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Savior (Rise Against song)

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"Savior"
Cover art for the single "Savior" by Rise Against. The cover features a picture of three guitar players and one drummer, performing in a dirt lot.
Single by Rise Against
from the album Appeal to Reason
ReleasedJune 3, 2009
RecordedThe Blasting Room, Fort Collins, Colorado
Genre
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)Rise Against
Producer(s)
Rise Against singles chronology
"Audience of One"
(2009) 		"Savior"
(2009) 		"Help Is on the Way"
(2011)
Music video
"Savior" on YouTube

"Savior" is a song by American punk rock band Rise Against, featured on their fifth studio album Appeal to Reason (2008). In contrast to the social and political topics normally discussed in Rise Against songs, "Savior" is about forgiveness and broken relationships. It is a punk rock song, with a "frenetic pace" that John Hanson of Sputnikmusic described as reminiscent of tracks from the band's 2003 album Revolutions per Minute.[3] It was released as Appeal to Reason's third single on June 3, 2009.

"Savior" was well received by critics, with praise for its lyrics. It remains one of the band's most commercially successful singles to date. It peaked at number three on both the Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs music charts, and became the record holder for the most consecutive weeks spent on the latter chart with sixty-five weeks. The accompanying music video depicts actors in animal costumes engaging in a mosh pit.

Composition

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"Savior"
A twenty-four second sample of the song's chorus
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Savior" is a punk rock song, and was described by Aaron Burgess of The A.V. Club as an "uptempo anthem".[1] The song's composition is written in the time signature of common time, with a tempo of 94 beats per minute. It follows verse-chorus form, and is composed in the key F minor, with a melody that spans a tonal range of E♭4 to C6.[4] John Hanson of Sputnikmusic noted that the song had a "frenetic pace", which was reminiscent of many of the tracks from the band's 2003 album Revolutions per Minute.[3]

Lyrically, "Savior" deviates from the social and political topics normally discussed in Rise Against songs, and is instead about forgiveness and broken relationships.[3][5] It tells the story of a couple who have recently split up. The two attempt to reconcile their differences, with lines such as "I don't hate you, boy / I just want to save you while there's still something left to save."[5] Critics have characterized the lyrics as "poignant", and "poetic".[3][6]

Lead vocalist Tim McIlrath wrote the lyrics. While writing the lyrics for Rise Against songs, McIlrath will often sing nonsensical words over completed melodies, in order to identify the lyrical tone that each song will eventually convey. For "Savior", McIlrath remarked that while he mostly sang gibberish, he always found himself singing the line "I don't hate you". McIlrath used this line as a base to construct the lyrics and themes present within "Savior".[7] In a 2014 interview, McIlrath commented on how he had originally voted to cut the song from Appeal to Reason, but was eventually overruled.[8]

Release and reception

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"Savior" was released on June 3, 2009, as the third and final single from Rise Against's fifth album Appeal to Reason.[5] It remains one of the band's most successful singles to date, and spent a considerable amount of time on multiple Billboard music charts. Reaching as high as number two on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, it spent thirty-six weeks on the chart, the fourth most time for any song on the chart.[a][9] "Savior" peaked at number three on both the Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts,[10][11] and is the former record-holder for the most time spent for the Alternative Songs chart with sixty-five weeks. As of late 2023, it is ranked at number four on Billboard's list of the top 100 most successful songs in the chart's history, the highest placement for a song which did not reach number one.[12][13] It also held the longevity record on the Hot Rock Songs chart with sixty-three weeks,[14] before Awolnation's "Sail" broke the record by spending ninety-six weeks.[15] Despite a peak at number three, "Savior" topped the year end Hot Rock charts for 2010 and was certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of 1,000,000 copies.[16] In Canada, the song reached number sixty-eight on the Canadian Hot 100.[17] It has also been certified 3x Gold in Germany by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie and Gold in the both United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry and Denmark by IFPI Danmark.[18][19][20]

"Savior" was well received by critics. Hanson and Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic both praised the song; Hanson described it as "one of the most inspired songs [Rise Against] have written to date", while Boy wrote that "'Savior' sees absolutely everything come together perfectly to make for one hell of a song".[3][21] Burgess felt that "Savior" was one of three Appeal to Reason tracks that would "satisfy anyone still uneasy about Rise Against's radio aspirations".[1] Bob Hoose of Plugged In (publication) complimented the positive and hopeful lyrics.[5]

Music video

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Various animals, such as a shark, a rabbit, a polar bear, and an elephant engaging in a mosh pit
The music video depicts actors in animal costumes engaging in a mosh pit.

The accompanying music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake,[22] who had previously directed the band's music videos for "Ready to Fall", and "Re-Education (Through Labor)".[23] The video centers around actors wearing animal costumes, who in the beginning, engage in a mosh pit. One of the animals, a polar bear, is constantly being punched and kicked by an elephant, and decides to leave. While traveling on a bus, it sees some of the moshers digging for food in a garbage bin, around a barrel of fire, and laying around. It then sees the same elephant limping. The polar bear reluctantly asks the driver to stop and let the elephant on, who sits next to the polar bear, and the two hold hands.[24] Scenes of Rise Against performing and destroying their instruments are intermittently shown throughout.[23]

McIlrath originally envisioned a simple performance video, with the band "going nuts in a parking lot, trashing equipment, having fun and showing the physical nature of Rise Against". However, Kerslake came up with the idea for the animals, as he felt it would be a bizarre element that would keep people watching.[23] Despite its humorous nature, Kerslake stated that there were some political undertones in the video, with the polar bear representing endangered species, while the elephant represents the Republican Party of the United States.[b][24]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Appeal to Reason.[26]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[32] Gold 30,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[20] Gold 45,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[18] 3× Gold 450,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[16] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Songs that have spent more time on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart include: Pearl Jam's "Alive" (sixty-one weeks) and "Even Flow" (fifty-two weeks), and Luther Vandross' "Think About You" (forty-three weeks).[9]
  2. ^ The elephant is the official symbol for the Republican Party of the United States.[25]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c Burgess, Aaron (October 6, 2008). "Rise Against: Appeal To Reason". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "The 66 Best Hard Rock Songs of the 21st Century". Loudwire. October 2, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e Hanson, John (October 7, 2008). "Rise Against – Appeal to Reason Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  4. ^ "Digital Sheet Music – Rise Against – Savior". MusicNotes.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Hoose, Bob. "'Savior' Track Review". Plugged In. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  6. ^ Ramanand, Liz. "No. 33: Rise Against, 'Savior' – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs". Loudwire. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  7. ^ Another Station: Another Mile (Documentary). October 5, 2010.
  8. ^ Schreurs, Jason (June 27, 2014). "'There is no song for everybody'–Rise Against's Tim McIlrath discusses their risky new album". Alternative Press. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Trust, Gary (July 2, 2010). "Ask Billboard: Madonna Vs. Lady Gaga". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Rise Against – Chart history". Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Rise Against. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Rise Against – Chart history". Alternative Songs for Rise Against. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  12. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (September 7, 2023). "Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song". Billboard. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  13. ^ "Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Trust, Gary (October 2, 2010). "Extended Stays". Billboard. Vol. 122, no. 39. p. 42. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  15. ^ "Billboard Hot Rock Songs – March 22, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  16. ^ a b "American single certifications – Rise Against – Savior". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Rise Against – Chart history". Canadian Hot 100 for Rise Against. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  18. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Rise Against; 'Savior')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "British single certifications – Rise Against – Savior". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Danish single certifications – Rise Against – Savior". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  21. ^ Boy, Davey (January 21, 2009). "Rise Against – Appeal to Reason Review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  22. ^ Siolos, Vicki (October 2, 2009). "Rise Against, 'Savior' — Behind The Scenes Video". Noisecreep. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  23. ^ a b c Garner, George (February 15, 2015). "The Ultimate Rise Against Videography" (select Savior slide). Kerrang!. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Rise Against – Savior (Making Of)". RiseAgainstVEVO. November 25, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  25. ^ Nix, Elizabeth (July 7, 2015). "Election 101: How did the Republican and Democratic parties get their animal symbols?". History. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  26. ^ Appeal to Reason (liner notes). Rise Against. DGC Records, Interscope Records. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ^ "Alternative Songs Year End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  28. ^ "Rock Songs Year End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  29. ^ "Alternative Songs Year End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  30. ^ "Rock Songs Year End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  31. ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  32. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Rise Against – Savior" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
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