Closer to the Edge

"Closer to the Edge" is a song written by Jared Leto and performed by American rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. Produced by the band, co-produced by Flood, the track is the seventh track and the third single from their third studio album This Is War. It was released in the US on August 20, 2010.[2]

Not to be confused with the album Close to the Edge, Close to the Edge (song), or the film TT3D: Closer to the Edge.
"Closer to the Edge"
Single by Thirty Seconds to Mars
from the album This Is War
ReleasedAugust 20, 2010 (2010-08-20)[1]
Recorded
  • 2008–2009
  • The International Centre for the Advancement of the Arts and Sciences of Sound
  • (Los Angeles, California)
GenreProgressive rock
Length
  • 4:15 (radio edit)
  • 4:34 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)Jared Leto
Producer(s)
  • Flood
  • Thirty Seconds to Mars
Thirty Seconds to Mars singles chronology
"This Is War"
(2010)		 "Closer to the Edge"
(2010)		 "Hurricane 2.0"
(2010)
This Is War track listing
12 tracks
  1. "Escape"
  2. "Night of the Hunter"
  3. "Kings and Queens"
  4. "This Is War"
  5. "100 Suns"
  6. "Hurricane"
  7. "Closer to the Edge"
  8. "Vox Populi"
  9. "Search and Destroy"
  10. "Alibi"
  11. "Stranger in a Strange Land"
  12. "L490"
Music video
"Closer To The Edge" on YouTube

Background

Tomo Miličević, the former lead guitarist of 30 Seconds to Mars, said about the song, "A really interesting track. We call it our 'pop' song, but when you really listen to it, you realize that it has a lot of rock glory in it. It's a song that fools you, and I like that. Jared really pushed himself as a songwriter here in that he was trying to reach for a new way of presenting music that was very accessible but not spoon-fed it to the audience. He has a lot of respect for the fans in that way. The guy's a trip - very inspiring to be around and work with."[3]

Music video

The music video premiered on June 9, 2010, on the band's YouTube account.[4] The video was directed by Jared Leto as "Bartholomew Cubbins".[5] The video contains concert footage from about 30 performances[6] during their Into the Wild Tour, which commenced on February 19, 2010, and ran till December 18, 2010. The six-minute-long video shows each location played at until a certain date, fan commentary and some backstage footage. "Closer to the Edge" is not the band's first live video, being preceded by "Edge of the Earth".

Critical reception

The video was received with highly positive reviews by critics. Australia's RadarRadio referred to the video as "epic".[7] UK rock music website RockLouder also called the video "lovely" and "worth the watch".[8]

About.com's Grierson says "'Closer to the Edge' emphasize atmospheric flourishes over melodic assurance."[9]

Commercial performance

"Closer to the Edge" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on July 11, 2010, at number 90 before climbing to number 82 the following week. On July 18, 2010, the single rose a further four places to number 78. The single also found success on the UK Rock Chart, where it climbed until peaking at number 1 on July 11, 2010, knocking The Pretty Reckless' "Make Me Wanna Die" off its seven-week reign. The single also peaked at number 88 on the Dutch Single Top 100. It is also their highest charted single in Australia, peaking at number 13, becoming platinum. It debuted at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated May 21, 2011,[10] more than two months after it dropped off of the Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts. The song impacted radio on August 31, 2010.[11] It became the band's first single to be played on adult contemporary radio, with the first stations added being Detroit's WNIC (which changed formats to adult top 40 in August 2011) during Spring 2011 and WLER-FM in Butler/Pittsburgh.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Jared Leto.

CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Closer to the Edge" (radio edit)4:13
2."Closer to the Edge" (album version)4:32
Total length:8:45

Charts and certifications

See also

References
  1. "Closer to the Edge - EP by 30 Seconds to Mars". iTunes. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
  2. "Thirty Seconds To Mars New Single, 'This Is War' Claims The #1 Spot At Alternative Radio" (Press release). Virgin Records America. 2010-07-19. Archived from the original on 2006-08-28. Their new single 'Closer To The Edge' is already climbing the airplay charts across Europe and will impact U.S. radio in August.
  3. Bosso, Joe (2009-12-02). "30 Seconds To Mars: exclusive track-by-track album preview :Jared Leto and band declare This Is War". Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  4. 30 Seconds to Mars "Closer to the Edge" video premiere
  5. Leto, Jared (2010-06-11). "Closer to the Edge: The Film". Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
  6. "Closer to the Edge: de video". 2010-06-13. Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  7. "30 Seconds to Mars Closer to the Edge music video". Radar (radio). Austereo. 2010-06-22. Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  8. "Jared and crew unveil their brand new video". 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  9. Grierson, Tim (2009-12-11). "30 Seconds to Mars Swing for the Fences on Ambitious Third Album". Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  10. "US Singles Top 100 (May 21, 2011)". αCharts.us. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  11. "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. August 24, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  12. "Australian-charts.com – Thirty Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – Thirty Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Thirty Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  15. "Äänet ajalle 10:00 15.07.2010 - 10:00 22.07.2010, lista #388" (in Finnish). YLE. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Thirty Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Thirty Seconds to Mars – Closer to the Edge" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  18. "Charts.nz – Thirty Seconds To Mars – Closer to the Edge". Top 40 Singles.
  19. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201033 into search.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Thirty Seconds To Mars – Closer to the Edge". Swiss Singles Chart.
  21. "30 Seconds To Mars: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  22. "Top 40 Rock & Metal Singles – July 17, 2010". Official Charts Company. 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-12.
  23. "This Is War - 30 Seconds to Mars". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  24. "Chart Highlights: Adult Pop, Rap Songs & More". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
  25. "Closer to the Edge - 30 Seconds to Mars". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  26. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  27. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  28. "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". RadioScope. Media Sauce Ltd. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  29. "Top 50 Nacional Português". Billboard Brasil. BPP Promoções e Publicações Ltda. (2): 82. October 2010.
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