"Mathematics" is the debut single from

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

band

Cherry Ghost Cherry Ghost were an English music group which began in 2006, first as an alias for singer-songwriter Simon Aldred as a solo artist, before morphing into a full band. Their debut album, ''Thirst for Romance'', was released in July 2007 and ente ...

. It was released as a digital download on 26 March 2007 and on CD and 7" vinyl on 9 April 2007. It went to #57 on the UK singles chart. "Mathematics" acquired the title "song of the week" on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

in early 2007, and

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

declared the song "the hottest record in the world" in February 2007.

Jimi Goodwin Jamie Francis Alexander Goodwin (born 28 May 1970) is a British musician who is the bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves. Before their incarnation as Doves, the three members were in a house music group, Sub Sub. Goodwin is best known as ...

Doves Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...

plays bass and drums on the single. The B-side "Junebug" is a

Sparklehorse Sparklehorse was an American indie rock band from Richmond, Virginia, led by singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous. It was active from 1995 until Linkous's 2010 death. Before forming Sparklehorse, Linkous fronted local bands Johnson Fa ...

cover. The song's inspiration likely stemmed from songwriter Simon Aldred's

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

degree in

Pure Mathematics Pure mathematics is the study of mathematical concepts independently of any application outside mathematics. These concepts may originate in real-world concerns, and the results obtained may later turn out to be useful for practical applications ...

from the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

.Interview with Simon Aldred at independent.co.uk
/ref> Two music videos were made for the song. The first, a self-produced video featuring a man in a bird costume, was posted in late 2006. The second, featuring Simon Aldred's family home movies, appeared on

Heavenly Records Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

' website in early 2008.

Track listings

''All songs written by Simon Aldred except where noted.'' Promo CD (HVN167CDRP): * Released in March 2007 # "Mathematics" (Edit) – 3:58 # "Mathematics" (Album Version) – 4:34 CD (HVN167CD): # "Mathematics" – 4:34 # "Throw Me to the Dogs" – 3:44 # "I Need You" – 4:56 7" vinyl (HVN167): # "Mathematics" – 4:34 # "Junebug" ( Linkous) – 2:01 Digital download ''(UK iTunes only)'': # "Mathematics" – 4:34 # "Throw Me to the Dogs" – 3:44

References

Heavenly Recordings singles 2007 songs Songs written by Cherry Ghost 2007 singles Cherry Ghost songs {{2000s-indie-rock-song-stub