"Audience of One" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rooted in hardcor ...

, written by the band's frontman

Tim McIlrath Timothy James McIlrath (born November 3, 1978) is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer, rhythm guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the punk rock band Rise Against. He is vegan and straight edge. Early and personal life McIlrath ...

. It is the second single from their 2008 album '' Appeal to Reason''. Hitting number four on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, "Audience of One" is Rise Against's third-highest charting single, behind the previous single from ''Appeal to Reason'', "

Re-Education (Through Labor) "Re-Education (Through Labor)" is the first single from Rise Against's fifth studio album, '' Appeal to Reason''. The single was released digitally to digital stores and radio stations on August 26, 2008. A music video was released on the same d ...

", which peaked at number three and the third single "

Savior Savior or Saviour may refer to: *A person who helps people achieve salvation, or saves them from something Religion * Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine or nineteen years * Maitreya * Messiah, a saviour or li ...

Performance

In mid-October 2008, the

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

radio station

KROQ KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The stat ...

began playing "Audience of One." Its video was announced to be shot with director

Brett Simon Brett Simon (born November 28, 1973 in Palo Alto, California) is an American commercial, music video and film director. Career Simon graduated from Princeton University ''summa cum laude'' in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative L ...

on December 9. On January 15, 2009, the video for "Audience of One" premiered on MySpace. The song impacted radio on January 20. The single was released on CD and 7" vinyl on March 3, 2009, in the UK.

Music video

The music video features an eight-year-old boy who resembles

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

playing with a miniature world, and throughout the video the boy plays with objects depicting high gas prices, the war in Iraq, the funeral of a soldier,

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, the devastation of

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, house foreclosures,

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, and

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before going to bed in the White House. It also features Rise Against performing in a miniature White House lawn, which the boy smashes before the end of the video.

Other appearances

"Audience of One" is featured with a customized Rise Against Theme in Tap Tap Revenge 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is featured again in the aforementioned game's sequel, Tap Tap Revenge 3, in a double pack that also includes “

Ready to Fall "Ready to Fall" is the first single by the punk rock band Rise Against from their fourth studio album, ''The Sufferer & The Witness'' (2006). An acoustic version of this song was performed live on the CJZN Radio station in Victoria, British C ...

”. The song is also a downloadable song in ''

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'' and

Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 music video game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, in late October 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on N ...

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

* Rise Against songs 2008 songs 2009 singles Music videos directed by Brett Simon Songs written by Tim McIlrath Songs written by Joe Principe Songs written by Zach Blair Songs written by Brandon Barnes Rock ballads Interscope Records singles {{2000s-rock-single-stub American alternative rock songs