Retrograde (James Blake song)

"Retrograde" is a song by English electronic music producer and singer-songwriter James Blake. The song was released as a digital download on 11 February 2013 as the lead single from his second studio album Overgrown (2013). The song was written, produced and recorded by Blake,^[2] and the music video was directed by Martin de Thurah.^[3]

"Retrograde"
Single by James Blake
from the album Overgrown
Released	11 February 2013
Recorded	2012
Genre	Soul[1] electronic[1]
Length	3:43
Label	Polydor
Songwriter(s)	James Blake
Producer(s)	James Blake
James Blake singles chronology
"A Case of You" (2011) "Retrograde" (2013) "Overgrown" (2013)

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[4]	56
Denmark (Tracklisten)[5]	10
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[6]	99
UK Singles (OCC)[7]	87

Year-end charts

Chart (2013)	Position
Australia Streaming Tracks (ARIA)[8]	67

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[9]	Gold	35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[10]	Silver	200,000‡
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[11]	Gold	900,000†
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United Kingdom[12]	11 February 2013	Digital download	Polydor Records

In pop culture

The song is featured in several episodes of television shows, including: the extended trailer for season one of The Leftovers, as well as in the pilot episode;^[13] the 5th season of The Blacklist; season 1, episode 2 of the Italian Netflix series Baby; episode 1 of the series Rush; season 3, episode 6 of the series Suits;^[14] and the episode "Falling Angels – Part 1" of the BBC series Silent Witness.^[15]

The song also appears in the fifth episode of the video game Tales from the Borderlands.^[16]

Covers

It was covered by Australian singer Karen Lee Andrews in her 2014 single, Ride, under her former stage name, Ms Murphy.