Float On (Modest Mouse song)

"Float On" is a song by American rock band Modest Mouse, released on February 14, 2004, as the lead single from their fourth studio album Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The song topped the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 2005.[3] The music video is portrayed in the style of a pop-up book with the band wearing turn of the century style clothing and in an underwater scene with flotsam suits.

"Float On"
Single by Modest Mouse
from the album Good News for People Who Love Bad News
B-side"I've Got It All (Most)"
ReleasedFebruary 14, 2004
Recorded2003
Genre
Length3:28
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dennis Herring
Modest Mouse singles chronology
"Heart Cooks Brain"
(1999)		 "Float On"
(2004)		 "Ocean Breathes Salty"
(2004)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Float On" on YouTube

Background and composition

Asked about the song in an interview with The A.V. Club, Brock said that he consciously intended to write something that felt more positive than some of his previous work:

It was a completely conscious thing. I was just kind of fed up with how bad shit had been going, and how dark everything was, with bad news coming from everywhere. Our president George W. Bush is just a fucking daily dose of bad news! Then you've got the well-intentioned scientists telling us that everything is fucked. I just want to feel good for a day.

— Isaac Brock, The A.V. Club, [4]

The song is in the key of F♯ major with a tempo of 101 beats per minute.[5] The final few notes of "The World at Large" lead into the opening notes of "Float On".

Release and reception

The song was released on February 14, 2004, and was the first Modest Mouse song to gain mainstream popularity. Nearly six months after its release, it became the band's first No. 1 hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[6] It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 70 and peaked at No. 68.[7] In Australia, the song peaked at No. 94 and was ranked No. 11 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.[8][9] In 2013, when Triple J created a new list of the Hottest 100 songs of the past 20 years, Float On appeared at No. 45.[10] In July 2009, it was also voted in at No. 94 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time.[11] In December 2009, Rolling Stone named it the 39th greatest song of the 2000s.[12] NME ranked it at No. 351 on their list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2014.[13]

Track listings

Personnel
  • Isaac Brock – vocals, lead guitar
  • Eric Judy – bass, backing vocals
  • Dann Gallucci – rhythm guitar, keyboards, drum loops, backing vocals
  • Benjamin Weikel – drums, percussion

Charts
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 94
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[19] 24
US Billboard Hot 100[7] 68
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[6] 1
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[20] 32

Covers

The song was covered by Ben Lee, whose version can be heard on the soundtrack for the 2006 film John Tucker Must Die.[21]

It was also covered by Mark Kozelek and Goldspot, whose version later appeared on the television series The O.C.[22]

The song's melody was sampled by Lupe Fiasco in 2010 for the song "The Show Goes On".

References
  1. Nickoloff, Anne. "45 Cleveland concerts to check out in May 2018: Jimmy Buffett, Modest Mouse, BROCKHAMPTON, more". cleveland.com. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  2. Leimkuehler, Matthew (January 23, 2018). "Modest Mouse announces spring Iowa concert". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  3. Music-Slam.com (December 7, 2004). "Complete List of 2005 Grammy Nominees". Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  4. Modell, Josh (April 7, 2004). "Modest Mouse interview". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  5. "Float On by: Modest Mouse". Find Song Tempo. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  6. "Modest Mouse Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  7. "Modest Mouse Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  8. "Issue 760" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  9. "Triple J Hottest 100 2004". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. "Triple J's Hottest 100 20 Years – The Countdown". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  11. "Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time". Australian Broadcasting Company. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  12. "Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums, Songs of the '00s". Stereogum. December 10, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  13. Barker, Emily (January 31, 2014). "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time – 400–301". NME. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  14. Float On (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Modest Mouse. Epic Records. 2004. ES7 58214, 34 76685.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. Float On (US CD single liner notes). Modest Mouse. Epic Records. 2004. 34K 76685.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. Float On (UK enhanced CD single liner notes). Modest Mouse. Epic Records. 2004. 675069 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. Float On (European enhanced maxi-single liner notes). Modest Mouse. Epic Records. 2004. EPC 674963 2, 6749632000.CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. Float On (Australian CD single liner notes). Modest Mouse. Epic Records. 2004. 675187.1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "RR Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1566. July 30, 2004. p. 75. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  20. "Modest Mouse Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  21. "John Tucker Must Die(2006) – Soundtracks". IMDb. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  22. Lester, Paul (July 6, 2007). "No 139: Goldspot". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
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