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Muscle Museum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the EP, see Muscle Museum (EP).

"Muscle Museum"
'CD1' cover
Single by Muse
from the album Showbiz
B-side
  • "Minimum" (7")
  • "Do We Need This?" (CD1)
  • "Pink Ego Box" (CD2)
  • "Con-Science" (CD2)
Released22 November 1999
RecordedApril 1999 at Sawmills Studio, Cornwall, England
GenreAlternative rock
Length4:22 (album version)
5:25 (full-length version)
3:55 (radio edit)
LabelTaste/Mushroom
Songwriter(s)Matthew Bellamy
Producer(s)
  • Paul Reeve
  • Muse
Muse singles chronology
"Cave"
(1999) 		"Muscle Museum"
(1999) 		"Sunburn"
(2000)

"Muscle Museum" is a song by the English rock band Muse, released as the third single from their 1999 debut album Showbiz. Written by lead singer Matt Bellamy, the song's title likely derives from the fact that the words "muscle" and "museum" come immediately before and after the word "muse" in some dictionaries.[1] The song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

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The music video is directed by Joseph Kahn and features different people in a suburban neighbourhood, crying in different situations, as Muse plays in a high school after a party, as a janitor cleans up. As the video goes on, some of the townspeople attempt suicide, and by the end of the video, the janitor breaks down. Joseph Kahn wanted to express the "sadness" of life in the suburbs where every house looks more or less the same. Individual expression is not possible because of the surroundings and the rules in those suburbs, happiness (or pretending to be happy) is mandatory.

Though Joseph Kahn himself thinks of the video as one of the best he made, he believes that most people, including Muse,[2] don't like the video.[3][4]

Release

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"Muscle Museum" was released on 22 November 1999 on 7" vinyl—backed with "Minimum"—and double CD—backed with "Do We Need This?", a live acoustic version of the song, "Pink Ego Box" and "Con-Science". It reached #43 in the UK Singles Chart[5]—an improvement of nine positions on "Cave".

The song is available to play on Rocksmith 2014 as part of a Muse 5-song pack.

Live performances

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"Muscle Museum" was a staple in the band's live performances from 1997 until 2004. The song made occasional appearances on the Black Holes and Revelations Tour, and later, the Psycho Tour and Drones World Tour. The song has not been performed since 2018.

Charts

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Chart (1999–2000) Peak performance
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 100
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 25
UK Indie (OCC)[8] 5

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy

7"
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum"4:22
2."Minimum"2:40
Total length:7:02
'CD1'
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum"4:22
2."Do We Need This?"4:15
3."Muscle Museum" (live acoustic version)4:44
Total length:13:21
'CD2'
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum" (full-length version)5:25
2."Pink Ego Box"3:32
3."Con-Science"4:52
Total length:13:49

Personnel

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Personnel adapted from Showbiz liner notes[9]

Re-release

[edit]
"Muscle Museum"
Single by Muse
from the album Showbiz
Released9 October 2000
LabelTaste/Mushroom
Muse singles chronology
"Unintended"
(2000) 		"Muscle Museum"
(2000) 		"Plug In Baby"
(2001)

A "US Mix" of "Muscle Museum" was released on 9 October 2000 on 7" vinyl—backed with a live version of "Escape"—and double CD—backed with a live version of "Agitated", the 'Timo Maas Sunstroke Remix' of "Sunburn", the 'Saint US Mix' of "Sober" and the 'Soulwax Remix' of the song. It reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart[5]—eighteen positions higher than its original release.

7" (MUSH84S)
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum" (US Mix)4:29
2."Escape" (live)3:34
Total length:8:03
CD1 (MUSH84CDS)
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum" (US Mix)4:29
2."Agitated" (live)3:11
3."Sunburn" (Timo Maas Sunstroke Mix)6:27
4."Muscle Museum" (live video)4:29
Total length:18:36
CD2 (MUSH84CDSX)
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum" (US Mix)4:29
2."Sober" (Saint US Mix)4:04
3."Muscle Museum" (Soulwax Remix)3:46
Total length:12:19
Remix promo CD (MUSE 10)
No.TitleLength
1."Muscle Museum" (radio edit)3:58
2."Sober" (The Saint Remix)4:04
3."Sunburn" (Timo Maas Sunstroke Mix)6:44
Total length:14:46

Release history

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Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 22 November 1999 Mushroom 7" MUSH66S
2CD MUSH66CDS/MUSH66CDSX
CD MUSE 5
Australia Mushroom CD 561 360-2
Benelux Play It Again Sam CD 481.2002.22
France Naïve 2CD NV 3212-4/NV 3212-5
Germany Motor CD+ 561 360-2
United States Maverick CD PRO-CD-9841
Worldwide reissue 9 October 2000 Mushroom 7" MUSH84S
2CD MUSH84CDS/MUSH84CDSX
CD MUSE 10

References

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  1. ^ muse. ic.pics.livejournal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  2. ^ "English Articles". www.rocketbabydolls.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Muse "Muscle Museum"". 29 January 2013.
  4. ^ "MUSE — история песен «Muscle Museum» (1999), «Supermassive Black Hole» (2006), «Starlight» (2006), «Knights of Cydonia» (2006), «Uprising» (2009) и других хитов | КУР.С.ИВ.ом - сайт Курия Сергея Ивановича". 15 July 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Muse | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Muse – Muscle Museum" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  7. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  8. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
  9. ^ Muse (1999). Showbiz (album liner notes). Taste Media.
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