"Sunburn" is a song by English

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

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, released as the fourth single from their 1999 debut album '' Showbiz''.

Background and composition

Both "Sunburn" and "Falling Down" were the last songs written for ''Showbiz'', being in late 1998 while the others were between 1996 and early 1998. The lyrics, as

Matthew Bellamy Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccen ...

said, are about:

Release

"Sunburn" was released on 21 February 2000 on

7" vinyl In music, a single is a type of Art release#Music, release, typically a song Sound recording, recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for record sales, sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most ca ...

—backed with a live acoustic version of the song—and

double CD A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ' ...

—backed with "Ashamed", a live version of the song, "Yes Please" and a live version of " Uno". It reached number 22 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 ...

, making it their first song to enter the Top 40.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Sunburn", directed by Nick Gordon, depicts a young

Brooke Kinsella Brooke Kinsella (born 17 July 1983) is a British actress, author and anti-knife crime campaigner. A graduate of the Anna Scher Theatre School, Kinsella has been acting since childhood. She has had various roles on television and in film. Her mos ...

—who later rose to fame as an actress on

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

—babysitting a young boy (Liam Hess) until she heads upstairs to investigate something. Entering a bedroom, she enters a wardrobe for a few minutes and begins to steal jewellery before

and

Christopher Wolstenholme Christopher Tony Wolstenholme (born 2 December 1978) is an English musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band Muse. Early life Chris Wolstenholme grew up in the English town of Rotherham before moving to Teignmouth, D ...

appear playing in the mirrors on the doors either side of her. Before she can see them, they quickly disappear in reality. Standing in front of a giant mirror, she's shocked when Bellamy, Wolstenholme and

Dominic Howard Dominic James Howard (born 7 December 1977) is an English musician who is the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Muse. Early life Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with hi ...

emerge, playing only as their reflections. The young woman struggles to cope with seeing them perform in the mirror, clasping her head in frustration and throws an object at the mirror, smashing it. The young boy enters, he sees the room in a mess and then looks behind him. In the mirror, Muse have strangely vanished, and in their place is the girl. The video ends in a still of the boy staring in disbelief at the empty sofa, while in the mirror the girl is sitting on it.

Live performances

"Sunburn" was one of Muse's most performed songs live, and was a permanent fixture in the band's concerts from 1999 to 2004. While not a staple, "Sunburn" was performed often on the

Black Holes and Revelations Tour Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

, and made occasional appearances on

The Resistance Tour The Resistance Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse in support of their fifth studio album '' The Resistance''. The opening European leg began on 22 October 2009 and ended on 4 December 2009, comprising 30 show ...

The 2nd Law Tour The 2nd Law World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse. It was the band's eighth concert tour, which supported their sixth studio album ''The 2nd Law''. Muse announced the tour via their official website and ...

, and

Drones World Tour The Drones World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by the English Rock music, rock band Muse (band), Muse. Staged in support of the band's 2015 album ''Drones (Muse album), Drones'', the tour visited arenas and festivals throughout 2015 and is ...

. The song has not been performed since 2016.

Track listing

Release history

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunburn (Song) Muse (band) songs 2000 singles Songs written by Matt Bellamy 1999 songs Mushroom Records singles