"Us" is the fifth track from

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

's major label debut ''

Soviet Kitsch ''Soviet Kitsch'' is the major label debut and third album by American singer/songwriter Regina Spektor. It was originally released on Shoplifter Records in May 2003 but was reissued in August 2004 when Spektor signed with Sire Records. The title ...

''. It was officially released as a single in 2006 for her UK compilation

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 ...

'' Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories by Regina Spektor''. The song is notable for its use of a string quartet in addition to Spektor's usual piano and vocals. The song was also used in a

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

Final montage, by

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

. This song was used in the film ''

(500) Days of Summer ''500 Days of Summer'' (stylized as ''(500) Days of Summer'') is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, and produced by Mark Waters. The film stars ...

''. As of 2009 the single has sold 86,000 copies in United States.

Music video

This is the first Regina Spektor song to have an accompanying

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 ...

. The video used

stop motion animation Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

. It shows Spektor climbing into a dark

green room In show business, the green room is the space in a theatre or similar venue that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance or show when they are not engaged on stage. Green rooms typically have ...

and unpacking an assortment of objects from a trunk, including a piano, rug, a globe, and some seeds, which she places on the rug and grows with water. The video contains some strange scenes, such as toy soldiers coming out of Spektor's mouth, and ends with her placing everything (including herself) back into the trunk, which vanishes. The music video is a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès (; ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French illusionist, actor, and film director. He led many technical and narrative developments in the earliest days of cinema. Méliès was well known for the use of ...

's silent film, ''

The Diabolic Tenant ''The Diabolic Tenant'' (french: Le Locataire diabolique), originally released in English-speaking countries as ''The Fiendish Tenant'', is a 1909 French short silent film directed by Georges Méliès. It was released by Méliès's Star Film Com ...

'' (1909), in which a man rents an apartment and furnishes it by unpacking objects from his trunk in the same fashion Spektor does in ''Us''. The video was directed by

Adria Petty Adria Petty (born November 28, 1974) is an American director, editor, art director, and artist. She is best known for her music video work with Beyoncé and Regina Spektor. She is the elder daughter of rock musician Tom Petty and his first wi ...

Releases

References

{{Authority control Regina Spektor songs 2006 singles 2006 songs Sire Records singles Songs written by Regina Spektor