Muse – Survival

The 2012 Olympics will officially start in 23 days! What better way to promote the final countdown, by announcing the official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games.  A song to fit such a crieteria, would have to be of epic proportion, magestic sounding and quintessentially British. One band comes to mind … the mighty MUSE. The song comes from their highly anticipated album, ‘The Second Law‘, which will be released in September. BBC Radio 1 DJ, Zane Lowe, had the first play of the track,  followed by an interview with the band.

“We are honoured that the Olympics have chosen our song to officially represent the London 2012 Olympic Games across the globe.”

Muse during the Olympic Torch Relay in Devon

The song ‘Survival’ will be played throughout the Games when athletes enter the stadium, during the medal ceremony and as the theme for all international TV coverage. In otherwords, you better get used to hearing this song, as it will no doubt be played at every given opportunity. Front man Matt Bellamy, wanted to highlight the main focus of the song; A message which certainly resonates with every athlete:

 “It’s about total conviction and pure determination to win”. “I’ll keep up the pace, And I’ll reveal my strength, To the whole human race”

I have to admit, this song took a few listens for me to grasp it’s actual intention. As a stand alone song, it can be seem quite exaggerated and over the top, however, putting this into the context of the Olympic Games, I can clearly envisage this song being played in the Olympic stadium, playing host to 80,000 spectators and billions of viewers worldwide. The song will be given the platform it requires, to really encapsulate the spirit of the Olympic Games, on an epic level.

Reminiscent of a rock opera, and many comparing it to the unforgettable sounds of Queen, Muse have brought their own unique style to the song, and have included their usual stylistic attributes such as classical piano, guitar riffs, choir vocals, swelling strings that build to a grand crescendo to end the song on a high.

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