Guns for Hands

Twenty One Pilots song

"Guns for Hands"

Song by Twenty One Pilots
from the album  Regional at Best
Released| July 8, 2011 (2011-07-08)
Length| 4:37
Label| Self-released
Producer(s)| Twenty One Pilots
"Guns for Hands"

Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album  Vessel
Released| December 26, 2012[1]
Recorded| 2012
Genre|

* Alternative rock[2]
* conscious hip hop[2]
* electropop[3]
* reggae[4]

Length| 4:33
Label| Warner Japan
Songwriter(s)| Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)| Greg Wells[5][6]
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
| "Ode to Sleep"
(2012)  | "Guns for Hands"
(2012)  | "Lovely"
(2013)

|
|

Music video
"Guns for Hands" on YouTube

"Guns for Hands" is a song written and recorded by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots, released as a single only in Japan.[1] It was originally recorded for their second studio album, Regional at Best (2011), and was later re-recorded for their third album Vessel (2013), their 2012 extended play Three Songs,[7] and their 2013 extended play Migraine.[8] The song's accompanying music video was directed by Mark C. Eshleman.[9] The song was heavily promoted in Japan as part of the duo's concert tour through the country and experienced moderate success there, reaching number 21 on the country's Hot 100 chart.

## Background

[edit]

In an interview with Rock Sound, Tyler Joseph explained that "Guns for Hands" came about following a meeting after a show with young fans of the band who discussed "what it was they were going through and a lot of what they were going through had to do with suicide", and added that "thank goodness it had a lot to do with them overcoming it and using music and songs, in particular his songs, to help them get over that." Joseph was consequently inspired to write a track "about taking that negative energy and aiming it at something else, not aiming it at yourself."[10]

## Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Guns for Hands" is shot in a large and empty white room, saved for the performers and their instruments. The beginning of the video also shows the song's title in Japanese, as well as some subtitles. Joseph wears a blue shirt, and Dun wears a red shirt, representing the band's early logo. The video opens with Joseph putting on a ski mask and then offering another mask to a withdrawn Dun, whispering "They won't know it's you." The two launch into an energetic performance, with Joseph regularly bringing attention to the fact that his microphone is not actually recording his voice by swinging it around and rubbing it against his forehead. As well as that, Joseph would often shake and twitch throughout the video. Prior to the rap verse, both performers wrap colored duct tape around their faces, creating makeshift masks that they remove prior to the final chorus.

## Track listing

[edit]

Digital download / streamNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Guns for Hands"| 4:33

EPNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Guns for Hands"| 4:33
2.| "Forest"| 4:06

## Personnel

[edit]

* Tyler Joseph – vocals, piano, bass guitar, guitar, synthesizers, keyboards, programming
* Josh Dun – drums, percussion, backing vocals

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (2013)  | Peak
position

|

Japan Hot 100 (Billboard)[11] | 21
Mexican Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[12] | 4

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[13] | Platinum  | 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Right-on2012A＆WのテレビCM曲「ガンズ・フォー・ハンズ」ビデオクリップ完成！YouTube公開！｜twenty one pilots / トゥエンティ・ワン・パイロッツ｜ワーナーミュージック・ジャパン". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
2. ^ a b "Twenty One Pilots – Entertainment". Columbus Alive.
3. ^ Deeley, Chelsea. "Twenty One Pilots – The Roundhouse UNSW, Sydney 20/04/16". Music Feeds.
4. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Break Silence With Singles: "Jumpsuit" And "Nico And The Niners" — Content". Sound Bites Media. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
5. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – Biography, Albums, Streaming Links – AllMusic". Retrieved November 5, 2016.
6. ^ "Twenty One Pilots". Voodoo Music Festival. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
7. ^ "Three Songs – EP". Amazon.com US. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
8. ^ "Migraine – EP". iTunes US. Apple Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
9. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – "Guns For Hands"". MTV. January 28, 2013. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
10. ^ "Track-By-Track: Twenty One Pilots – Vessel". Rock Sound. September 4, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
11. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved March 4, 2024.
12. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Mexico Ingles Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
13. ^ "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Guns For Hands". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 22, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

Twenty One Pilots

* Tyler Joseph
* Josh Dun

Studio albums|

* Twenty One Pilots
* Regional at Best
* Vessel
* Blurryface
* Trench
* Scaled and Icy
* Clancy

Singles|

* "Holding On to You"
* "Guns for Hands"
* "Lovely"
* "House of Gold"
* "Fake You Out"
* "Car Radio"
* "Fairly Local"
* "Tear in My Heart"
* "Stressed Out"
* "Lane Boy"
* "Ride"
* "Heathens"
* "Heavydirtysoul"
* "Jumpsuit"
* "Nico and the Niners"
* "Levitate"
* "My Blood"
* "Chlorine"
* "The Hype"
* "Level of Concern"
* "Christmas Saves the Year"
* "Shy Away"
* "Choker"
* "Saturday"
* "The Outside"
* "Overcompensate"
* "Next Semester"
* "Backslide"
* "The Craving"

Promotional singles|

* "Ode to Sleep"
* "We Don't Believe What's on TV"
* "Cancer"
* "Morph"

Other songs|

* "Johnny Boy"
* "The Judge"
* "Neon Gravestones"

Tours|

* Quiet Is Violent World Tour
* Emotional Roadshow World Tour
* The Bandito Tour
* Takeover Tour
* The Icy Tour

Related|

* Discography
* Awards and nominations
* List of songs recorded by Twenty One Pilots

Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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