Flicker (song)
"Flicker" | ||||
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Single by Porter Robinson | ||||
from the album Worlds | ||||
Released | July 28, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2014 | |||
Length | 4:39 | |||
Label | Astralwerks | |||
Songwriter(s) | Porter Robinson | |||
Producer(s) | Porter Robinson | |||
Porter Robinson singles chronology | ||||
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"Flicker" is a song recorded by American electronic music producer Porter Robinson. It was released on July 28, 2014 as the fourth single from his debut studio album Worlds (2014). Robinson wrote, produced, and performed the track. Musically, the song contains elements of disco and hip-hop, as well as sampling of soul music. Vocally, the song contains a text-to-speech voice incorrectly translating "never seen" Japanese song titles that have been chopped and screwed in a rap-like style.
An official music video for the single premiered on August 14, 2014, and involves footage of Japan filtered with effects including those of 8-bit video games. The song was well-received from critics, and was a hit on the American Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Composition
"I liked the way it sounded, I liked the rhythm of it, the cadence and the flow, so I decided to keep it. But yeah, that song is kind of a frankensong. It’s one of my prouder moments on the album because it goes so many places, but flows naturally in between them. It has, I think, a great climax, a very powerful and big moment."
With "Flicker", one of Porter Robinson's favorite songs of his debut studio album Worlds (2014), he wanted to experiment with samples of soul music, which he became a fan of ever since he listened to his favorite album, Daft Punk's second studio record Discovery (2001).[2] The result was a hip-hop-style instrumental that he felt was "incomplete" with only drums and the phased samples.[2]
He didn't initially plan "Flicker" to be a track on Worlds until some time later when he was using a translation website to translate "song titles that would never be seen" incorrectly into Japanese, and then put the Japanese text into a
Robinson described "Flicker" as more of a "journey" than a
Release and promotion
"Flicker" premiered on July 28, 2014, by Vogue magazine for streaming as Worlds' fourth and final single.[7] The song was initially planned to be the album's second single after "Sea of Voices," but Robinson replaced it with "Sad Machine" three days before its release. Robinson wanted "Flicker" to be the LP's last single, given that it presented the record's "cuter" aspect.[8] Upon its release, it debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the United States on the issue week of August 16, 2014,[9] later re-appearing at its peak of number 34 on the week of August 30.[10]
A remix by Robinson's friend
Critical reception
Stolman praised Robinson on the track for not being "overwhelmed by his influences, which seem to extend farther back into history than most producers in his field", while joking that "it's just a bit of a shame that disco is one of them."
Charts
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[10] | 34 |
Release history
Version | Region | Date | Format(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
Original | Worldwide | July 28, 2014[7] | Astralwerks | |
Mat Zo Remix | September 9, 2015[11] | Astralwerks |
References
- ^ a b c "DJ" Pizzo, Mike (October 4, 2015). "Porter Robinson Reflects on "Worlds," One Year Later". Cuepoint. Medium. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Worlds Commentary. Porter Robinson. 2014. Spotify. Sample Sized.
- ^ a b Stolman, Elissa (August 5, 2014). "Beat by Beat Review: Porter Robinson – Worlds". Vice. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Buerger, Megan (2014-08-06). "Album Review: Electronic Producer Porter Robinson's Dramatic 'Worlds' Is Ideal Headphone Music". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
- Radio.com. Archived from the originalon 2014-08-13. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
- SpinMedia. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ a b Frank, Alex (July 28, 2014). "Porter Robinson Gives EDM a Makeover With His Latest Track". Vogue. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ Greene, Scott (October 31, 2014). "Your EDM Exclusive Interview: Porter Robinson On 'Worlds'". Your EDM. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 16, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ a b "Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". August 30, 2014. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ a b Porter Robinson Shares Mat Zo's "So, So Incredible" Remix of Flicker" Archived 2015-12-23 at the Wayback Machine. Beatport. September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ^ Medved, Matt (December 22, 2015). "The 15 Best Dance / Electronic Remixes of 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ AXS. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ Prevatt, Mike (September 3, 2014). "CD Review: Porter Robinson's 'Worlds'". Las Vegas Weekly. The Greenspun Corporation. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
- ^ Cirisano, Tatiana (July 6, 2017). "Porter Robinson's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
External links
- Official music video on YouTube