Many of Horror

"Many of Horror" is an alternative rock song written by Simon Neil of Scottish band Biffy Clyro for their fifth studio album Only Revolutions. The song was released as the fourth single from the album on 18 January 2010.[1] The song was recorded at Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California and mastered at Masterdisk.[2] The lyrics of the song concern Neil's wife and family. Jacknife Lee, who previously remixed "Silhouettes" for the Biffy Clyro and Sucioperro side project Marmaduke Duke, recorded a remix for the song.

"Many of Horror"
Single by Biffy Clyro
from the album Only Revolutions
B-side
  • Toottoottoot
  • Lonely Revolutions
  • Creative Burns
Released18 January 2010
Recorded2009
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:19
Label14th Floor
Songwriter(s)Simon Neil
Producer(s)Garth Richardson
Biffy Clyro singles chronology
"The Captain"
(2009)		 "Many of Horror"
(2010)		 "Bubbles"
(2010)
Only Revolutions track listing
  1. "The Captain"
  2. "That Golden Rule"
  3. "Bubbles"
  4. "God and Satan"
  5. "Born on a Horse"
  6. "Mountains"
  7. "Shock Shock"
  8. "Many of Horror"
  9. "Booooom, Blast & Ruin"
  10. "Cloud of Stink"
  11. "Know Your Quarry"
  12. "Whorses"
Music video
"Many of Horror" on YouTube

Matt Cardle, winner of the 2010 series of The X Factor, recorded a studio version of the song under the title "When We Collide" and released it as his debut single, after having performed it in the final of the competition. Biffy Clyro fans launched an internet campaign to get the original track "Many of Horror" to the festive charts,[3][4] with fans joining a Facebook campaign urging people to buy Biffy Clyro's original single rather than Cardle's cover version. This resulted in the Biffy Clyro version reaching number 8 in the UK Singles Chart, its highest position ever, and Cardle's version became the UK Christmas number 1.

The song is featured on the deluxe edition soundtrack to the film Transformers: Dark of the Moon and is played during the end credits. It was also used by Sky Sports as the song for their closing montage of their 2014 Ryder Cup coverage on 28 September 2014.

Critical reception

Critical reception of "Many of Horror" was generally positive.

Jamie Fullerton of NME called "Many of Horror" a "perfect rock ballad".[5] Tim Newbound of Rock Sound described it as "beautifully serene" and stated it balances out more aggressive songs on the album.[6] Jason Birchmeier of Allmusic described the song as "mellow".[7]

Thom Gibbs of Drowned in Sound was critical of the song, calling it a "so-so ballad" and describing it as "too emo".[8]

Track listing

CD single 14FLR41CD

  1. "Many of Horror" – 4:21
  2. "Toottoottoot" – 4:16

7" blue vinyl 14FLR41

  1. "Many of Horror" – 4:21
  2. "Lonely Revolutions" – 2:32

7" red vinyl 14FLR41X

  1. "Many of Horror" – 4:21
  2. "Creative Burns" – 2:33

iTunes digital EP

  1. "Many of Horror" – 4:21
  2. "Toottoottoot" – 4:16
  3. "Lonely Revolutions" – 2:32
  4. "Creative Burns" – 2:33

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan.[9]

The YouTube video was published in 2009.

Charts
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 27
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[13] 8
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[14] 33

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Platinum 600,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Credits
  • Artwork (Cover design, photography) – Stormstudios
  • Music – Biffy Clyro
  • Songwriter (Song lyrics) – Simon Neil
  • Producer – Biffy Clyro, Gggarth (tracks: 1)

Matt Cardle version
"When We Collide"
Single by Matt Cardle
from the album Letters
Released12 December 2010 (2010-12-12)
Recorded2010
GenreIndie pop
Length3:43
LabelSyco, Sony
Songwriter(s)Simon Neil
Producer(s)Richard "Biff" Stannard, Ash Howes
Matt Cardle singles chronology
"When We Collide"
(2010)		 "Run for Your Life"
(2011)

In 2010, Matt Cardle, the winner of the seventh series of The X Factor, released a cover of "Many of Horror" as his winner's single,[16] although his version was re-titled "When We Collide".[4] It was made available as a digital download on 12 December 2010 shortly after the show had ended. A physical CD single was released on 15 December 2010.[17]

Background

In December 2010, Cardle stated that "I know there are some Biffy fans that are like, 'What have you done to that song?'...It's a great song. I'm hoping that I've done it justice." Referring to the Facebook campaign to make the original version of the song number 1 in the chart, Cardle said, "If that happens then great - it's a great song".[4]

Track listing
  • Digital download[18]
  1. "When We Collide" - 3:38
  2. "Matt's Thank You Message" - 0:14
  • CD single
  1. "When We Collide" - 3:38
  2. "Just the Way You Are" (X Factor performance) - 2:26
  3. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (X Factor performance) - 2:37
  4. "Nights in White Satin" (X Factor performance) - 2:17

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC[19]
Digital Spy(Positive)[20]
Female First[21]
The Beat Review[22]
Unreality Shout[23]

Critical reception of Cardle's version of the song was mostly positive although many reviewers noted they preferred the original version. Nick Levine of Digital Spy praised Cardle's vocals, stating he delivered "the violence-tinged lyrics with an appealing sense of intimacy, navigating the inevitable key change with ease and really smashing it on the final note".[20] Rachael Patan of Femalefirst.com[21] and The Beat Review applauded the song choice with the latter stating "his untimely cover of Biffy Clyro’s 'Many of Horror' is a very clever and risque thing to do and we applaud him for that".[22] Fraser McAlpine of the BBC Chart Blog, was much more negative. He stated, "on the evidence of this song, he sure as hell can't sing."[19] Unrealityshout.com agreed, stating "I actually find it very hard to listen to such a heroically valiant vocal from the Biffy Clyro clan get turned into a whimpering, reedy, falsetto-ridden snoozefest".[23]

Chart performance

On 16 December 2010, "When We Collide" debuted at number one on the Irish Singles Chart,[24] where it stayed for five weeks. It has since become the fourth best-selling song in the history of the chart.[25][26] On 19 December, it charted number one in the UK Singles Chart, beating "What's My Name?" by Rihanna featuring Drake, and "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen, whilst the Biffy Clyro original of "Many of Horror" re-entered the chart at number eight.[27] With sales of 815,000, it was the second best-selling single of 2010; the number one being "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem featuring Rihanna, which sold 854,000 copies during 2010.[28] In June 2012, It became the 123rd single to sell a million copies in the UK, and the fourth by an X Factor contestant, after Shayne Ward's "That's My Goal", Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" and Alexandra Burke's "Hallelujah".[29] "When We Collide" is the 124th best selling song of all time in the UK and it is the 4th best selling single of all time in Ireland.[30][31] It has sold 1,010,000 copies in the UK as of December 2015.[32]

Music video

The official music video for Cardle's version of the song was also directed by Andy Morahan.[33]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Platinum 600,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "Many of Horror by Biffy Clyro Songfacts". Songfacts, LLC. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  2. "Biffy Clyro - Many of Horror (CD) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  3. Lee, Ann (13 December 2010). "Metro Uk: Matt Cardle Xmas No 1 bid challenged by Biffy Clyro Facebook campaign". Metro. Association Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  4. "Matt Cardle defends his 'X Factor' Biffy Clyro cover". NME. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  5. Fullerton, Jamie (9 November 2009). "Album review: Biffy Clyro - 'Only Revolutions' (14th Floor)". NME. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  6. Newbound, Tim (8 November 2009). "Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions". Rock Sound. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  7. Birchmeier, Jason. "Only Revolutions - Biffy Clyro". Allmusic. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  8. Gibbs, Thom (9 November 2009). "Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions". Drownedinsound. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
  9. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Biffy Clyro - "Many of Horror"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Many of Horror". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Biffy Clyro" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Biffy Clyro – Many of Horror" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  13. "Biffy Clyro: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  14. "Biffy Clyro Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  15. "British single certifications – Biffy Clyro – Many of Horror". British Phonographic Industry. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Many of Horror in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. "X Factor winner Matt Cardle hailed by his Essex family". BBC News. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  17. "When We Collide: Matt Cardle: Amazon.co.uk". Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  18. "When We Collide - Single by Matt Cardle - Download When We Collide - Single on iTunes". Apple Inc. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  19. McAlpine, Fraser (13 December 2010). "Matt Cardle - 'When We Collide'". BBC. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  20. Levine, Nick (13 December 2010). "Matt Cardle: 'When We Collide'". Digitalspy. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  21. Patan, Rachael (14 December 2010). "Single Review: Matt Cardle-When We Collide". Femalefirst.com. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  22. "Single Review: Matt Cardle – When We Collide". Wordpress.com. 13 December 2010.
  23. "Single Review: Matt Cardle - 'When We Collide'". Unrealityshout.com. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  24. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – When We Collide". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  25. "The Irish Charts - Top 20 of All Time". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  26. "Matt Cardle - Spin 103.8 - 31.7.13". 31 July 2013.
  27. "Singles Chart For 25/12/2010". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  28. TheOfficialCharts: Cardle at No 1 again - Eminem/Rihanna & Take That scoop 2010 crowns Archived 7 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Official Charts Analysis: Gary Barlow tops Album and Singles lists | Music Week
  30. Lane, Daniel (17 July 2013). "Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines becomes fastest selling single of 2013!". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
  31. "Matt Cardle - Spin 103.8 - 31.7.13". 31 July 2013.
  32. Adam Miller (9 December 2015). "The X Factor - Which winners can boast the biggest selling debut single and albums?". The Daily Express.
  33. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Matt Cardle - "When we collide"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  34. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  35. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  36. "Best of 2010". IRMA. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  37. "2010 Year-end UK Singles". BBC (BBC Online). 26 December 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2010.
  38. "British single certifications – Matt Cardle – When We Collide". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 September 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type When We Collide in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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