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.

Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out” hit #1 on alternative rock chart

Stressed Out Twenty One Pilots

Writer(s): Tyler Joseph (see lyrics here) Released: April 28, 2015 First Charted: May 16, 2015 Peak: 2 US, 11 RR, 17 AC, 12 A40, 36 AR, 112 MR, 12 UK, 3 CN, 2 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 10.0 US, 1.8 UK, 15.57 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 2730.28 video, 1977.82 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Singer Tyler Joseph formed the alternative-rock band Twenty One Pilots in 2009 in Columbus, Ohio. Original members Nick Thomas and Chris Salih left in 2011, at which time the group became a duo comprised of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. That’s when things took a positive turn for the band. Their third album, 2013’s Vessel, was their first major-label studio album and went double platinum thanks to top-ten alternative rock hits “Holding on to You” and “House of Gold.” Even bigger things were to come with fourth album, 2015’s Blurryface. “Tear in My Heart” went all the way to #2 on the alternative rock chart, but even better things were to come. The album’s fourth single, “Stressed Out,” sent Twenty One Pilots into the mainstream. It reached #1 on the alternative rock chart, and got all the way to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the top five in seventeen countries and was the first rock song to reach one billion streams on Spotify. WK It was also nominated fyr a Grammy for Record of the Year and won for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Blurryface topped the album chart and went five-times platinum. The song is described on Wikipedia as “a midtempo alternative hip hop, alternative rock and rap rock song with elements of psychedelic music.” WK Lyrically, the song is written from the perspective of Blurryface, the album’s titular character. Joseph said the character is “a guy that kind of represents all the things that I as an individual – but also everyone around me – am insecure about.” SF “Stressed Out” specifically deasl with, as the staff at Consequence said, “the good ol’ days before the stress of reality set in.” WK The video portrayed the duo trying to relive their childhood by riding tricycles. It was mostly shot at Dun’s childhood home. It mixed “existential sequences and draws visual cues from fairy tales such as Alice in Wonderland.” WK Radio.com’s Courtney E. Smith compared the visuals to J.M. Barrie’s 1904 play Peter Pan. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Twenty One Pilots SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 7/28/2023.