The Rat (song)
| "The Rat" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Walkmen | ||||
| from the album Bows + Arrows | ||||
| B-side | "Clementine" | |||
| Released | April 19, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | April – October 2003 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:22 | |||
| Label | Record Collection | |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Walkmen | |||
| Producer(s) | Dave Sardy | |||
| The Walkmen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Rat" by the Walkmen on YouTube | ||||
"The Rat" is a song by American indie rock band the Walkmen. It was released as the first single from their second studio album, Bows + Arrows (2004), on April 19, 2004. The song peaked at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart.
Composition and recording
[edit]Singer Hamilton Leithauser said the song originated in a jam session when the band were "just screwin' around." The band's drummer Matt Barrick instigated the track by playing a fast drum pattern. The band then quickly built this foundation into the full track, Leithauser said "we threw some chords on it, I wrote the words in five minutes." The song had been included in the band's live sets as early as February 2002, with slightly different lyrics than the recorded version.[1]
The band's usual method was to self-produce their material. However, after unsuccessful attempts to record the layered electric organ and guitar, they decided to record the track with a professional record producer at the advice of their label. This was later viewed as an unsatisfactory move by bassist Walter Martin who said "It doesn't sound right at all. I think the production for the rest of the album makes the music sound big and live. But it just sounds dense and solid."[2]
Ezra Koenig, who worked as an intern for the band, says the song was originally titled "Girls At Night" and was recorded a year after it was first played to him.[3]
Music video
[edit]The video features a live performance shot in black and white making use of chiaroscuro and directed by filmmaker Eva Aridjis.
Critical reception
[edit]The track has received highly positive critical acclaim, featuring in many end-of-decade lists. It was named thirteenth best track of the decade by NME[4] and 20th best track of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media who named it "a St. Valentine's Day Massacre of relentless drums, bass, and guitar."[5] Rolling Stone called it "one of the greatest songs of the century".[1] Modern Drummer magazine praised Barrick's performance as "a jaw-dropping exercise in precision and velocity".[6] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 31 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[7]
Stylus Magazine took a different slant saying that the song's 'one-hit wonder' success "was the worst thing to ever happen to The Walkmen. It brought the iPod-lazy—singles, MP3s, mix and matchers—to their shows and records."[8]
The song is featured on the soundtracks of Major League Baseball 2K7, Dirt 2, and True Crime: New York City.
Cover versions
[edit]- Florence and The Machine covered the track as part of a series on Myspace Music.[9]
- Lonely the Brave covered the track, which was released as part of their Diamond Days EP in 2017.[10]
- In 2020 Melted Bodies covered the track as a stand-alone single, before releasing it as bonus track of their debut album Enjoy Yourself.[11]
Track listing
[edit]CD & 7"
[edit]- "The Rat"
- "Clementine"
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC)[12] | 49 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 45 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Smoking Section: The Walkmen, Steve Miller, Billy Joel : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily". Rolling Stone. 2 August 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Interview: The Walkmen". TheGuardian.com. 12 June 2004.
- ^ "5-10-15-20: Ezra Koenig". Pitchfork.com. 17 August 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Matt Barrick: Artists: Modern Drummer Magazine". Archived from the original on 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ^ "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". NME. 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Stylus Magazine". Stylusmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Florence & The Machine sings The Walkmen 'The Rat'". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Lonely The Brave - The Rat (Official Audio)". YouTube. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "The Rat". bandcamp. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Walkmen: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
