"Battleships" is a song recorded 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 Daughtry for their fourth studio album, ''

Baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

'' (2013). The song was written by Daughtry frontman

Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam Daughtry (; born December 26, 1979) is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry, which he formed after placing fourth on the fifth season of ''American I ...

Sam Hollander Sam Hollander is an American songwriter. He has collaborated with the likes of Panic! at the Disco, One Direction, Fitz and the Tantrums, Train, Weezer, Blink-182, Ringo Starr, Def Leppard, Katy Perry, Carole King, Jewel, Pentatonix, Daughtry, ...

, and Martin Johnson, while production was handled by Johnson. It was serviced to

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

radio in the US through

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

on May 12, 2014, as the third overall single from the album and the second to be promoted in North America. The song debuted at number 38 on the ''Billboard''

Adult Pop Songs The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen B ...

chart.

Content

The song is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

power ballad that describes a tempestuous, conflict-riddled relationship wherein the narrator and his significant other "love like battleships". As one of the most strongly pop-influenced songs on the album, Chris Daughtry explained to ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' that he was nervous fans would not take to "Battleships" due to it being "too weird", "too out-there" and/or "too pop", but that he fell in love with the new sound while recording it. The "boom boo-boom boom boo-boom boom boom"

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

in the chorus drew attention and some criticism from music critics, who described it as "stunningly weird," "silly," and "crazy".

Music video

A lyric video for the song premiered April 9, 2014. On June 16, Chris Daughtry tweeted a photo with the caption "Things are gettin CRAZY on the #battleships video shoot!!!!", suggesting that an official music video was being filmed at that time. The official music video for "Battleships" premiered August 12, 2014 and features behind-the-scenes footage from the band's summer tour with the

Goo Goo Dolls The Goo Goo Dolls are an American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, bassist/vocalist Robby Takac, and drummer George Tutuska. After starting off as a cover band and then developing a punk sound, ...

Chart performance

"Battleships" debuted at No. 38 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Pop Songs chart for the week ending June 21, 2014.

Release history

References

{{authority control 2013 songs 2014 singles Daughtry (band) songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Chris Daughtry Songs written by Martin Johnson (musician) Songs written by Sam Hollander Rock ballads 19 Recordings singles