The Captain (Biffy Clyro song)

For the Kasey Chambers song, see The Captain (album).

2009 single by Biffy Clyro

"The Captain"

Single by Biffy Clyro
from the album  Only Revolutions
B-side|

* Help Me Be Captain
* Once an Empire
* Party On

Released| 26 October 2009
Recorded| 2009
Genre| Alternative rock
Length| 3:43
Label| 14th Floor
Songwriter(s)| Simon Neil[1]
Producer(s)| Garth Richardson
Biffy Clyro singles chronology
| "That Golden Rule"
(2009)  | "The Captain"
(2009)  | "Many of Horror"
(2010)

|
|

Only Revolutions track listing

1. "The Captain"
2. "That Golden Rule"
3. "Bubbles"
4. "God and Satan"
5. "Born on a Horse"
6. "Mountains"
7. "Shock Shock"
8. "Many of Horror"
9. "Booooom, Blast & Ruin"
10. "Cloud of Stink"
11. "Know Your Quarry"
12. "Whorses"

"The Captain" is the third single from Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, released on 26 October 2009.[2] It features a prominent brass section throughout the song. The music video was released on 23 September on NME.com. The B-side "Help Me Be Captain" is an early, more raw sounding, version of the song without brass instruments.

## Released and promotion

[edit]

"The Captain" was released on 26 October 2009 as the third single from Biffy Clyro's fifth album Only Revolutions. To promote the song, the band played the song on several of their live shows around cities in the United Kingdom. The band also performed the track on BBC's Live Lounge in September 2009. The song reached at number 17 on the UK Singles Charts and number one on the UK Rock Chart.

## Music video

[edit]

The music video for "The Captain" depicts Simon Neil as a prisoner aboard a ship inhabited by pirates and other maritime characters. It begins with Simon being whipped by an unidentified pirate, this continues along with various other shots of Simon inside a jail cell and footage of the band performing on the ship's deck. As the video carries on, a fight erupts between two factions aboard the ship and in the chaos, Ben and James steal a key held by the ship's captain and free Simon from his jail cell. The video won the best video award at the 2010 NME Awards, beating off competition from Arctic Monkeys and The Maccabees.[3] The video also won the best video award at the 2010 Kerrang! Awards.[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

CD single 14FLR40CD

1. "The Captain"
2. "Help Me Be Captain"

7" picture vinyl 14FLR40

1. "The Captain"
2. "Once An Empire"

7" red vinyl 14FLR40X

1. "The Captain"
2. "Party On"

iTunes digital EP

1. "The Captain" – 3:43
2. "Help Me Be Captain" – 4:55
3. "Once An Empire" – 2:43
4. "Party On" – 3:06

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (2009–2010)  | Peak
position

|

Scotland (OCC)[5] | 7
UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 17
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[7] | 1

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver  | 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

* 2010 NME Awards – "Best Music Video for The Captain" (Won)[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Ascap entry". Ascap.com. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
2. ^ Simpson, Oli (15 September 2009). "Biffy Clyro announce new album title". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
3. ^ a b "Biffy Clyro win Best Video prize at Shockwaves NME Awards | News | NME.COM". NME. Archived from the original on 2 April 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
4. ^ "Kerrang! And the winners are". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
5. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
7. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
8. ^ "British single certifications – Biffy Clyro – The Captain". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 September 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Biffy Clyro

* Simon Neil
* James Johnston
* Ben Johnston

Studio albums|

* Blackened Sky
* The Vertigo of Bliss
* Infinity Land
* Puzzle
* Only Revolutions
* Opposites
* Ellipsis
* A Celebration of Endings
* The Myth of the Happily Ever After

Soundtracks|

* Balance, Not Symmetry

Live albums|

* Revolutions: Live at Wembley
* Opposites: Live from Glasgow
* MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London
* A Celebration of Endings: Live from the Barrowlands Ballroom

Compilations|

* Singles 2001–2005
* Missing Pieces
* Lonely Revolutions
* Blackened Sky B-Sides
* The Vertigo of Bliss B-Sides
* Infinity Land B-Sides
* Similarities

Extended plays|

* Thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow

Singles|

* "Iname"
* "27"
* "Justboy"
* "57"
* "Joy.Discovery.Invention"
* "Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys"
* "The Ideal Height"
* "Questions and Answers"
* "Eradicate the Doubt"
* "There's No Such Thing as a Jaggy Snake"
* "Glitter and Trauma"
* "My Recovery Injection"
* "Only One Word Comes to Mind"
* "Semi-Mental"
* "Saturday Superhouse"
* "Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies"
* "Folding Stars"
* "Machines"
* "Who's Got a Match?"
* "Mountains"
* "That Golden Rule"
* "The Captain"
* "Many of Horror"
* "Bubbles"
* "God & Satan"
* "Black Chandelier"
* "Biblical"
* "Opposite"
* "Victory Over the Sun"
* "Wolves of Winter"
* "Animal Style"
* "Re-Arrange"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Mark Z. Danielewski
* Marmaduke Duke
* Mike Vennart
* British Theatre
* Oceansize
* Sucioperro
* Aereogramme

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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