"Munich" is a song by British

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as indie rock revival) is a Music genre, subgenre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of Guitar-rock, guitar rock inspired by the original sounds a ...

band

Editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

and is featured on their 2005 debut album, '' The Back Room''. It was originally released on 18 April 2005 as the second

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from the band. It was re-released on 2 January 2006, peaking at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. It finished as the 184th best-selling single in the UK, in 2006.

Composition

"Munich" is composed in the key of

G minor G minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative major is B-flat major and its parallel major is G major. The G natural minor scale is: Changes n ...

with a tempo of 150 beats per minute. The song is characterised by its drum groove reminiscent of "

Evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

" by

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and "marching" guitars, featuring tremolo-picked leads. According to Editors singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Smith, the song's title has no meaning and is unrelated to the German city of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Smith took inspiration from the "weird and familiar at the same time" chords of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

guitarist

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.; he played the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his caree ...

for the song's

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

. Smith said in 2021 that he wrote the lyrics and chord progression in under five minutes of "hungover soul searching with a sprinkle of self-loathing", having had a difficult time the night before. He felt that the relative lack of words in the song made them more powerful and gave "Munich" a longer-lasting appeal than "

Bullets A bullet is a Kinetic energy weapon, kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is Shooting, shot from a gun barrel. They are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax; and are made ...

", which had been Editors' breakthrough song.

In popular culture

It is featured on the soundtrack to the video games ''

Saints Row ''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...

'', ''

FIFA Street 2 ''FIFA Street 2'' is the 2006 sequel to the EA Sports video game '' FIFA Street''. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game was released for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlaySt ...

'' and ''

Major League Baseball 2K7 ''Major League Baseball 2K7'' (or ''MLB 2K7'') is a Major League Baseball licensed baseball simulation video game developed by Kush Games and published by 2K. Released on February 27, 2007, it is the only 2007 MLB licensed game available for the ...

''. The song is played when the guests are being introduced on the English television programme ''

A Question of Sport ''A Question of Sport'' (known as ''Question of Sport'' from 2021 until 2023) is a British television sports quiz show produced and broadcast by the BBC. It was the "world's longest running TV sports quiz". Following a pilot episode in December ...

''. It also appeared on the third season finale of ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'' and in various episodes of the BBC drama ''Waterloo Road''. It is featured in the 2008 film ''

One Missed Call One Missed Call may refer to: * One Missed Call (2003 film), ''One Missed Call'' (2003 film), a Japanese horror film, followed by two sequels * One Missed Call (2008 film), ''One Missed Call'' (2008 film), an American remake of the Japanese film * ...

''. "Munich" alone came as a free pack-in song on every

Zune Zune was a brand of digital media products and services that was marketed by Microsoft from November 2006 until it was discontinued in June 2012. Zune consisted of a line of portable media players, a music subscription service known as Zune Music ...

player bought.

Track listings

All songs written and composed by Chris Urbanowicz, Edward Lay, Russell Leetch and Tom Smith, except where noted.

Original release

7" vinyl

* UK: Kitchenware SKX78 (limited to 3000 copies)

CD

* UK: Kitchenware SKCD78 (limited to 3000 copies) * UK: Kitchenware SKCD78-2

Re-release

7" vinyl

* UK: Kitchenware SKX83

CD

* UK: Kitchenware SKCD83 * UK: Kitchenware SKCD832

Personnel

* Russell Leetch – bass * Ed Lay – drums * Tom Smith – vocals, rhythm guitar * Chris Urbanowicz – lead guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

* "Munich" was covered by

Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; née Bailey; born 26 February 1979) is a British singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an a ...

for Jo Whiley's

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 ...

in 2006 and featured on '' Radio 1's Live Lounge''. * A version by

, also for BBC Radio 1, was released on ''

Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3 ''Radio 1's Live Lounge – Volume 3'' is a collection of live tracks played on Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show. The album is the third in a series of Live Lounge albums. It consists of both covers and the bands' own songs. The album was released on 20 ...

'' in 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Munich 2005 songs 2005 singles 2006 singles Editors (band) songs Corinne Bailey Rae songs Song recordings produced by Jim Abbiss Songs written by Russell Leetch Songs written by Tom Smith (musician) Songs written by Edward Lay Songs written by Chris Urbanowicz Black-and-white music videos