When You Die
| "When You Die" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by MGMT | ||||
| from the album Little Dark Age | ||||
| Released | December 12, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | 2017 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:23 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer(s) | ||||
| Lyricist(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| MGMT singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"When You Die" is a song by American pop and rock band MGMT, and the second single from the band's fourth studio album Little Dark Age. It was released worldwide on December 12, 2017, through Columbia Records.
Recording
[edit]The song was recorded in 2017. It was co-written by Ariel Pink, who also plays guitar on the song.[1]
Artwork
[edit]_(14564557599).jpg)
The song's artwork is based on an illustration in The Heart of Man; Either a Temple of God, or a Habitation of Satan; Represented in Ten Emblematical Figures, an 1851 book by German religious figure Johannes Evangelista Gossner.
Music video
[edit]The music video was directed by Mike Burakoff and Hallie Cooper-Novack, and was released on December 12, 2017 through The New Yorker along with the audio release. The video stars Alex Karpovsky and Lucy Kaminsky, with Karpovsky playing a failing magician that appears to die and watch his death through a psychedelic trip presumably in purgatory.[3]
The video has been viewed 33 million times through the band's official Vevo account on YouTube.[4]
Track listing
[edit]All lyrics are written by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ariel Pink; all music is composed by VanWyngarden, Ben Goldwasser and Pink
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When You Die" | 4:23 |
Personnel
[edit]MGMT
- Andrew VanWyngarden – vocals, guitar, percussion, producer
- Ben Goldwasser – synthesizer, vocals, flute, producer
Additional Personnel
- Ariel Pink – guitar, background vocals
- Patrick Wimberly – percussion, production, engineering
- Dave Fridmann – production, engineering, mixing
- Connan Mockasin – background vocals
- Sébastien Tellier – background vocals
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[5] | 35 |
References
[edit]- ^ MGMT – When You Die. Genius. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
- ^ "The heart of man : Either a temple of God, or a habitation of Satan : Represented in ten emblematical figures, calculated to awaken and promote a Christian disposition". 1851.
- ^ Gordon, Arielle (12 December 2017). "MGMT – "When You Die"". SPIN.
- ^ MGMT – When You Die. YouTube. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
- ^ "MGMT Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 7, 2018.