"Genesis" is a song by Canadian singer and songwriter

Grimes Claire Elise Boucher (; born March 17, 1988), known professionally as Grimes, is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her lyrics often touch on science fiction and feminist themes. The visuals in her videos are elabora ...

, released in 2012, as the lead single from her third studio album, '' Visions'' (2012). The song is one of Grimes' most successful releases so far, as a result of the song's music videos becoming

viral The word ''Viral'' means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). It may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spre ...

, mostly through micro-blogging site

Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...

. The ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' placed the song at number 16 on its list of 50 Best Tracks of 2012.

Music video

The self-directed video for "Genesis" premiered on August 22, 2012. It was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and co-stars rapper and stripper

Brooke Candy Brooke Dyan Candy (born July 20, 1989) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and tattoo artist. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, she rose to prominence after starring in Grimes' music video for " Genesis" (2012). Following its success ...

, whom Grimes describes as "a very contemporary muse". In the video, Grimes is seen alongside a group of friends while driving an

Escalade Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders. Escalade was a prominent feature of sieges in ancient and medieval warfare. Although no longer common in modern warfare, escalade technologies are still deve ...

in the desert, holding an albino python in the back of a limousine, and posing in the woods. She said of the concept of the video: "It's loosely based on this painting by my favorite painter,

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

, called ''

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things ''The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things'' is a painting attributed to the Early Netherlandish artist Hieronymus Bosch. or to a follower of his, completed around 1500 or later. Since 1898 its authenticity has been questioned several tim ...

''. I wanted to play with Medieval/Catholic imagery. I was raised in a Catholic household and went to a Catholic school, and my childhood brain perceived medieval Catholicism as an action movie: There's this crazy omnipresent guy who can destroy you at any moment."

Charts

Certifications

Track listings

*;Digital download #"Genesis" – 4:15 *;Limited-edition cassette single :A. "Genesis" – 4:15 :B. "Ambrosia" – 3:31

References

{{authority control 2012 debut singles 2012 songs 4AD singles Grimes songs