"Sunburn"
'CD1' cover
Single by Muse
from the album Showbiz
B-side
  • "Ashamed" (CD1)
  • "Yes Please" (CD2)
Released21 February 2000
RecordedApril 1999
StudioSawmills Studio, Cornwall, England
GenreAlternative rock
Length3:54 (album version)
3:33 (radio edit)
LabelTaste/Mushroom
Songwriter(s)Matthew Bellamy
Producer(s)John Leckie
Muse singles chronology
"Muscle Museum"
(1999)		 "Sunburn"
(2000)		 "Unintended"
(2000)
Alternative cover
'CD2' cover

"Sunburn" is a song by English rock band Muse, released as the fourth single from their 1999 debut album Showbiz.

Background and composition

Both "Sunburn" and "Falling Down" were the last songs written for Showbiz, being in late 1998 while the others were between 1996 and early 1998.

The lyrics, as Matthew Bellamy said, are about:

It's about like a moth flying to the light bulb, it's like that but a spaceman going towards the sun wanting to get away from the Earth because it had nothing.

[1]

Release

"Sunburn" was released on 21 February 2000 on 7" vinyl—backed with a live acoustic version of the song—and double CD—backed with "Ashamed", a live version of the song, "Yes Please" and a live version of "Uno". It reached number 22 in the UK Singles Chart,[2] making it their first song to enter the Top 40.

Music video

The music video for "Sunburn", directed by Nick Gordon,[3] depicts a young Brooke Kinsella—who later rose to fame as an actress on EastEnders—babysitting a young boy (Liam Hess) until she heads upstairs to investigate something. Entering a bedroom, she enters a wardrobe for a few minutes and begins to steal jewellery before Matthew Bellamy and Christopher Wolstenholme appear playing in the mirrors on the doors either side of her. Before she can see them, they quickly disappear in reality. Standing in front of a giant mirror, she's shocked when Bellamy, Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard emerge, playing only as their reflections. The young woman struggles to cope with seeing them perform in the mirror, clasping her head in frustration and throws an object at the mirror, smashing it. The young boy enters, he sees the room in a mess and then looks behind him. In the mirror, Muse have strangely vanished, and in their place is the girl. The video ends in a still of the boy staring in disbelief at the empty sofa, while in the mirror the girl is sitting on it.

Live performances

"Sunburn" was one of Muse's most performed songs live, and was a permanent fixture in the band's concerts from 1999 to 2004. While not a staple, "Sunburn" was performed often on the Black Holes and Revelations Tour, and made occasional appearances on The Resistance Tour, The 2nd Law Tour, and Drones World Tour. The song has not been performed since 2016.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy

7"
No.TitleLength
1."Sunburn"3:54
2."Sunburn" (live acoustic version)4:15
Total length:9:50
'CD1'
No.TitleLength
1."Sunburn"3:54
2."Ashamed"3:47
3."Sunburn" (live)3:49
Total length:11:30
'CD2'
No.TitleLength
1."Sunburn"3:54
2."Yes Please"3:06
3."Uno" (live)3:49
Total length:10:49

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Showbiz liner notes[4]


Release history

Region Date Label Format Catalog
United Kingdom 21 February 2000 Mushroom 7" MUSH68S
2CD MUSH68CDS/MUSH68CDSX
CD MUSE 6
12" MUSE 7
Benelux Play It Again Sam CD 481.2003.22
Germany Motor 12" B033102-01

Charts

Chart (2000) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 22

References

  1. ↑ "Muse - Sunburn performance on G-Spot".
  2. ↑ "Muse | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  3. ↑ "Muse – Sunburn". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 February 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  4. ↑ Muse (1999). Showbiz (album liner notes). Taste Media.
  5. ↑ "Muse: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
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