"Who Really Cares (Featuring the Sound of Insanity)" is a song by

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drumme ...

from their sixth album ''

Dream Days at the Hotel Existence ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'' is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released by Universal Music on 2 June 2007 in Australia, 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 11 November 2008 in the United States on ...

''. It is the fourth single and final single from the album and was released in Australia in March 2008. The band's publicist, Ms. Fanclub, announced on 27 February that the single would be released to radioplay in the following week, without specifying a date. In her announcement, she also noted that a music video will be released at about the same time. The music video was then released in mid-March; however, the single's release was then announced as 31 March. A music video was released for the song; however, it features the live version of the song taken from the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

for the

Across the Great Divide tour The Across the Great Divide tour was a concert tour by Australian alternative rock bands Powderfinger and Silverchair in 2007. The tour featured concerts in 26 towns across Australia and multiple shows in New Zealand. According to Powderfinge ...

, whereas the radio single for the song is a radio edit of the studio album version. The music video is directly taken from the DVD; however, it is altered optically with filters and converted into black and white.

Background

"Who Really Cares (Featuring the Sound of Insanity)" was recorded by Powderfinger for their 2007 album ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'' at Sunset Sound Studio,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in early 2007 with producer

Rob Schnapf Rob Schnapf is an American record producer and musician. He was the co-producer (along with Tom Rothrock) of Elliott Smith's albums ''Either/Or'', '' XO'' (on which he also played guitar on the song " Baby Britain"), ''Figure 8'' and ''From a ...

. The part of the title "Featuring the Sound of Insanity" refers to a sound just after the bridge in which a

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

is played with synthesised effects overlaid. Prior to its release as a single, a live version of "Who Really Cares" appeared on the earlier ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'' single, "

I Don't Remember "I Don't Remember" is a song by Australian alternative rock band Powderfinger, from the album ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''. It made its radio debut on 9 July 2007 on Australian radio stations, and was subsequently released as a single ...

". Another live version also appears on the group's 2007 DVD ''

''.

Release

Cover art

Though the single was never a physical CD release, artwork was created for it. The artwork featured the headless man who is otherwise seen throughout the releases for other singles from ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'', however on this cover, the area where his head would be is a fireball, and he appears to be holding a briefcase while walking down the hallway of a hotel, another common theme throughout the artwork for the album. Unlike the last two singles from ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'', the artwork doesn't follow the picture-in-picture theme.

Music video

The music video for "Who Really Cares" is a live performance of the song by Powderfinger for their

in 2007. The music video contains the performance featured on the DVD for the Across the Great Divide tour, filmed in Melbourne in 2007. The performance features a piano solo by the pianist Lachlan Doley, who performed keyboards and piano throughout the tour. The music video, produced by PVC as part of the tour DVD, is completely in black and white and throughout features optical filters that warp and alter the visual display. These filters intensify from the bridge and continue until the end of the clip. The music is performed differently from the original studio recording, with improvised solos, including

Ian Haug Ian Haug (born 21 February 1970) is an Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter, and backing vocalist in the rock band Powderfinger from its formation in 1989 until its breakup in 2010. He is presently a member of The Church. P ...

playing the sitar part on a

double necked guitar A multi-neck guitar is a guitar that has multiple fingerboard necks. They exist in both electric and acoustic versions. Although multi-neck guitars are quite common today, they are not a modern invention. Examples of multi-neck guitars and lute ...

with synthesised effects to emulate the sitar sound, and the performance of the song ends with a ritardando, where the tempo slows to an end.

Critical response

Prior to being released as a single, "Who Really Cares" received a mixed response by reviewers when commenting on ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''. Melbourne based webzin
TheScene.com.au
reviewer Andrew Weaver comments on the song's musical layering, coupling the song with "Wishing on the Same Moon" and comments that the layering in the two songs gives the music "genuine depth of sound and taking the veteran group to new places". CitySearch Sydney also made reference to the likeness to "Wishing on the Same Moon", but notes that what sets the two songs apart is "a serviceable fade-out cacophony of keys and guitar". Music journalist Chris Leonard of UK magazine ''Rock Louder'' praises the live performance of the song while Powderfinger performed in Glasgow on 11 December 2007. J. Watson o
Fasterlouder.com.au
comments that the song, when performed live at The Sydney Opera House Forecourt for charity on 31 October 2007, was "another highlight of the evening". Fellow reviewer from Fasterlouder, ShahXerxes, comments on the song's "sparse Pink Floyd-esque sound which echoes through "Who Really Cares", as clever a rock ballad as the band have ever written." Andrew Ramadge of ''Mess + Noise'' echoed the comments of similarities to Pink Floyd, and also

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

, stating "where psych-gospel organ and wailing guitar billow around Fanning’s vocals like a lost track from ''

Dark Side of the Moon ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records. The album was primarily developed during live performances, and the band premiered an early version of t ...

''". Though most of the critical response has been positive, the song has also received criticism from UK reviewer Matthias Scherer of ''Noize Makes Enemies''. Scherer notes that the song's title "Who Really Cares" is a question that "should have been asked before recording, not during", though this comment refers both to the song itself, and the whole album of ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence''.

Charts

The song's critical response has been mostly positive, though this was also true for the two prior singles from ''Dream Days at the Hotel Existence'', which both performed poorly in the charts. Like these two, "Who Really Cares" was released to radioplay and music video stations, but with little inclusion in circulation, leading speculators to believe the single would follow "I Don't Remember" and "Nobody Sees" with poor charting performance. This speculation proved to be accurate, leading to "Who Really Cares" to be the first single by Powderfinger since their 2004 release "

Bless My Soul "Bless My Soul" is a single from Powderfinger's first "best of" album, '' Fingerprints: The Best of Powderfinger, 1994-2000''. The other new song on the album, "Process This," was not released as a single. Though the album is described as comp ...

" to fail to achieve a position on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offic ...

. Although B-side "One More Kiss As You Fly Away" was the number 81 on the

Track listing

# "Who Really Cares (Featuring the Sound of Insanity)" # "One More Kiss as You Fly Away"

Personnel

References

{{Powderfinger 2008 singles Powderfinger songs 2008 songs Universal Music Group singles Songs written by Jon Coghill Songs written by John Collins (Australian musician) Songs written by Bernard Fanning Songs written by Ian Haug Songs written by Darren Middleton