Devil in a Midnight Mass
This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
"Devil in a Midnight Mass" | ||||
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Single by Billy Talent | ||||
from the album Billy Talent II | ||||
B-side |
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Released | June 15, 2006 | |||
Genre | Post-hardcore, horror punk | |||
Length | 2:54 | |||
Label | Wea, Atlantic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Billy Talent | |||
Producer(s) | Gavin Brown | |||
Billy Talent singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative Cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Devil In A Midnight Mass" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Devil in a Midnight Mass" |
"Devil in a Midnight Mass" is the first single released from Billy Talent's second album, Billy Talent II.
Song information
There are two differing versions of the song: the album version, and an unpolished demo version released in December 2005 via their
Kowalewicz told Sarah Taylor that the song was created when guitarist Ian D'sa started playing something that he described as an "
Meaning of the song
Kowalewicz told
It's from a story I read about
molesting150 kids over a 30-year span and while he was serving his sentence another inmate broke into his cell and murdered him. I stumble upon these stories, they don't necessarily have to be directly personal but it's things like this that move me. I'm a big advocate for children's rights and this song looks at sexual abuse. It's not against the church or anything, it's more about that individual betrayal between adult and child. I don't have the answers, but hopefully if I sing about a certain issue it will get people talking about it.
Music video
The music video opens with Billy Talent playing in a darkened church. The video also follows the path of an altar boy. The boy is asleep in his room when a dark fog enters his room. The fog represents the priest and enters the room when the line "Footsteps down the hallway floor/Getting closer to my door" are sung. The boy runs from the fog and into the church's basement, where he finds an apparently insane man bound in ropes. The boy runs from the room and is followed by the fog. He then grabs an axe trying to defend himself. The boy runs to the main room of the church where Billy Talent are playing. Instead of the band, mouthless altar boys are standing in the room, the young boy also mouthless. The boys are the priest's victims and are mouthless to represent the fact that they have been silenced by the priest, hence the line "Silent night for the rest of my life", and in the demo, "I was told that the world wouldn't believe me".
The music video was directed by
Devil in a Midnight Mass peaked 4 on the Canadian Singles Chart.[1]
Chart performance
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
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Canada (Canadian Singles Chart) | 4 |
Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[2] | 5 |
66 | |
3 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[5] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r839594/charts-awards/billboard-single
- ^ "Radio & Records Magazine" (PDF). Radio & Records. July 7, 2006. p. 54. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Billy Talent – Devil in a Midnight Mass". Music Canada. Retrieved May 20, 2023.