"Bliss" is a song by English rock band

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, released on 20 August 2001 as the third single from their second studio album ''

Origin of Symmetry ''Origin of Symmetry'' is the second studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 18 June 2001 through Taste Media. It was produced by John Leckie, who produced Muse's debut album '' Showbiz'' (1999), and David Bottrill. ''Origin of Sym ...

'' (2001).

Composition

"Bliss" is an electronic rock song that moves at a tempo of 129 bpm. The song opens and ends with piano arpeggios, with the majority of the song driven by

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis an ...

. Bellamy's vocal lines in the song span from F3 to E5, except for live performances, where he hits a G5 in the final chorus. The song is written in the key of

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : ...

and modulates to the parallel major key during the chorus.

Matthew Bellamy Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, musician, producer, and songwriter. He is primarily known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his ecce ...

has said "Bliss" is his favourite song "because it's got all these 80s arpeggios and keyboards on it which remind me of some music I heard on some children's music programme when I was five. I think I ripped it off that. And that reminds me of when I was a bit simpler, a bit more of a pleasant state."

Music video

The music video features Matt Bellamy standing on a ledge then the song begins as he leaps and begins falling through a shaft in space. The shaft looks to be on a space station possibly on an abandoned planet, but the clear technology looks to be futuristic and well beyond what exists at this time. The other band members can be seen throughout the video watching Matt Bellamy as he falls each in their own pods along the shaft that Matt Bellamy is falling through. As the song reaches its climax he exits the shaft into space and towards what looks like a nebula or a star's photo-sphere. At that point, the light causes him to fade out as he begins to turn into dust as he edges closer to a white light and the song fades out.

Release

Bliss reached number 22 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, making it one of the most successful singles from ''Origin of Symmetry''.

Live performances

During the tour in promotion of ''Origin of Symmetry'', "Bliss" was usually played as the final song, often coinciding with the release of giant confetti-filled balloons from the venues' roof. The song was a live staple until 2006, and has made occasional appearances on all of the band's subsequent tours.

Track listing

* 'CD1' #"Bliss" – 4:36 #"The Gallery" – 3:32 #"Screenager" (live) – 4:00 #"Bliss" (video) – 4:36 * 'CD2' #"Bliss" – 4:36 #" Hyper Chondriac Music" – 5:30 #" New Born" (live) – 5:57 *7" vinyl #"Bliss" – 4:36 #"Hyper Chondriac Music" – 5:30

Personnel

– lead vocals, guitars, keyboards *

Chris Wolstenholme Christopher Tony Wolstenholme (born 2 December 1978) is an English musician. He is the bassist and backing vocalist for the rock band Muse. Early life Chris Wolstenholme grew up in the English town of Rotherham before moving to Teignmouth, D ...

– bass *

Dominic Howard Dominic James Howard (born 7 December 1977) is an English musician who is the drummer and co-founder of the rock band Muse. Early life Howard was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester, in England. When he was around 8 years old he moved with ...

– drums

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss (Muse Song) Muse (band) songs 2001 singles Music videos directed by David Slade 2001 songs Song recordings produced by David Bottrill Songs written by Matt Bellamy Mushroom Records singles