"Radioactive" is a song by Americanpop rock bandImagine Dragons from their major-label debutEPContinued Silence and later on their debut studio album,Night Visions (2012), as the lead single. It was first sent to modern rock radio on October 29, 2012,[2] and then released to contemporary hit radio on April 9, 2013. Musically, "Radioactive" is anelectronic rock andalternative rock song with elements ofdubstep.
The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the production, lyrics, and vocals, calling it a highlight on the album. Due to heavy rotation on various commercials and trailers, the song became asleeper hit, peaking at number three on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's first top 10 single as well as being the third best selling song in that country in 2013.[3] It also broke the record for slowest ascension to the top 5 in chart history[4] and held the record for most weeks spent on theBillboard Hot 100 at 87 weeks, a record for over seven years.[5] The song has also reached number one in Sweden and in the top 20 in several countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, becoming Imagine Dragons' most successful single to date. It has since been certifiedDiamond (17× Platinum) in the US, making it one of thebest selling singles ever.[6]
"Radioactive" received twoGrammy Awards nominations forRecord of the Year andBest Rock Performance, winning the latter.[7] This was Imagine Dragons' first time being nominated. During the broadcast, they presented aremix of the song with their Interscope label-mate, rapperKendrick Lamar. The remix was later released for purchase oniTunes.[8]
"Radioactive" was written by Imagine Dragons and producerAlex da Kid.[1] It is one of the more electronically influenced tracks onNight Visions as well as one of the darkest, similar to fourth track "Demons". The song is anelectronic rock,alternative rock andstadium rock song with elements ofdubstep.[9][10][11] The song's lyrics speak of apocalyptic themes: 'I'm waking up to ash and dust' and 'This is it, the apocalypse'. Though the band has publicly maintained itssecularity,NPR music criticAnn Powers has opined that the song features strong "religious or spiritual imagery", the likes of which have been common throughout the history ofrock music.[12]
Speaking on the song, lead singerDan Reynolds said:
"Radioactive, to me, it's very masculine, powerful-sounding song, and the lyrics behind it, there's a lot of personal story behind it, but generally speaking, it's a song about having an awakening; kind of waking up one day and deciding to do something new, and see life in a fresh way."
In a 2021 interview, Reynolds revealed that, on looking back at the song after almost a decade, he had realized that its lyrics were actually about him not giving up hope after losing faith inMormonism.[14]
Sheet music for "Radioactive" shows the key ofBDorian (a mode ofF# minor orA major, in whichB is used as thetonic), in 4/4 common time, and a tempo of 132bpm, with a chord progression of Bm-DSus2-A-E, and vocals spanning from E3 to B4.[15]
"Radioactive" was released to positive reviews. Anne Erickson ofAudio Ink Radio gave the song a rating of 4.5 out of 5, calling it "hook-y [and] emotional", and stated that the "drama" and "excitement" of the song would allow "Radioactive" to appeal to both alternative pop fans and hard rockers.[16]AbsolutePunk gave a positive review, calling the acoustic section of the song "haunting", and called the chorus "hypnotizing".[17] Dara Hickey ofUnreality Shout also reacted positively, calling the song the "darkest moment" on the album, and stated that, like all the other songs on the album, "Radioactive" was successful in creating a sound that "never fails to take off and send fists skyward".[18]IGN lauded the song, calling it "strangely intense and abrasive", and stated that "Radioactive" was "perhaps the greatest calling card of Imagine Dragons".[19]
Crave Online called the song an "opening throb", saying that the song "sexes up the dub-flirtation with a verse hingeing on the line 'this is it, the apocalypse' and a triumphant chorus, with more than a few shades of Hip-Hop in the production", and that the song was as "radio-ready as they come".[20]Our Vinyl stated that the "power of this song is outstanding with heavy drums and more of an electronic feel than the rest of the album and strong, impressive vocals from front-man Dan Reynolds which are reciprocated throughout the LP."[21] Jon Dolan ofRolling Stone was critical of the song, calling it "a dour moaner that sound[s] likeChris Martin trying to write anEminem ballad about the end of the world."[22]
In 2018,Billboard andLouder Sound ranked the song number two and number one, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Imagine Dragons songs.[23][24]
"Radioactive" debuted at 96 on theBillboard Hot 100 after the release ofNight Visions in September 2012 and remained at the lower ends of the chart for some time. In April 2013, the song made its top ten entry at number seven,[26] besting the number 15 position set by previous single "It's Time". In mid-June, the song reached number four, breaking the record for the slowest ascension to the top five, besting the previous holderFlorida Georgia Line's song "Cruise", which broke the record just three weeks earlier.[27] Two weeks later, the song reached its peak at number three.[28] The song formerly held the record for the longest reign atop theBillboard Hot Rock Songs chart at 23 weeks before being surpassed byWalk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance".[29] "Radioactive" currently holds the record for the longest reign atop theBillboard Rock Airplay chart, with 24 weeks. It also spent 13 weeks at number one on theAlternative Airplay component chart.[30][31] In late 2023, for Alternative Airplay's 35th anniversary,[32]Billboard placed "Radioactive" at number eight on its ranking of the top 100 largest hits in the chart's history.[33]
The song is also the best-selling rock song in US digital history. It was the No. 2 Song of the Summer according toBillboard and spent 87 weeks on theBillboard Hot 100, breaking the all-time chart longevity record, previously held byJason Mraz's 2008 single "I'm Yours", and overtaken bythe Weeknd's 2019 single "Blinding Lights", which spent 90 weeks on the Hot 100 as of the chart issue dated September 4, 2021.[34] However, it still holds the record for most consecutive weeks on the Hot 100, at 85. It has sold more copies in a calendar year than any other song by a rock act in digital history.[35] "Radioactive" was the third best selling song of 2013 with sales of 5,496,000 for the year.[36] It has gone on to sell 8,234,360 digital copies in the nation as of September 2017,[37] and was certified Diamond by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[38]
The song has reached number one in Sweden and in the top twenty of several countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand as well as several parts of Europe. In the UK, the song debuted at 35 thanks to strong downloads from theHear Me EP in November. After the release ofNight Visions in April, the song peaked at number 12, becoming their highest charting single there.
The music video debuted on December 10, 2012.[39] Directed by Syndrome and featuring puppeteers fromPuppet Heap, the video revolves around a mysterious female drifter (played by actressAlexandra Daddario) on a quest to save her friends in Imagine Dragons from the perils of a sinister, underground puppet-fighting ring led by actorLou Diamond Phillips. The Champion of the fight, Gorigula, a large purple beast, beats and kills innocent stuffed animals and puppets forced to fight. After one puppet, Screaming Richard, is killed, the woman's pink teddy bear puppet enters the ring and fights Gorigula, initially being beaten up. After rising from the ground, the teddy bear knocks out Gorigula with a single superpower punch. The ringleader sends two bodyguards to subdue the teddy, whose laser vision disintegrates both of them. The remaining spectators flee, leaving the drifter with the stunned ringleader. The drifter takes a key off the chain around the ringleader's neck and the pink bear pulls the lever, causing the ringleader to fall in the dungeon. The drifter unlocks the door and frees the band. They climb out as the puppets and stuffed animals bid them farewell. The ringleader is left in the dungeon where the earlier-defeated puppets and stuffed animals soon surround and attack him.
Speaking of the video toMTV, Reynolds said "We read through a ton of scripts from really talented directors, and we came across one that stood out to us in particular, because it put into visuals the general theme of the song, which is kind of an empowering song about an awakening, but it did it in a way that was very different". "A lot of people probably see a post-apocalyptic world when they hear 'Radioactive', understandably, but we wanted to deliver something that was maybe a little different from that ... a lot different from that."
The music video reached one billion views onYouTube in February 2019.[40]
The first televised performance of "Radioactive" was on the September 4, 2012, airing ofABClate-night talk showJimmy Kimmel Live!. The song was performed alongside then-current single "It's Time".[41]
In February 2013, the band started the 145-date[42]Night Visions Tour, which saw the band perform across North America and Europe. During the North American leg, the band made their first national television appearance, performing "Radioactive" on the February 22, 2013, airing ofCBS late-night talk showLate Show with David Letterman.[43]
In addition to performing the song on the March 28, 2013, airing ofNBC late-night talk showThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno,[44] the band also performed "Radioactive" on the July 29, 2013, airing of NBC late-night talk showLate Night with Jimmy Fallon,[45] following the historic performance of "It's Time" to an empty audience duringHurricane Sandy on the October 29, 2012, airing ofLate Night.[46] They performed the song onSaturday Night Live with a guest performance byKendrick Lamar on February 2, 2014, recreating their teamed performance of the song at the Grammy Awards the previous month.
American singerMadilyn Bailey recorded an acoustic cover that reached number 36 onSNEP, the official French singles chart, in June 2015.[57]Kelly Clarkson covered the song as part of her "Fan Requests" on July 12, 2015, during herPiece by Piece Tour.[58]
Welshmetalcore bandBullet for My Valentine recorded a cover in 2018 on their sixth studio albumGravity In 2013-2014 Actress and Singer Lea Michele performed a cover of that song during the early sessions of 2014 Louder and Lea Michele performed the cover in a good way recorded for a whole year .[59]
The song is included as a playable routine in the 2022 dancerhythm gameJust Dance 2023 Edition. The choreography features the firstJust Dance performer to be wheelchair-bound. The routine won the award for Best Representation at The Game Accessibility Conference on January 25, 2023.[60]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
TheNight Visions track wasremixed by the band, featuringguest vocals from American rapperKendrick Lamar. The remix, while retaining most of the original track fromContinued Silence, was recorded by the band and Kendrick Lamar for release as asingle. The single was released on January 27, 2014.
^Rolling Stone Staff (February 8, 2024)."The 100 Greatest Jock Jams of All Time: Staff List".Rolling Stone. RetrievedDecember 29, 2024.["Radtioactive" is o]ne of the few obvious stadium-rock classics of this decade, with a dystopian lyric, booming beat and shout-along refrain.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 33. týden 2013 in the date selector. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 23. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201439 into search. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
^"Årslista Singlar – År 2013" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Archived fromthe original on November 29, 2014. RetrievedJuly 25, 2014.
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