Parasite Eve (song)
"Parasite Eve" is a song by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon.[1] Produced by the band's vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish and written by the entire band, it was released as the lead single from the group's 2020 commercial release Post Human: Survival Horror on 25 June 2020.[2][3] The song samples "Erghen Diado" written by Petar Lyondev and performed by the Bulgarian Female Vocal Choir; Lyondev is credited as a co-writer.[4]
"Parasite Eve" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by Bring Me the Horizon | ||||
from the album Post Human: Survival Horror | ||||
Released | 25 June 2020 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:51 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Bring Me the Horizon singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Parasite Eve" on YouTube |
Promotion and release
The track was teased by Oliver Sykes on Instagram. It was expected to be released on 10 June 2020, but due to the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, the song was postponed to 25 June.[5]
Composition and lyrics
"Parasite Eve" has been described as a nu metal[6] and electronic rock song[7] with some elements of electropop.[8] The song was inspired by the Japanese video game of the same name. It was written and composed by the band while in quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. The song samples "Erghen Diado" from the album Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares.[4] The lyrics talk about what is happening during the pandemic, saying that "This is a war" between countries for discovering a vaccine. At the same time, Sykes talks about when the pandemic is overcome, while asking "If you survive the infection, will you remember the lesson?" to the people and the world leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro that rejected and ignored the gravity of the virus.[9] Sykes said about the lyrics of the song amid the similarity of the current world situation:
"It was really weird, we'd heard about the pandemic in China, but then the similarities between what we were writing about started to become closer to reality. Every time there was a news story about it, we'd turn to each other and say 'Parasite Eve', not realising the magnitude of it all. We shelved the song for a bit because it felt bit too close to the bone. After sitting on it for a while, we realised that this was a reason to release it now more than ever. In our music we've always wanted to escape, but there's been too much escapism and ignoring the problems in the world. It's not what the world needs. The world needs more and needs to think about it and remember. You can't just brush over it and expect life to go back to normal, because it fucking ain't. In so many ways, we need to change. That's what rock music is about – addressing the dark side and processing it..."[1]
Music video
The music video for "Parasite Eve" was released on the same day as the single was streamed. Directed by Sykes himself, he took inspiration from some of his favorite video games, films and the genre of nu metal.[10] Using masks a friend of his created, each member filmed their video parts separately. This was an effort to stay within the social distancing restrictions set in place. Due to the lockdown restrictions, the band filmed the video with minimal crew and minimal resources.[11]
As of January 2021, the song has 20 million views on YouTube.
Charts
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[12] | 82 |
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[13] | 48 |
Germany (Deutsche Single Trend Charts)[14] | 4 |
Hungary (Single Top 40)[15] | 7 |
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[16] | 13 |
Scotland (OCC)[17] | 17 |
UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 28 |
UK Rock and Metal (OCC)[19] | 1 |
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] | 27 |
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21] | 10 |
References
- "Bring Me The Horizon tell us about their new 'survival horror song' 'Parasite Eve' and ambitious 'Post Human' project". NME. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- Langford, Jackson (26 June 2020). "Bring Me The Horizon are planning to release four albums over the next year". Music Feeds. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- "See Bring Me The Horizon enter a horrifying new world in "Parasite Eve"". Alternative Press. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- Post Human: Survival Horror (Media notes). Bring Me the Horizon. Sony Music and RCA Records. 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "hello everyone- so as some of you know we were planning on releasing a new track this week..." Instagram. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- Wilkins, Slan. "Bring Me The Horizon's new single Parasite Eve is bizarre, baffling and brilliant". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- Wilkins, Slan. "REVIEW: 'Parasite Eve' – Bring Me The Horizon". Into The Pit UK. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- Goodman, Eleanor (29 October 2020). "Bring Me the Horizon Unveil New Pandemic-Themed Song 'Parasite Eve'". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- "Bring Me the Horizon 'Parasite Eve' First Reaction". Louder Sound. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- Carter, Emily. "HERE'S HOW BRING ME THE HORIZON MADE THEIR VIDEO FOR PARASITE EVE". Kerrang!. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- "Bring Me the Horizon 'Parasite Eve' Music Video". Alternative Press. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 July 2020". No. 1583. Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 July 2020. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 202027 into search. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- "Deutsche Single Trend Charts - Week 27 / Year 2020 / Category: Single". Deutsche Single Trend Charts. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
- "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- "Bring Me the Horizon Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- "Bring Me the Horizon Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 July 2020.