Summary
"Muscle Museum" is a song by the English rock band Muse, released as the third single from their 1999 debut album Showbiz. Written by lead singer Matt Bellamy, the song's title likely derives from the fact that the words "muscle" and "museum" come immediately before and after the word "muse" in some dictionaries.[1] The song peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.
| "Muscle Museum" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 'CD1' cover | ||||
| Single by Muse | ||||
| from the album Showbiz | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 22 November 1999 | |||
| Recorded | April 1999 at Sawmills Studio, Cornwall, England | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:22 (album version) 5:25 (full-length version) 3:55 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | Taste/Mushroom | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Matthew Bellamy | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Muse singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video edit
The music video is directed by Joseph Kahn and features different people in a suburban neighbourhood, crying in different situations, as Muse plays in a high school after a party, as a janitor cleans up. As the video goes on, some of the townspeople attempt suicide, and by the end of the video, the janitor breaks down. Joseph Kahn wanted to express the "sadness" of life in the suburbs where every house looks more or less the same. Individual expression is not possible because of the surroundings and the rules in those suburbs, happiness (or pretending to be happy) is mandatory.
Though Joseph Kahn himself thinks of the video as one of the best he made, he believes that most people, including Muse,[2] don't like the video.[3][4]
Release edit
"Muscle Museum" was released on 22 November 1999 on 7" vinyl—backed with "Minimum"—and double CD—backed with "Do We Need This?", a live acoustic version of the song, "Pink Ego Box" and "Con-Science". It reached #43 in the UK Singles Chart[5]—an improvement of nine positions on "Cave".
The song is available to play on Rocksmith 2014 as part of a Muse 5-song pack.
Live performances edit
"Muscle Museum" was a staple in the band's live performances from 1997 until 2004. The song made occasional appearances on the Black Holes and Revelations Tour, and later, the Psycho Tour and Drones World Tour. The song has not been performed since 2018.
Charts edit
| Chart (1999) | Peak performance |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 25 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 100 |
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Matthew Bellamy
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Minimum" | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 7:02 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Do We Need This?" | 4:15 |
| 3. | "Muscle Museum" (live acoustic version) | 4:44 |
| Total length: | 13:21 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" (full-length version) | 5:25 |
| 2. | "Pink Ego Box" | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Con-Science" | 4:52 |
| Total length: | 13:49 | |
Personnel edit
Personnel adapted from Showbiz liner notes[8]
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Re-release edit
| "Muscle Museum" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Muse | ||||
| from the album Showbiz | ||||
| Released | 9 October 2000 | |||
| Label | Taste/Mushroom | |||
| Muse singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A "US Mix" of "Muscle Museum" was released on 9 October 2000 on 7" vinyl—backed with a live version of "Escape"—and double CD—backed with a live version of "Agitated", the 'Timo Maas Sunstroke Remix' of "Sunburn", the 'Saint US Mix' of "Sober" and the 'Soulwax Remix' of the song. It reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart[5]—eighteen positions higher than its original release.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" (US Mix) | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Escape" (live) | 3:34 |
| Total length: | 8:03 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" (US Mix) | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Agitated" (live) | 3:11 |
| 3. | "Sunburn" (Timo Maas Sunstroke Mix) | 6:27 |
| 4. | "Muscle Museum" (live video) | 4:29 |
| Total length: | 18:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" (US Mix) | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Sober" (Saint US Mix) | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Muscle Museum" (Soulwax Remix) | 3:46 |
| Total length: | 12:19 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Muscle Museum" (radio edit) | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Sober" (The Saint Remix) | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Sunburn" (Timo Maas Sunstroke Mix) | 6:44 |
| Total length: | 14:46 | |
Release history edit
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 22 November 1999 | Mushroom | 7" | MUSH66S |
| 2CD | MUSH66CDS/MUSH66CDSX | |||
| CD | MUSE 5 | |||
| Australia | Mushroom | CD | 561 360-2 | |
| Benelux | Play It Again Sam | CD | 481.2002.22 | |
| France | Naïve | 2CD | NV 3212-4/NV 3212-5 | |
| Germany | Motor | CD+ | 561 360-2 | |
| United States | Maverick | CD | PRO-CD-9841 | |
| Worldwide reissue | 9 October 2000 | Mushroom | 7" | MUSH84S |
| 2CD | MUSH84CDS/MUSH84CDSX | |||
| CD | MUSE 10 |
References edit
- ^ muse. ic.pics.livejournal.com. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ "English Articles". www.rocketbabydolls.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Muse "Muscle Museum"". 29 January 2013.
- ^ "MUSE — история песен «Muscle Museum» (1999), «Supermassive Black Hole» (2006), «Starlight» (2006), «Knights of Cydonia» (2006), «Uprising» (2009) и других хитов | КУР.С.ИВ.ом - сайт Курия Сергея Ивановича". 15 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Muse | Full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Muse – Muscle Museum" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ Muse (1999). Showbiz (album liner notes). Taste Media.
External links edit
- "Muscle Museum" at MusicBrainz (list of releases)