"Civilization" is a single by the French band
Justice and the first from their second studio album ''
Audio, Video, Disco''.
The single, Justice's first via
Elektra Records
Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...
, was initially set to be released on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
on 4 April 2011, before becoming available on other digital retailers on April 11.
The track was released early through iTunes France on 28 March and globally through iTunes on 29 March 2011.
The track features vocals from British singer
Ali Love.
The song was previewed in a two-minute advertisement for
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
, which was directed by
Romain Gavras.
Gavras has worked with Justice previously, directing the music video for their song "Stress" in 2008, and filming a documentary 'A Cross In The Universe' about Justice's American tour in 2008.
The single was re-released on 6 June with remixes from
Mr. Oizo
Quentin Dupieux (, born 14 April 1974), also known by his musical stage name Mr. Oizo (), is a French filmmaker, electronic musician, and DJ.
Dupieux is credited with his legal name for his films, while the name "Mr. Oizo" is used for his musica ...
and
The Fucking Champs.
Critical reception
Eric Magnuson of ''
Rolling Stone'' gave the single a rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five, complimenting its "high-end baguette beat-down".
He compared the song to a mix of
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
's "
Aerodynamic" and
The Who's "
Baba O'Riley".
Ben Gilbert of
Yahoo! Music UK & Ireland gave a positive review, calling the song "fried and fiercesome ".
Composition
Civilization is in the common time of 4/4. It is played at a tempo of 112
BPM, with a change to 90 BPM on the 17th measure, returning to 112 on the 33rd. It is in the key of
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major.
The A natural minor scale is:
:
Changes ...
.
Music video
The music video was created by French director Edouard Salier and features a very symbolic portrayal of iconic statues and structures falling after the world upturns—presumably—killing all the buffalo. The clip was produced using a labor-intensive combination of CGI and 3D animation. It was nominated for the 2011 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video.
Track listing
*Single sided 12" single
#"Civilization" – 4:11
#"Civilization" (demo) – 3:45
*Digital download single
#"Civilization" – 4:11
*Digital download EP
#"Civilization" – 4:10
#"Civilization" (demo version) – 3:38
#"Civilization" (Mr. Oizo Remix) – 3:31
#"Civilization" (The Fucking Champs Remix) – 4:42
#"Civilization" (video)
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Civilization (Justice song)
2011 singles
Justice (band) songs