"This Is War" 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

Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Leto (drums, pe ...

, featured on their third studio album '' of the same name''. Written by lead vocalist

Jared Leto Jared Joseph Leto ( ; born December 26, 1971) is an American actor and musician. Known for his method acting in a variety of roles, he has received numerous accolades over a career spanning three decades, including an Academy Award and a Golde ...

, the song was released as the second single from the album to American radio on March 8, 2010, and the physical single was released on March 26, 2010.

Music video

The music video was shot on April 7, 2010. A 30-second teaser was released and the music video was set to premiere in June 2010. However, it was delayed. The film features 30 Seconds to Mars as US soldiers deployed to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The video was supposedly leaked on April 1, 2011. In response to the leak, the band stated that they would release the full length video soon. On April 6, 2011, nearly a year after the video was shot, it was finally released. It shows the band dressed up as American soldiers patrolling the desert in an armored

Humvee The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...

while showing scenes of war and leaders all while some unknown entity observes them and their action. Near the end of the video, various military vehicles (Humvees, tanks, fighter airplanes, helicopters, battleships) are flying seemingly uncontrollably above the men, towards a pile. The group's own Humvee gets sucked into the pile. The objects smashing into the pile get temporarily crushed but assume their normal un-crushed form after a second. As the camera shows the forming pile from afar, it is revealed that it forms into a huge pyramid, hovering over the desert. The video was directed by Edouard Salier. It won the Video of the Year Award on MSN Latinoamérica.

Track listing

All songs written by

. Promo (February 1, 2010) # "This Is War" (album version) – 5:27 EU CD single (March 26, 2010) # "This Is War" (album version) – 5:27 # "Hurricane" (LA Mix) By Emma Ford and Natalie Loren aka "Luxury Kills" – 5:49 Digital download EP # "This Is War" (Album Version) – 5:47 # "This Is War" (Radio Edit) – 4:46 # "Night of the Hunter" (

Static Revenger Dennis White, also known as Latroit and Static Revenger, is an American electronic dance music producer, songwriter and DJ. In 2018 he won the Grammy award for 'Best Remixed Recording' for 'You Move' (Latroit Remix), originally by Depeche Mode. ...

Redux) – 4:57

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

In popular culture

*The song has been included on the soundtrack of '' Dragon Age: Origins'', as downloadable content for ''

Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

'', the Formula One video review of the 2010 Italian Grand Prix and in a promo for the TV shows ''

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

'' and ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

''. * This is War was used as the theme song for the first season of fan-made

abridged An abridgement (or abridgment) is a condensing or reduction of a book or other creative work into a shorter form while maintaining the unity of the source. The abridgement can be true to the original work in terms of mood and tone, capturing the ...

parody of ''

Sword Art Online is a Japanese light novel series written by Reki Kawahara and illustrated by abec. The series takes place in the then-near future and focuses on protagonists Kirito (Sword Art Online), Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya and Asuna (Sword Art On ...

'' by Something Witty Entertainment.

References

{{Authority control Thirty Seconds to Mars songs 2009 songs 2010 singles Songs written by Jared Leto Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Song recordings produced by Flood (producer) Virgin Records singles