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2006 single by Billy Talent From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Red Flag" is a song by Canadian rock group Billy Talent. It was released in September 2006 as second single from their second album, Billy Talent II.[1]
| "Red Flag" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Billy Talent | ||||
| from the album Billy Talent II | ||||
| Released | September 11, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Wea, Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Billy Talent | |||
| Producer(s) | Gavin Brown | |||
| Billy Talent singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Red Flag" on YouTube | ||||
The Canadian rock music radio station 102.1 The Edge listed "Red Flag" at #145 of their 200 Best New Rock Songs of the Millennium in 2010.[2]
The music video for this song, directed by Floria Sigismondi – known for her work with artists such as Sigur Rós and Björk[3] – began shooting on July 21, 2005, and first began playing in the United Kingdom, on January 20, 2006, (on Scuzz). It debuted in Canada on MuchMusic the following day.
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The video depicts a spontaneous revolution by youths, with the titular red flag itself being a symbol of socialism and revolt. It begins with a group of school children locked inside a school, screaming, "We want out!" Finally, they break through the handcuffed doors and proceed to run around the school and surrounding area, covering various symbols of authority and luxury – including a CCTV camera, a barbecue, a boat, a car, gas pumps and eventually the town hall – with red flags. As they run through the town, more people join in. Finally, they arrive at city hall where the members of Billy Talent are performing, and which has been covered with red flags. Most children begin to mosh to the song, while others continue to run around, covering things with red flags. One of the children throws history books into the crowd, destroying them. The video ends with the children standing under red smoke, with pages of the books falling behind them, all wearing Soviet GP-5 gas masks. Voices chanting "We want out!" can also be heard at the end of the video.
The demo version of the song originally appeared in 2005 as a part of the soundtracks of a number of Electronic Arts video games, including NHL 06, Burnout Revenge, Burnout Legends and SSX On Tour. This demo was released by Atlantic Records on the Black Sampler II. The album version is different from the earlier release, with the bridge and refrain having been changed. It has also been used in the soundtrack for the 2007 movie TMNT.
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] | 19 |
| Canada Rock Top 30 (Radio & Records)[5] | 10 |
| Germany (GfK)[6] | 34 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[7] | 49 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[8] | 2× Platinum | 160,000‡ |
| Germany (BVMI)[9] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
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