"Ship to Wreck" is a song by English

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

band Florence and the Machine from their third studio album, ''

How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful ''How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'' is the third studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 29 May 2015 by Island Records. After returning from her year-long hiatus from music, lead vocalist Florence Welch r ...

'' (2015). It was released on 9 April 2015 as the album's second single. The track premiered on

Huw Stephens Huw Meredydd Stephens (born 25 May 1981) is a Welsh radio and television presenter, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 6 Music. Stephens founded the Sŵn music festival with John Rostron and the yearly s ...

' show on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

on 8 April 2015 and the accompanying music video was released on 13 April, following the narrative of band's previous two videos of " What Kind of Man" and "St. Jude". The video was filmed in frontwoman

Florence Welch Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986) is an English singer, the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, ''Lungs'' (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and wo ...

's London house. "Ship to Wreck" was met with critical acclaim, with critics praising Welch's vocals, as well as the song's production. The song received nominations for Best Rock Video at the

2015 MTV Video Music Awards The 2015 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 30, 2015. The 32nd installment of the event was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, and hosted by Miley Cyrus. Taylor Swift led the nominations with a total of ten, follo ...

and

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 63rd Grammy Awards category rules, "this category ...

at the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 20 ...

Composition

"Ship to Wreck" is a

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

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 ...

, and soft rock song that carries an "upbeat, bouncy sound", in contrast to the lyrics, which speak of

self-destructive behaviour Self-destructive behavior is any behavior that is harmful or potentially harmful towards the person who engages in the behavior. Self-destructive behaviors have been shown by many people throughout the years. It is on a continuum, with one extr ...

. The song almost did not make the cut for ''How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'', as producer

Markus Dravs Markus Dravs is a British music producer, songwriter, programmer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Wolf Alice, Björk, Brian Eno, Sheep on Drugs, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, The Maccabees and Kings o ...

had disallowed Welch to write more songs about water, a recurring theme in the band's previous album, '' Ceremonials'' (2011), but she managed to include it. In a press release, Welch explained the meaning behind the song, saying: "I was thinking about my own self destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you're in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most."

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of '' Billboard'' included "Ship to Wreck" on its "Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far)" list in June 2015, stating, "Florence Welch may have reached a new peak with third album ''How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful''—she's certainly never been more effective as a live performer, and 'Ship To Wreck' demonstrates that she's still growing as a pop songwriter. Everything comes together for Florence + The Machine on their latest single, as Welch's voice coils around the slender arrangement and squeezes hard on the chorus." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' ranked "Ship to Wreck" at number 26 on its list of the "50 Best Songs of 2015". The song also reached number 40 on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2015.

Commercial performance

As of July 2018, "Ship to Wreck" had shifted 279,000 units in the United Kingdom, including 17 million streams, and counting.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''

''.

Recording

* Engineered at The Pool (London) * Mixed at The Mixsuite (UK) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

Florence and the Machine *

– vocals, backing vocals * Chris Hayden – drums, percussion * Rob Ackroyd – electric guitar Additional personnel *

– production, glockenspiel *

Kid Harpoon Thomas Edward Percy Hull (born 20 April 1982), known professionally as Kid Harpoon, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Career Already a fixture at local venues in his hometown of Chatham, Kid Harpoon first emerg ...

– production, drums, percussion, bass, electric guitar, CP70 synth * Robin Baynton – engineering * Jonathan Sagis – engineering assistance * Iain Berryman – engineering assistance *

Leo Abrahams Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 1977 in Camden, London) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with a multitude of professional musicians, including Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina ...

– acoustic guitar * James Hallawell – Hammond organ * Janelle Martin – backing vocals * Nim Miller – backing vocals * Baby N'Sola – backing vocals *

Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed She ...

– mixing * Geoff Swan – mixing assistance *

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography T ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2015 singles 2015 songs Florence and the Machine songs Island Records singles Music videos shot in London Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Markus Dravs Songs written by Florence Welch Songs written by Kid Harpoon