Hands Open

"Hands Open" is a song by Northern Irish–Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol, released as the third single of their fourth album, Eyes Open (2006). It was released on 16 October 2006.

"Hands Open"
Single by Snow Patrol
from the album Eyes Open
Released	16 October 2006
Recorded	2005
Genre	Alternative rock, indie rock
Length	3:17
Label	Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly, Jonny Quinn, Tom Simpson & Paul Wilson
Producer(s)	Jacknife Lee
Snow Patrol singles chronology
"Chasing Cars" (2006) "Hands Open" (2006) "Set the Fire to the Third Bar" (2006)
Audio sample
"Hands Open" file help

It received substantial radio play on modern rock radio, peaking at number 21 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. However, it did not cross over to any other radio formats, unlike the previous single, "Chasing Cars".

The third verse references American indie-folk singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens and the song "Chicago" with the lyrics "Put Sufjan Stevens on/And we'll play your favorite song/'Chicago' bursts to life/And your sweet smile remembers you."

The song was featured in the PC game LMA Manager 2007.

Two videos were shot for this song. The first one, released with the single, shows Gary Lightbody walking through a city and tearing holes on the landscape at certain points. Upon entering them, he joins the rest of the band as they play and sings one part of the song, before going out and walking a bit more until tearing another hole and rejoining the band, in a cycle which repeats a few times throughout the video. The second one, accompanying the Australian single release, consists of a series of clips of the band during an U.S. tour.

In Australasia, the cover art is identical to that of "Set the Fire to the Third Bar", due to the latter not being released as a single there.

Track listings

• US promo CD single

1. "Hands Open" – 3:17

• Digital download^[1]

1. "Hands Open" (Freelance Hellraiser Remix) – 6:30

• Australian single^[2]

1. "Hands Open" – 3:15
2. "Chasing Cars" (Live in Berlin) - 4:28

Official versions

• "Hands Open" (album version) – 3:17
• "Hands Open" (Freelance Hellraiser Remix) – 6:30

Charts

Chart (2006–07)	Peak position
Australia Digital Tracks (ARIA)[3]	21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[4]	34
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[5]	21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[6]	Gold	35,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "iTunes - Music - Hands Open (Freelance Hellraiser Remix) - Single by Snow Patrol". Itunes.apple.com. 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
2. "iTunes - Music - Hands Open / Chasing Cars - Single by Snow Patrol". Itunes.apple.com. 2007-04-23. Retrieved 2014-02-13.
3. "ARIA Report: Week Commencing 19 March 2007" (PDF) (889). Australian Web Archive. 19 March 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-03-19. Retrieved 22 March 2018. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
4. "Snow Patrol – Hands Open". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
5. "Snow Patrol – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
6. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 30 June 2024.

External links

• Music video for "Hands Open" on YouTube