12:51 (The Strokes song)

"12:51" is a song by the American indie rock band The Strokes. It was released as the first single from their second album, Room on Fire, and was written by Julian Casablancas.[1]

"12:51"
Single by the Strokes
from the album Room on Fire
B-side"The Way It Is" (Home Recording)
ReleasedOctober 28, 2003 (2003-10-28)
Recorded2003
Length2:26
Label
Songwriter(s)Julian Casablancas
Producer(s)Gordon Raphael
The Strokes singles chronology
"Someday"
(2001)		 "12:51"
(2003)		 "Reptilia"
(2004)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"12:51" on YouTube

The song borrows from Sonic Youth's 1994 song "Bull in the Heather", which Casablancas would later admit was "totally ripping it off".[2][3] It peaked at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming The Strokes' first and only top ten single in the country.

Reception

"12:51" received positive reviews from critics. Billboard's Wes Orshoski wrote of the song: "Julian Casablancas' sleepy vocals arrive in synch with a nerdy, very '80s keyboard [Nick Valensi's guitar] that sounds so much cooler than it probably should against guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.'s raw, fast strumming, the throbbing bass of Nikolai Fraiture and drummer Fabrizio Moretti's cool swing beat."[4] AllMusic's Heather Phares wrote that "its whistling, synth-like guitars and handclaps are undeniably catchy, but at first, the song seems to be searching for a structure. Eventually, though, it becomes sneakily addictive -- it's a stealth pop song."[1]

The song peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.[5]

Music video

The music video for "12:51" was directed by Roman Coppola and was inspired by the 1982 film Tron.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."12:51"2:26
2."The Way It Is (Home Recording)"1:16

Charts
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) 30
Ireland (IRMA) 22
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 40
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 39
UK Singles (OCC)[9] 7
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] 15

References
  1. "Room on Fire - The Strokes". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. "The Roots Of... The Strokes | NME". NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM. 2013-02-08. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  3. "Is this it again?". Spin. 2003-10-22. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
  4. "Billboard Picks". Billboard. September 20, 2003. p. 47.
  5. "The Strokes - Chart history". billboard.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  6. Cohen, Jonathan. "Different Strokes". Billboard. November 1, 2003. p. 99.
  7. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Strokes – 12:51" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  8. "Swedishcharts.com – The Strokes – 12:51". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  9. "The Strokes: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  10. "The Strokes Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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