''Push the Button'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by English
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
duo
The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons in Manchester in 1989. They were pioneers (along with the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, the Crystal Method, and other acts) in bringing the big beat genre t ...
, first released in January 2005.
The album received mostly positive reviews from
music critics and won the
Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — to recording artists for quality albums in the dance music and electronica genres. Honors in several categ ...
in January 2006. It was
certified gold by the
BPI on 28 January 2005.
Development
The making of the album started in mid-2003. Most of the album was finished in the last couple of months.
Singles
"
Galvanize
Galvanization or galvanizing (American and British English spelling differences, also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot ...
" was the first
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
from the album, released on 22 November 2004 in the United States and on 17 January 2005 in the United Kingdom. It peaked at number three on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
"
Believe
Believe may refer to:
*Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition
*Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
" was the second single from the album, released on 2 May 2005. It peaked at number 18.
"
The Boxer
"The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone sing ...
" was the third single from the album, released on 11 July 2005. It peaked at number 41.
''
Live 05
British big beat duo The Chemical Brothers have released nine studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums, two remix albums, five mix albums, one soundtrack album, two video albums, six extended plays, thirty-seven singles, fifte ...
'' was released as a digital EP promoting the album on 29 November 2005. It was recorded live from their 2005 tour.
Usage in media
* Track No. 1, "Galvanize", has been featured in US commercials for
Budweiser, as well as on an episode of ''
All Star Family Fortunes'' aired 23 December 2006. A remix, produced by
Scratch Perverts, was included in the game ''
DJ Hero 2
''DJ Hero 2'' is a rhythm video game and a sequel to ''DJ Hero'', a spinoff of the ''Guitar Hero'' series. ''DJ Hero 2'' uses a special turntable-controller, the same as introduced in ''DJ Hero'', to simulate turntablism, the act of creating a n ...
''. It was also used in ''
Need for Speed: Most Wanted'' in 2012. It was also used in an ad by Oculus to promote their Quest 2 model, the ad was entitled "Break free" and published in 2020. Also in 2012, it was used to start the entrance of the athletes at the opening ceremony of the London
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
* Track No. 6, "The Big Jump", was featured on the soundtracks of the video games ''
Burnout Revenge'' and ''
Project Gotham Racing 3''.
* Track No. 9, "Shake Break Bounce" was used in the
BBC Three comedy ''
Cuckoo
Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes . The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals and anis. The coucals and anis are sometimes separ ...
'' in the episode "Ken on E". 4 time Commonwealth gold medalist,
Claudia Fragapane
Claudia Fragapane (born 24 October 1997) is a British artistic gymnast. She came to prominence at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she was the first English woman to win four gold medals in a single Games since 1930. In 2015, Fragapane was pa ...
also used Shake Break Bounce as her floor exercise music during 2013 and 2014. It was also used as the background music to the
Ford S-Max TV advert, shown in the UK in August–September 2006
* Track No. 10 "Marvo Ging", featured in Season two of ''
The O.C.'', in the episode
The Risky Business. It is also used on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
,
E4 and
More4 in the United Kingdom to advertise
Film4
Film4 is a British free-to-air television network owned by Channel Four Television Corporation launched on 1 November 1998, devoted to broadcasting films. While its standard-definition channel is available on Freeview and Freesat platforms, it ...
, and in the final episode of ''
Time Trumpet''.
* Track No. 11, "Surface to Air", was featured on
Sky Sports News as its title music and in
Anna Faris
Anna Kay Faris (; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her work in comedic roles, particularly the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the ''Scary Movie'' film series (2000–2006). She has appeared in a number o ...
's 2007
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
''
Smiley Face
A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such a ...
''.
Reception
''Push the Button'' received very positive reviews by music critics upon its release.
BBC Music said of the album "The Chemical Brothers return with their rebel rockin' fifth studio album that blows all stylistic boundaries down in the process." Lead single "
Galvanize
Galvanization or galvanizing (American and British English spelling differences, also spelled galvanisation or galvanising) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot ...
", with
Q-Tip on lead vocals, peaked at number 3 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. "
The Boxer
"The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a standalone sing ...
" also charted in the UK Singles Chart, in addition to "
Believe
Believe may refer to:
*Belief, a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true, with or without proof for such proposition
*Faith, a belief in something which has not been proven
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
".
''
Complex'' called it a "remotely forgettable project."
Track listing
Note
* As with all other albums by The Chemical Brothers, some of the tracks segue into the next. These are 2 into 3, 3 into 4, 5 into 6, 6 into 7, 7 into 8, 9 into 10, and finally 10 into 11.
Sample credits
* "Galvanize" contains samples of "Just Tell Me the Truth", written and performed by
Najat Aatabou
Najat Aâtabou ( ar, نجاة اعتابو; born 1960) is an Berber Moroccan singer, songwriter and composer.
Her song "Hadi Kedba Bayna" was sampled by the Chemical Brothers in their 2004 song "Galvanize".
Early life
Najat Aâtabou was b ...
.
* "Come Inside" contains samples of "Everyday We Die a Little", written and performed by Sara Ayers.
* "Left Right" contains samples of "Heavy Dramatic Track", from ''Production Music Beds MM123''.
* "Shake Break Bounce" contains samples of "Party & Bullshit", written by
Rashia Fisher,
Justin Smith and
Curtis Jones Curtis Jones may refer to:
* Curtis Jones (pianist) (1906–1971), American blues pianist
* Curtis Jones (singer) or Green Velvet (born 1968), American singer, record producer, and DJ
* Curtis Jones (minister) (born 1986), American minister conv ...
, and performed by
Rah Digga.
Personnel
Credits for ''Push the Button'' adapted from album liner notes.
The Chemical Brothers
* Tom Rowlands –
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
* Ed Simons – production
Additional musicians
*
Q-Tip – vocals on "Galvanize"
*
Tim Burgess – vocals on "The Boxer"
*
Kele Okereke – vocals on "Believe"
*
Anna-Lynne Williams – vocals on "Hold Tight London"
*
Jon Brookes – percussion on "Hold Tight London"
*
Anwar Superstar – vocals on "Left Right"
*
The Magic Numbers
The Magic Numbers are an English pop rock band consisting of two brother-and-sister pairs, from Hanwell in west London. The group was formed in 2002, releasing their debut album titled ''The Magic Numbers'' on 13 June 2005. Their follow-up alb ...
– vocals on "Close Your Eyes"
Additional technical personnel
* Cheeky Paul – editing
* Steve Dub –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
* Ben Thackery – engineering (assistant)
* Mike Marsh –
mastering
* Vaughn Merrick – recording on "Galvanize"
Design
* The Chemical Brothers – art direction
* Tappin Gofton – art direction
* Kam Tang – artwork
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{Authority control
The Chemical Brothers albums
2005 albums
Astralwerks albums
Virgin Records albums
Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album