (EP) on 22 January 2010. Band members Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg contributed their own remix to the release, using the alias Robotberget.

Critical reception of "Silvia" was generally positive; many critics deemed it the album's centerpiece and criticized its early placement as the third track on Miike Snow. The single achieved minor chart success in the United Kingdom; it became the band's second entry on the UK Dance Chart, peaking at number 16. However, it missed the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart as it only reached number 154. The accompanying music video was directed by Marcus Söderlund and plays out in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Background

"Silvia" was written and produced by Miike Snow's three members, Christian Karlsson, Pontus Winnberg and Andrew Wyatt.[1] It was recorded at Robotberget, the band's own studio in Stockholm, Sweden.[1][2] The band mixed it with Anders Hvenare and mastering was handled by Ted Jensen.[1] Wyatt explained during an interview for The Aquarian Weekly that "Silvia" is likely "the most autobiographical song" on the band's 2009 self-titled debut album as it was inspired by a real event of a stripper who "straightened out" and quit.[3] According to Wyatt, the band especially liked the song because it shares names with Queen Silvia of Sweden.[3] Music magazine Clash announced on 10 December 2009 that "Silvia" had been selected as the third single from the album.[4] The announcement revealed it would coincide with a United Kingdom concert tour from January through February 2010.[4] Columbia Records released the single on 22 January 2010, as a digital extended play (EP) containing remixes made by Emalkay, Felix da Housecat, Hugg & Pepp and Sinden.[5] Karlsson and Winnberg also contributed their own remix to the release, using the alias Robotberget.[6][7] Columbia issued a 12" vinyl, featuring the aforementioned remixes, in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2010.[8][9]

Composition
"Silvia"
A 30-second sample of "Silvia", showcasing the electronic instrumentation and Wyatt's Auto-Tune vocals.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Silvia" is a six-minute electronic piano ballad with electro house beats.[10][11][12][13] Instrumentation is provided by drums, a piano and synthesizers.[12][14] John Fortunato of The Aquarian Weekly likened it to works by German electronic band Kraftwerk,[3] and Martin Turenne of The Georgia Straight felt it held a "blissful groove of '90s-era piano-led house".[10] According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Publishing, the song is written in the time signature of common time with a moderate beat rate of 125 beats per minute. It is written in the key of G minor and Wyatt's vocal range spans the notes of E♭4 to E♭6. It follows a sequence of Gm–B♭–E♭ as its chord progression.[15] "Silvia" begins as a ballad and transforms into a "psychedelic, danceable" piece as the synth pads accelerate.[11] Wyatt's vocals are echoed and edited with Auto-Tune.[11][14] Elliott Townsend of URB deemed the singer's vocals "emotionally transparent".[16] The piece lyrically speaks of longing,[14] and Alex Young of Consequence of Sound described it as a "boy-done-wrong ode to the titular woman".[17]

Reception

"Silvia" received positive reviews from music critics; a writer for Complex considered it a "standout" on Miike Snow.[18] Staff reviewer Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic deemed it the "undeniable centerpiece" of Miike Snow, "It's the kind of climactic tune that makes everything after it seem lesser."[14] He regarded its placement as the third track on the album as "odd".[14] Similarly, PopMatters critic John Bergstrom also described "Silvia" as the album's centerpiece, referring it to as "stunning".[11] Naming it a "lost Duran Duran classic", Bergstrom wrote, "It's so thrilling, you'll forgive the overzealous Auto-Tune."[11] The single achieved minor commercial success on charts in the United Kingdom. It entered the UK Dance Chart at number 39 in the issue dated 23 January 2010.[19] The following week, it rose to number 32,[20] before acquiring its peak position of number 16 in its third week.[21] "Silvia" spent four weeks on the chart; its last appearance was in the issue dated 13 February 2010 at number 23.[22] The single missed the top 100 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 154 in the issue dated 6 February 2010.[23]

Music video

Marcus Söderlund directed the accompanying music video for "Silvia".[24] It premiered exclusively on NME's website in December 2009.[25] A writer for Complex commented, "The vid is kind of dramatic and hard to make sense of, but what do you expect from a band like this?"[18] The video plays out in a post-apocalyptic world.[26] It begins with the band's three members waking up from sleeping in the middle of a street, appearing to be homeless. The men then walk way in the woods while shots of homeless people are interspersed. Several people are seen carrying torches in the woods and are soon joined by the band. They then set fire to a large wooden version of a jackalope and the video ends as it bursts into flames.

Formats and track listings

  1. "Silvia" (Sinden remix) – 5:35
  2. "Silvia" (Robotberget remix) – 7:57
  3. "Silvia" (Hugg & Pepp remix) – 5:51
  4. "Silvia" (Emalkay remix) – 5:02
  5. "Silvia" (Felix da Housecat remix) – 5:49
  1. "Silvia" (Hugg & Pepp remix) – 5:51
  2. "Silvia" (Robotberget remix) – 7:57
  3. "Silvia" (Emalkay remix) – 5:02
  4. "Silvia" (Felix da Housecat remix) – 5:49
  • Digital iTunes EP[5]
  1. "Silvia" (Hugg & Pepp remix) – 5:50
  2. "Silvia" (Robotberget remix) – 7:58
  3. "Silvia" (Emalkay remix) – 5:02
  4. "Silvia" (Felix da Housecat remix) – 5:50
  5. "Silvia" (Sinden remix) – 5:35

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Miike Snow liner notes.[1]

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
scope="row"UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[21] 16
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[23] 154

Release history

Country Date Format Label
Nordic countries[6][27][28] 25 January 2010 Digital download Columbia Records
United Kingdom[5][8] 22 January 2010
8 February 2010 12" vinyl

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Miike Snow (Media notes). Miike Snow. Downtown. 2009. DWT70085.
  2. ↑ McKnight, Ren (28 March 2012). "10 Essentials: Miike Snow". GQ. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Fortunato, John (5 November 2009). "Shooting From The Hip: Miike Snow's Frosty Entree Best Served Chilled". The Aquarian Weekly. Arts Weekly. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Miike Snow Plot Single Release". Clash. Music Republic. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 "Silvia (Remixes) – EP by Miike Snow". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Silvia (2010)". 7digital (Norway). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Kim, Suyeon (20 July 2012). "Robotberget: The Latest Arm of Miike Snow's Swedish Music Empire". MTV Iggy. MTV Networks. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Silvia (12" vinyl)". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  9. 1 2 Silvia (12" vinyl). Miike Snow. United Kingdom: Columbia. 2010. LC00162.
  10. 1 2 Turenne, Martin (23 September 2009). "Trio of producers unite under Miike Snow banner". The Georgia Straight. Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Bergstrom, John (11 June 2009). "Miike Snow: Miike Snow". PopMatters. Sarah Zupko. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  12. 1 2 Ashman, Neil (12 October 2009). "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  13. ↑ Hogan, Marc (11 June 2009). "Miike Snow: Miike Snow". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Klapper, Rudy (21 June 2009). "Miike Snow – Miike Snow". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Miike Snow, 'Silvia' – Composition Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. Alfred Publishing.
  16. ↑ Townsend, Elliott (11 June 2009). "Miike Snow". URB. NativeSon Media. Archived from the original on 22 June 2009.
  17. ↑ Young, Alex (27 September 2009). "Miike Snow makes a short but very sweet visit to Empty Bottle (9/25)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Wake N' Watch: Miike Snow 'Silvia' Music Video". Complex. Complex Media. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "2010-01-23 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart". UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "2010-01-30 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart". UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Archive Chart: 2010-02-06" UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  22. ↑ "2010-02-13 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart". UK Dance Chart. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  23. 1 2 "The Official UK Singles Chart for the week ending 6 February 2010". UKChartsPlus. Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd (441). 31 January 2010.
  24. ↑ Jannesson, Linn (12 February 2014). "'Vackert och filmiskt i storslagen miljö'" ['Beautiful and cinematic in grand environment']. Gaffa (in Swedish). Gaffa Sverige AB. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Miike Snow – 'Silvia' Video". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Saeed, Abdullah (21 September 2012). "Behind The Twisted Tale Of Miike Snow's Jean Noel Music Video Trilogy (Q&A With Director Andreas Nilsson)". The Creators Project. Vice Media. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Silvia (2010)". 7digital (Finland). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  28. ↑ "Silvia (2010)". 7digital (Sweden). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
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