"Plug In Baby"
Single by Muse
from the album Origin of Symmetry
B-side
  • "Nature_1"
  • "Execution Commentary"
  • "Spiral Static"
  • "Bedroom Acoustics"
Released12 March 2001 (2001-03-12)
RecordedSeptember 2000
StudioRidge Farm (Rusper)
GenreAlternative rock[1]
Length
  • 3:39 (album/single version)
  • 3:18 (radio edit)
LabelTaste
Songwriter(s)Matt Bellamy
Producer(s)
Muse singles chronology
"Muscle Museum"
(2000)		 "Plug In Baby"
(2001)		 "New Born"
(2001)
CD2 cover

"Plug In Baby" is a song by English rock band Muse. It was released as the lead single from the band's second studio album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), on 12 March 2001.

The song became the band's highest-charting single in the UK when it peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, until it was surpassed by "Time Is Running Out", which peaked at number 8 in 2003.[2] Today, "Plug In Baby" is considered one of Muse's most notable songs, and has been featured on the live albums Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002), HAARP (2008) and Live at Rome Olympic Stadium (2013).

Background and composition

"Plug In Baby" is written in the key of B minor (although the song does not begin or end on the tonic chord of the key). It's mainly guitar and bass-driven, and moves at a tempo of 136 bpm. The guitar riff is based on the harmonic minor scale.

The beginning of the riff shows similarities to the toccata from Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565" and the beginning of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings".

One of the B-sides to the single, "Execution Commentary", was described by Bellamy as the "worst song I've ever written".[3]

Recording

The 1997 studio demo of the song lacked the main riff of the song, although there were numerous similarities in the lyrics and structure. "Plug In Baby" was to be re-recorded under the wishes of Maverick to coincide with the US tour promoting the Origin of Symmetry album, as Maverick wished Bellamy to tone down the falsetto on the song as well as on the album. The band spent a few days at Long View Farm in North Brookfield, Massachusetts, in September 2001 recording this new version, but were left unsatisfied by the result.[4] Consequently, Maverick dropped Muse in the US market and Origin of Symmetry remained unreleased in the country until 2005.[5]

Legacy

The song is often praised for its opening guitar riff, which Total Guitar magazine readers voted as the number 1 ultimate guitar riff of the 2000s[6] and the 13th best of all time in 2004.[7] In 2011, Spinner.com named "Plug In Baby" the 46th greatest guitar riff of all time, citing its "play on Bach's 'Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565'." The song has been featured on the video games Guitar Hero 5 and Rocksmith.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matt Bellamy

'CD1'
No.TitleLength
1."Plug In Baby"3:40
2."Nature_1"3:40
3."Execution Commentary"2:30
4."Plug In Baby" (music video)3:41
'CD2'
No.TitleLength
1."Plug In Baby"3:41
2."Spiral Static"4:46
3."Bedroom Acoustics"2:37
7-inch vinyl and compact cassette
No.TitleLength
1."Plug In Baby"3:39
2."Nature_1"3:40

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Origin of Symmetry liner notes.[8]

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 57
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 33
France (SNEP)[11] 40
Italy (FIMI)[12] 42
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 63
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 88
Scotland (OCC)[15] 13
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 11
UK Indie (OCC)[17] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[18] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 12 March 2001
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Mushroom [19]
Australia 26 March 2001 CD Festival Mushroom [20]

References

  1. ↑ "Weekend riff: Muse - Plug In Baby". Total Guitar. Future plc. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. ↑ "Muse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  3. ↑ muse [@muse] (26 September 2012). "@isamartina Execution commentary. M #AskMuse" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  4. ↑ Absolution XX Anniversary (hardcover book). Muse. Helium-3. 2023. 5054197674396.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. September 2009.
  6. ↑ "Muse song named greatest riff of the 21st century". The Independent. 1 October 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2011.
  7. ↑ "Guns N' Roses top rock riff poll". BBC. 2 May 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  8. ↑ Origin of Symmetry (liner notes). Muse. Taste Media. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ↑ "Issue 579" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 18, no. 14. 31 March 2001. p. 19. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  11. ↑ "Muse – Plug In Baby" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Muse – Plug In Baby". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Muse – Plug In Baby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  14. ↑ "Muse – Plug In Baby". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  15. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  17. ↑ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "British single certifications – Muse – Plug In Baby". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  19. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting March 12, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 10 March 2001. p. 27. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 26th March 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 26 March 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
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