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Shadowplay (song)

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"Shadowplay"
Song by Joy Division
from the album Unknown Pleasures
Released15 June 1979
Recorded1–17 April 1979
StudioStrawberry, Stockport
Genre
Length3:55
LabelFactory
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Martin Hannett, Joy Division
Music video
"Shadowplay" on YouTube

"Shadowplay" is a song by the English rock band Joy Division. The song appeared on their 1979 debut album Unknown Pleasures. Joy Division played "Shadowplay" live on their first television appearance on Granada TV in September 1978.

Lyrics

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Early recordings of the lyrics on the Warsaw album show the first line of the song as saying "To the centre of the city where all roads meet looking for you". In later recordings the word looking is replaced with waiting.[citation needed]

The Killers version

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"Shadowplay"
Single by The Killers
from the album Sawdust
Released9 October 2007 (U.S.)
GenreElectronic rock, gothic rock
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)The Killers
The Killers singles chronology
"For Reasons Unknown"
(2007) 		"Shadowplay"
(2007) 		"Tranquilize"
(2007)

The Killers recorded a version of "Shadowplay" for the 2007 film Control;[2] this version plays during the film's credits and was included on the soundtrack album. The song became a live staple for the band's 2006-2007 Sam's Town Tour.[3]

The band's recording of "Shadowplay" was also included on the group's b-sides and rarities album, Sawdust. Rolling Stone magazine said the recording "should have stayed in the vaults".[4] In April 2013, the Killers were joined onstage by Joy Division and New Order guitarist Bernard Sumner for the first time to perform this song live at Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá, Colombia. They did so once again at their 2013 Lollapalooza appearance.

The Killers version of "Shadowplay" was released as a digital download single on 9 October 2007 and peaked at #68 on the Billboard Hot 100. A music video, directed by Spencer Kaplan and Jonathan V. Sela, was released on 21 November 2007, featuring the band interspersed with clips from Control.

Charts

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Chart (2007) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 68
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 43
U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 19
Canadian Hot 100[5] 49
Canada Rock (Billboard)[6] 27
UK Singles Chart 115

Certifications

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Certifications for "Shadowplay"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[7] Gold 30,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Ascap entry
  2. ^ NME, "The Killers cover Shadowplay" (15 Jan 2007) Archived 5 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine Access date: 2 August 2007.
  3. ^ "The Killers: Concert Setlist". setlist.fm. 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
  4. ^ Hoard, Christian (11/29/2007), "Sawdust". Rolling Stone. (1040):84
  5. ^ a b "The Killers - Shadowplay worldwide chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved October 26, 2007.
  6. ^ "The Killers Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – The Killers – Shadowplay" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
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