Wikipedia

Silvia (song)

"Silvia"is a song performed by Swedishindie popbandMiike Snow.Written and produced by the band, it is a six-minuteelectronicpiano balladthat features drum and synthesizer instrumentation andelectro housebeats. Lyrically, it speaks of longing and lead singerAndrew Wyatt's vocals are edited withAuto-Tune."Silvia" served as the third and final single from the band's 2009self-titled debut album.Columbia Recordsfirstdigitallyreleased it as a remixextended play(EP) on 22 January 2010. Band membersChristian KarlssonandPontus Winnbergcontributed their own remix to the release, using the alias Robotberget.

"Silvia"
SinglebyMiike Snow
from the albumMiike Snow
Released22 January 2010(2010-01-22)
StudioRobotberget (Stockholm, Sweden)
GenreElectronic
Length6:26
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Miike Snow
Miike Snowsingles chronology
"Black & Blue"
(2009) 		"Silvia"
(2010) 		"Remedy"
(2010)

Critical reception of "Silvia" was generally positive; many critics deemed it the album's centerpiece and criticized its early placement as the third track onMiike Snow.The single achieved minor chart success in the United Kingdom; it became the band's second entry on theUK Dance Chart,peaking at number 16. However, it missed the top 100 of theUK Singles Chartas it only reached number 154. The accompanyingmusic videowas directed byMarcus Söderlundand plays out in a post-apocalyptic setting.

Background

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"Silvia" was written and produced byMiike Snow's three members,Christian Karlsson,Pontus WinnbergandAndrew Wyatt.[1]It was recorded at Robotberget, the band's own studio inStockholm,Sweden.[1][2]The bandmixedit with Anders Hvenare andmasteringwas handled byTed Jensen.[1]Wyatt explained during an interview forThe Aquarian Weeklythat "Silvia" is likely "the most autobiographical song" on the band's 2009self-titled debut albumas it was inspired by a real event of a stripper Wyatt dated who "straightened out" and quit.[3][4]According to Wyatt, the band especially liked the song because it shares names withQueen Silvia of Sweden.[3]Music magazineClashannounced on 10 December 2009 that "Silvia" had been selected as the third single from the album.[5]The announcement revealed it would coincide with a United Kingdom concert tour from January through February 2010.[5]Columbia Recordsreleased the single on 22 January 2010, as adigitalextended play(EP) containing remixes made byEmalkay,Felix da Housecat,Hugg & Pepp andSinden.[6]Karlsson and Winnberg also contributed their own remix to the release, using the alias Robotberget.[7][8]Columbia issued a12 "vinyl,featuring the aforementioned remixes, in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2010.[9][10]Progressive house musiciansSebastian IngrossoandDirty Southreleased their own remix of "Silvia" on 2 April 2010, licensed to Ingrosso's label Refune Music.[11]

Composition

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"Silvia"
A 30-second sample of "Silvia", showcasing the electronic instrumentation and Wyatt's Auto-Tune vocals.
Problems playing this file? Seemedia help.

"Silvia" is a six-minuteelectronicpiano balladwithelectro housebeats.[12][13][14][15]Instrumentation is provided by drums, a piano andsynthesizers.[14][16]John Fortunato ofThe Aquarian Weeklylikened it to works by German electronic bandKraftwerk,[3]and Martin Turenne ofThe Georgia Straightfelt it held a "blissful groove of '90s-era piano-ledhouse".[12]According to sheet music published at Musicnotes.com byAlfred Publishing,the song is written in the time signature ofcommon timewith a moderate beat rate of 125beats per minute.It is written in thekeyofE♭ majorand Wyatt's vocal range spans the notes ofE♭4toE♭6.It follows a sequence of Gm–B♭–E♭as itschord progression.[17]"Silvia" begins as a ballad and transforms into a "psychedelic, danceable" piece as thesynth padsaccelerate.[13]Wyatt's vocals are echoed and edited withAuto-Tune.[13][16]Elliott Townsend ofURBdeemed the singer's vocals "emotionally transparent".[18]The piece lyrically speaks of longing,[16]and Alex Young ofConsequence of Sounddescribed it as a "boy-done-wrong ode to the titular woman".[19]

Reception

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"Silvia" received positive reviews from music critics; a writer forComplexconsidered it a "standout" onMiike Snow.[20]Staff reviewer Rudy Klapper of Sputnikmusic deemed it the "undeniable centerpiece" ofMiike Snow,"It's the kind of climactic tune that makes everything after it seem lesser."[16]He regarded its placement as the third track on the album as "odd".[16]Similarly,PopMatterscritic John Bergstrom also described "Silvia" as the album's centerpiece, referring it to as "stunning".[13]Naming it a "lostDuran Duranclassic ", Bergstrom wrote," It's so thrilling, you'll forgive the overzealous Auto-Tune. "[13]The single achieved minor commercial success on charts in the United Kingdom. It entered theUK Dance Chartat number 39 in the issue dated 23 January 2010.[21]The following week, it rose to number 32,[22]before acquiring its peak position of number 16 in its third week.[23]"Silvia" spent four weeks on the chart; its last appearance was in the issue dated 13 February 2010 at number 23.[24]The single missed the top 100 of theUK Singles Chart,peaking at number 154 in the issue dated 6 February 2010.[25]

Music video

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Marcus Söderlunddirected the accompanyingmusic videofor "Silvia".[26]It premiered exclusively onNME'swebsite in December 2009.[27]A writer forComplexcommented, "The vid is kind of dramatic and hard to make sense of, but what do you expect from a band like this?"[20]The video plays out in a post-apocalyptic world.[28]It begins with the band's three members waking up from sleeping in the middle of a street, appearing to be homeless. The men then walk way in the woods while shots of homeless people are interspersed. Several people are seen carrying torches in the woods and are soon joined by the band. They then set fire to a large wooden version of ajackalopeand the video ends as it bursts into flames.

Formats and track listings

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Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from theMiike Snowliner notes.[1]

Charts

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Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Dance(OCC)[23] 16
UK Singles(Official Charts Company)[25] 154

Release history

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Country Date Format Label
Nordic countries[7][29][30] 25 January 2010 Digital download Columbia Records
United Kingdom[6][9] 22 January 2010
8 February 2010 12 "vinyl

References

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  1. ^abcdMiike Snow(Media notes).Miike Snow.Downtown.2009. DWT70085.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^McKnight, Ren (28 March 2012)."10 Essentials: Miike Snow".GQ.Condé Nast Publications.Retrieved2 March2013.
  3. ^abcFortunato, John (5 November 2009)."Shooting From The Hip: Miike Snow's Frosty Entree Best Served Chilled".The Aquarian Weekly.Retrieved30 July2014.
  4. ^Vinti, Mike (15 March 2016)."Interview: Miike Snow's Andrew Wyatt Talks Pop and Politics".Notion.Archived fromthe originalon 12 May 2016.Retrieved4 March2018.
  5. ^ab"Miike Snow Plot Single Release".Clash.Music Republic. 10 December 2009.Retrieved30 July2014.
  6. ^abc"Silvia (Remixes) – EP by Miike Snow".iTunes Store.Apple Inc.22 January 2010.Retrieved30 July2014.
  7. ^abc"Silvia (2010)".7digital(Norway). Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved30 July2014.
  8. ^Kim, Suyeon (20 July 2012)."Robotberget: The Latest Arm of Miike Snow's Swedish Music Empire".MTV Iggy.MTV Networks.Retrieved30 July2014.
  9. ^ab"Silvia (12" vinyl) ".Amazon.co.uk.Retrieved30 July2014.
  10. ^abSilvia(12 "vinyl). Miike Snow. United Kingdom:Columbia.2010. LC00162.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ab"Silvia (Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South Remix) by Miike Snow on Beatport".Beatport.Retrieved5 August2022.
  12. ^abTurenne, Martin (23 September 2009)."Trio of producers unite under Miike Snow banner".The Georgia Straight.Retrieved30 July2014.
  13. ^abcdeBergstrom, John (11 June 2009)."Miike Snow: Miike Snow".PopMatters.Sarah Zupko.Retrieved14 September2012.
  14. ^abAshman, Neil (12 October 2009)."Miike Snow – Miike Snow".Drowned in Sound.Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2012.Retrieved13 September2012.
  15. ^Hogan, Marc (11 June 2009)."Miike Snow: Miike Snow".Pitchfork Media.Retrieved30 July2014.
  16. ^abcdeKlapper, Rudy (21 June 2009)."Miike Snow – Miike Snow".Sputnikmusic. Archived fromthe originalon February 3, 2013.Retrieved14 September2012.
  17. ^"Miike Snow, 'Silvia' – Composition Sheet Music".Musicnotes.com.Alfred Publishing.20 September 2010.
  18. ^Townsend, Elliott (11 June 2009)."Miike Snow".URB.NativeSon Media. Archived fromthe originalon 22 June 2009.
  19. ^Young, Alex (27 September 2009)."Miike Snow makes a short but very sweet visit to Empty Bottle (9/25)".Consequence of Sound.Retrieved30 July2014.
  20. ^ab"Wake N' Watch: Miike Snow 'Silvia' Music Video".Complex.Complex Media. 24 December 2009.Retrieved30 July2014.
  21. ^"2010-01-23 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart".Official Charts Company.Retrieved30 July2014.
  22. ^"2010-01-30 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart".Official Charts Company.Retrieved30 July2014.
  23. ^ab"Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  24. ^"2010-02-13 Top 40 Dance Singles Chart".Official Charts Company.Retrieved30 July2014.
  25. ^ab"The Official UK Singles Chart for the week ending 6 February 2010".UKChartsPlus(441). Milton Keynes: IQ Ware Ltd. 31 January 2010.
  26. ^Jannesson, Linn (12 February 2014)."Vackert och filmiskt i storslagen miljö"[Beautiful and cinematic in grand environment].Gaffa(in Swedish). Gaffa Sverige AB. Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2018.Retrieved28 July2014.
  27. ^"Miike Snow – 'Silvia' Video".NME.IPC Media.Retrieved28 July2014.
  28. ^Saeed, Abdullah (21 September 2012)."Behind The Twisted Tale Of Miike Snow's Jean Noel Music Video Trilogy (Q&A With Director Andreas Nilsson)".The Creators Project.Vice Media.Retrieved30 July2014.
  29. ^"Silvia (2010)".7digital (Finland). Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved30 July2014.
  30. ^"Silvia (2010)".7digital (Sweden). Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2014.Retrieved30 July2014.
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