Weight of the World is a song by

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band Young Guns. Initially recorded and released on their debut EP ''

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the ...

'' in 2009, the band re-recorded it for their debut album, ''

All Our Kings Are Dead ''All Our Kings Are Dead'' is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Young Guns. It was released on 12 July 2010 and includes the singles "Winter Kiss", "Sons of Apathy", "Crystal Clear" and "Stitches", as well as " Weight of the ...

'' the following year, and released as its fourth single. The song was a modest success, peaking at number 27 on the

UK Rock Chart The UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart and UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart are record charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company (OCC) to determine the 40 most popular singles and albums in the rock and heavy metal genres. The ...

Background

The song was initially written and recorded for the band's first studio release, the EP ''

'', in 2009. With reviewers praising it for being a standout track, the band chose to re-record it for their first full-length album, ''

'' in 2010. The song was released as the fourth single for the album on November 1, 2010. The single release received even further re-recordings, with

frontman The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

Gustav Wood explaining that the band still hadn't quite been happy with either of the prior versions, stating

Now, we love our album to death, but we, like most bands, are perfectionists and knew that we could do the song a little more justice if we only had a tiny bit more time (especially if we were to release it as a single). We went back into the studio with Dan Weller once again and just tweaked, nipped, and tucked a bit so that we were a bit happier with where the song was at."

The band also performed an acoustic version of the song on

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

television in 2011.

Themes and composition

"Weight of the World" has been described as a "highly

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combinat ...

" and high energy "

adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

-charged" rock song, containing a " stadium sized

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

angst Angst is fear or anxiety (''anguish'' is its Romance languages, Latinate cognate, equivalent, and the words ''anxious'' and ''anxiety'' are of similar origin). The dictionary definition for angst is a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insec ...

y yet

sing-along Sing-along, also called community singing or group singing, is an event of singing together at gatherings or parties, less formally than choir singing. One can use a songbook. Common genres are folk songs, patriotic songs, kids' songs, spirituals ...

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

Reception

Reception of the song was generally positive, with critics frequently praising the track's vocals and guitar-work. In ''Alter the Press's'' review of the song, they gave it a four out of five rating, praising the track's

guitar riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accomp ...

s and stating the track was a "lively, favourable rock track that shows Gustav Wood's vocals is a good light, whilst the bands pounding sound backs up what is one of the albums highlights." ''Stereoboard'' similarly praised it for being "an ambitious slice of widescreen rock, combining instrumental muscle with a soaring chorus". ''The AU Review'' praised the song's sound for being catchy and inspiring

s, concluding that "everything from the opening riff, Gustav Woods' vocals and the way the pounding drums and guitar work complement each other, makes for an epic song". Multiple reviewers noted it as a standout track on ''Mirrors'' and ''All Our Kings Are Dead''.

Personnel

;Band * Gustav Wood – vocals * Fraser Taylor – lead guitar * John Taylor – rhythm guitar * Simon Mitchell – bass guitar * Ben Jolliffe – drums ;Production *

Dan Weller Dan Weller (born 3 April 1980) is a producer/mixer/writer and guitarist, known for his work in rock and metal. He was born in Liverpool and moved to Hertfordshire at age 6. At 15 he began playing guitar and formed a band with school friends. Th ...

Background

Themes and composition

Reception

Personnel

Chart performance

References

External links