"Radioactive" 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

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern rock and ga ...

, and was the first single released from their 2010 album ''

Come Around Sundown ''Come Around Sundown'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kings of Leon, released in Ireland, Australia and Germany on October 15, 2010, followed by releases in the United Kingdom on October 18 and North America on October 19. The o ...

''. The song, along with its accompanying music video, premiered on September 8 on the Kings' website. The following day, it received its official radio premiere on Australian radio, and debuted on US Alternative Radio on September 13. The song was released on US iTunes on September 14, and released at a later date in remaining countries. The song was nominated for the

53rd Grammy Awards The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 13, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. They were broadcast on CBS with a rating of 26.6 million viewers. Barbra Streisand was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year two nights pri ...

in two categories: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and

Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre. Honors in several ...

. The song is used in the films ''

I Am Number Four ''I Am Number Four'' is a young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym of James Frey and Jobie Hughes) and the first book in the ''Lorien Legacies'' series. The book was published by HarperCollins on August 3, 2010, and s ...

'' and '' Boyhood''.

Music video

The music video was released on September 8, 2010 on the Kings of Leon's website. The video that was made in a sepia-tone refers to the band's southern origins. It shows the band at a barbecue with a Gospel children's choir. Drummer Nathan Followill said, "Gospel music was a big part of us growing up, so to be able to come back and revisit that part of our lives at this stage in our lives is a pretty special thing." ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' named Radioactive's music video the second worst music video ever, commenting, "The music industry gasped in disbelief as the Oklahoma boys leapt into a muddled mise-en-scene of questionable racial subtext."

Live performances

Kings of Leon performed the song on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' on October 23, 2010 and on '' Late Show with David Letterman'' on October 25, 2010. On November 25, 2010, the band gave a mini-concert in New York for ''

The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...

'' during which they performed a three-song set including "Radioactive". They also sang it on May 13, 2011 on ''

VH1 Storytellers ''Storytellers'' is a television music series produced by the VH1 network. In each episode, artists perform in front of a (mostly small and intimate) live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat ...

''.

Track listings

;Digital download #"Radioactive" - 3:27 ;UK 2-track CD single #"Radioactive" - 3:27 #"Radioactive (Remix Featuring West Angeles Mass Choir)" - 3:33

Chart performance

"Radioactive" debuted and peaked at #37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has since re-entered the chart at number 65 upon the release of the album.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Personnel

* Caleb - lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar * Nathan - drums, percussion, backing vocals * Matthew - lead guitar, backing vocals * Jared - bass, percussion *

Jacquire King Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, ...

- percussion, backing vocals

References

{{Kings of Leon 2010 singles Kings of Leon songs Songs written by Matthew Followill Songs written by Jared Followill Songs written by Nathan Followill Songs written by Caleb Followill Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Song recordings produced by Jacquire King 2010 songs