"In the Crossfire" is a song written by English

post-Britpop Post-Britpop is an alternative rock subgenre and is the period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, following Britpop, when the media were identifying a "new generation" or "second wave" of guitar bands influenced by acts like Oasis and Blur, but ...

band Starsailor that talks about the suffering of people who have lived the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. The song says "I hear them screaming on the radio, it's getting louder in the crossfire, trying to find some hope from the ashes of their broken homes". This is the first political song of the band which denounced the alliance of Prime Minister

Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...

with president

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 ...

(''I don't see myself when I look at the flag'') during the war on Iraq. It peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart. "In the Crossfire" shows a more mature and heavier-sounding Starsailor, unique from what they have done before. Noticeably, it shows a marked distance between the sound of other britpop groups like

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

.Starsailor proves success isn't easy
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Video

"In the Crossfire" was directed by Paul Gore and shows the band playing in a disused railway station in London creating a serious atmosphere with it. They're locked in a

greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of Transparent ceramics, transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic condit ...

for almost all the video after they finally break it with the sound of the guitars. This is the darkest video of their career and it accentuates the heavier sound that they would present to the world with the release of their third album '' On the Outside''.

Track listings

CD, 7"

#"In the Crossfire" #"Always"

DVD

#"In the Crossfire" (video) #"Four to the Floor" (live at Somerset House - video) #"In the Crossfire" (audio) #"Empty Streets" (audio)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:In The Crossfire 2005 singles Starsailor (band) songs Songs written by James Walsh (musician) Songs written by James Stelfox Songs written by Barry Westhead Songs written by Ben Byrne 2005 songs Political songs Protest songs Anti-war songs EMI Records singles