"Air Guitar" is the debut single by English pop rock supergroup McBusted. It was written by Tom Fletcher, James Bourne, Matt Willis and Steve Robson, and produced by Robson and Jason Perry. The song was released on 23 November 2014 through Island Records as the lead single from the band's self-titled debut studio album, McBusted (2014).
| "Air Guitar" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by McBusted | ||||
| from the album McBusted | ||||
| Released | 23 November 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Genre | Pop punk[1] | |||
| Length | 3:19 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Robson • Jason Perry | |||
| McBusted singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song's lyrics contain references to Beyoncé, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Page and Brian May. It debuted at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.
Background and composition
editIn November 2013, it was announced that Busted's James Bourne and Matt Willis would come together with McFly and tour together as the supergroup "McBusted".[2] Due to enormous success, it was reported that they could release new material together. During an interview on The Jonathan Ross Show in February 2014, Willis said: "We always said that we weren't going to say we were going to bring out music, because we didn't want to say that we were going to make music and it be terrible. But we went away, we did some writing and it wasn't terrible."[3] In April, it was announced that McBusted would be releasing an album.[4]
On 7 October 2014, Tom Fletcher announced that McBusted would be releasing their debut single "Air Guitar" on 23 November.[5] Additionally, it was announced that they had been signed to Island Records, after a bidding war with Sony Music.[5] Fletcher also posted a sneak preview of the song on his Instagram page.[5] Fletcher said that it was a unanimous decision to release it as their debut single, "When you decide first singles, opinions can be really divided — this was the first time everyone was united." Danny Jones added, "We said we wouldn't release anything unless we were all equally excited. Now we want to let the world hear it."[6]
Commercial performance
editThe song debuted at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart.[7]
Music video
editOn 8 October 2014, the official lyric video was uploaded on the band's Vevo account; the lyric video resembled the video game Guitar Hero. However, it was later removed due to the song including an unpermitted lyrical reference to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love", which has since been replaced.[citation needed] The official music video was released on 6 November. The video features the band in a large room where they, along with their instruments and fans, keep reappearing and disappearing.[8]
Track listing
editDigital download[9]
- "Air Guitar" – 3:19
CD single 1[10]
CD single 2[10]
- "Air Guitar" (Busted Mix)
- "Air Hostess" (Live from The O2)
CD single 3[10]
- "Air Guitar"
- "I See Red"
- "You Said No" (Live from The O2)
- "Obviously" (Live from The O2)
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC)[11] | 14 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 12 |
| UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[13] | 16 |
| UK Physical Singles (Official Charts Company)[14] | 1 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom[6] | 9 October 2014 | Radio airplay |
| Ireland[15] | 21 November 2014 | Digital download |
| United Kingdom[9] | 23 November 2014 |
References
edit- ^ "McBusted: McBusted album review". Digital Spy. December 2014.
"First single 'Air Guitar' is the perfect set-up single; its chewy guitar licks and Wheatus-inspired middle eight resulting in a chunky slab of punk-pop.'." - ^ McGeorge, Alistair (11 November 2013). "McBusted: McFly and Busted become supergroup 2014 tour dates for supergroup". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Eames, Tom (22 February 2014). "McBusted: 'We'd like Charlie Simpson to come back'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Corner, Lewis (1 April 2014). "McBusted confirm plans to record new album: "It will happen"". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Duncan, Amy (8 October 2014). "Get ready to go WILD because McBusted have only gone and signed a record deal AND confirmed new single Air Guitar". Metro. DMG Media. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ a b "McBusted Reveal The First Listen Of Their First Single 'Air Guitar'". Capital FM. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Copsey, Rob (1 December 2014). "Take That score 12th number 1 single with These Days". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ^ "McBusted - Air Guitar". YouTube. 6 November 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Air Guitar - Single by McBusted". iTunes UK. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ a b c "McBusted: Air Guitar Super Single Bundle". Archived from the original on 2014-11-25.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Archive Chart: 2014-12-06". UK Physical Singles Chart.
- ^ "Air Guitar - Single by McBusted". iTunes Ireland. Retrieved 8 October 2014.