Twenty One Pilots “Heathens” released

Heathens Twenty One Pilots

Writer(s): Tyler Joseph (see lyrics here) Released: June 16, 2016 First Charted: July 9, 2016 Peak: 2 BB, 25 AC, 2 A40, 20 AR, 111 MR, 5 UK, 3 CN, 3 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.2 UK, 13.93 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2211.15 video, 1719.55 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Twenty One Pilots initially formed as an alternative rock trio in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. They self-released two albums before two members left in 2011. Lead singer Tyler Joseph recruited drummer Josh Dun and the duo released their major label debut, Vessel, in 2013. That album achieved double platinum success, but its follow-up, 2015’s Blurryface, was even more successful. It sold five million copies and reached #1. It generated two top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Stressed Out” and “Ride.” At the height of their success, they contributed the “eerie song” SF “Heathens” to the soundtrack for the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics antihero team. The song was released as the lead single from the soundtrack and spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 behind the Chainsmokers’ “Closer.” The video was set in a fictional DC Universe “high-security penitentiary that’s packed with the Suicide Squad cast.” SF Amanda Valentine, the stylist for Twenty One Pilots, said they wanted to pay tribute to Johnny Cash’s famous Folsom Prison performance. She said, “You can barely just make out the bolo tie.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Twenty One Pilots SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 4/12/2024.