New Slang
"New Slang" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Shins | ||||
from the album Oh, Inverted World | ||||
B-side | "Sphagnum Esplanade" | |||
Released | February 19, 2001 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:51 | |||
Label | Sub Pop | |||
Songwriter(s) | James Mercer | |||
The Shins singles chronology | ||||
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"New Slang" is a song by American
The song began to be licensed in a variety of media beginning in 2002, including various television programs and a McDonald's advert that aired during the 2002 Winter Olympics. Although the song never charted on any international charts, it became a sensation following its appearance in the film Garden State (2004), where Sam, a character played by Natalie Portman, referred to it as a song that "will change your life." The band saw increased record sales and visibility as a result. Critics were very positive in their assessments of "New Slang", with many calling it one of the best songs from Oh, Inverted World.
The song's music video was directed by Lance Bangs, and features shots filmed in Albuquerque and Portland, Oregon.
Background
It's that end-of-your-20s thing. Before you knew it, my whole life was upside down: I got signed, I quit my job, I moved out of town, the big relationship I'd had for five years ended. All of a sudden my whole life was up in smoke.
James Mercer on the song's impact[1]
The Shins were not truly a band when James Mercer composed the song, and the idea of making music his career seemed uncertain. The song's creation was partially a reaction to the music scene in
Friends of the band, including Zeke Howard from
Reception
Critical reception
"New Slang" received positive critical reception. Stewart Mason of the Weekly Alibi in the band's hometown of Albuquerque called it "the most immediately appealing song on the album," praising it as "simply brilliant, [...] mostly acoustic ballad with the absolute finest melody the band has yet concocted and Mercer's typically oblique but evocative lyrics."[3]
AllMusic called the song a "mid-tempo, strummy folk tune with a real catch-on falsetto melody," giving its 7" single a four-star review, summarizing that the release "could be a lost single from a brilliant, obscure '60s psych-folk band while still sounding far ahead of its time."[5] Rolling Stone ranked it the "most affecting" song from Oh, Inverted World, describing it as "a shuffling folk ballad with a spaghetti-western feel and a somber melody that could have come off an Elliott Smith album."[6] Pitchfork panned the song, deeming it an imitation of Simon & Garfunkel.[7] The New York Times also covered the song, noting that "It has an odd, slightly serpentine vocal melody (it sounds a bit like an adapted madrigal), and the lyrics are absurd and somehow touching."[8]
The A.V. Club called "New Slang" one of the year's "loveliest ballads."[9] Will Hermes, in a piece on NPR's All Things Considered, called the song a "masterpiece," as well as "ridiculously melodic and structurally flawless."[10] Pitchfork later included the song at number 62 on its list of "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s," calling it "An agoraphobic bedroom-pop gem that shuffled its way onto a stage larger than anyone imagined possible. "New Slang" paved the way for Norah, Nick, Juno, and the many lovely, odd, and grating mainstream/indie pairings to come."[11]
Accolades
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Triple J | Australia | Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time[12] | 2009 | 72 |
Pitchfork | United States | The Pitchfork 500: Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present[13]
|
2008 | * |
The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s[11] | 2009 | 62 | ||
Rolling Stone | 100 Best Songs of the 2000s[14] | 2011 | 57 |
* denotes an unordered list
Music video
The song's music video was filmed in various locations in Albuquerque and Portland.[4] Among the areas filmed included the Rio Grande, junkyards, and near Mercer's home. The clip was directed by Lance Bangs, an associate of Spike Jonze.[4] It features the band re-enacting the cover art of other bands' albums, including Zen Arcade and New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü, Let It Be by The Replacements, Moon Pix by Cat Power, Double Nickels on the Dime by The Minutemen, Squirrel Bait's first EP, Sonic Youth's Sister and Slint's Spiderland.[15] Shooting in just two cities created logistical problems for album covers originally photographed in cities such as Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Louisville. For the homage to Double Nickels on the Dime, the band had to track down the exact model of the car featured on the album cover (a Volkswagen Beetle), and Albuquerque happened to have a San Pedro Street, which is featured on a freeway sign on the original cover.[15]
The video was in rotation on
Commercial performance and usage
The song proved to be a "stealth hit," helping Oh, Inverted World move over 100,000 copies within two years, considered remarkable for an independent label; Sub Pop had hoped the record would sell 10,000 copies.
The song was featured in a
"New Slang" achieved a new level of cultural significance when it was prominently featured in the film
The band performed the song on their debut appearance at Saturday Night Live in 2007. Mercer was disappointed the show's producers requested he perform a song at that point six years old, but obliged after hearing stories of artists that argued their setlist and were not invited back.[20]
Formats and track listing
- 7" (2001)
- "New Slang" – 3:51
- "Sphagnum Esplanade" - 4:01
- CD Promo (2004)
- "New Slang" – 3:51
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[25] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ SpinMedia. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c Delaney, Colin (December 13, 2007). "Interview with - The Shins". TNT. Archived from the original on October 1, 2009. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Henningsen, Michael (June 21, 2001). "Oh, Inverted World: The Shins Prepare to Turn the Music World Upside Down". Weekly Alibi. Archived from the original on April 19, 2003. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Maldonado Jr., Paul (2001). "Shins hope to create a little history with release of CD". The Albuquerque Tribune. Archived from the original on March 1, 2003. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ Spano, Charles. "New Slang - The Shins". AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the originalon March 31, 2003. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
The most affecting song is "New Slang," a shuffling folk ballad with a spaghetti-western feel and a somber melody that could have come off an Elliott Smith album.
- ^ Kearney, Ryan (June 30, 2001). "The Shins: Oh, Inverted World". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 16, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Sannah, Kelefa (October 22, 2003). "Rock Celebrities by Stealth; Without Trying Too Hard, the Shins Have Become an Indie Phenomenon". The New York Times. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ "Best Albums of 2001". The A.V. Club. The Onion. December 12, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ Hermes, Will (January 23, 2007). "The Shins' New CD: More of the Good Stuff". NPR. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b Greene, Jayson (August 19, 2009). "Staff Lists: The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ "Hottest 100 Of All Time 2009". Triple J. January 26, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
- ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ a b c Brunner, Rob (January 4, 2002). "The Shins: Indie Gestation". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b LeMay, Matt (February 21, 2002). "The Shins get a bite from McDonald's". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Klein, Bethany (2009). As Heard on TV: Popular Music in Advertising. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing, pp. 127-131. First edition, 2009.
- Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ Zac Crain (December 2003). "The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow". Spin. Vol. 19, no. 12. p. 133. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- ^ a b Bower, Lash (April 5, 2007). "James Mercer's Inverted World". Weekly Alibi. Vol. 16, no. 14. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c Robert Levine (February 2007). "The Shins' Big Adventure". Spin. Vol. 23, no. 4. pp. 68–72. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
- ^ Levith, Will (March 1, 2007). "THE SHINS: When You Are Wincing". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ Khan, Aleeza (February 8, 2012). "The Shins". Ion. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ "British single certifications – Shins – New Slang". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Shins – New Slang". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
External links
- "New Slang" music video on YouTube