Behind The Songs: Sunburn

Hello everyone,

It's time for a new Behind The Songs post, this time about Sunburn!


About Sunburn

Sunburn is possibly about the band struggling money wise before they were signed.

Lyrics could also suggest the possibility of it being about a stripper or prostitute, or a strip club.

Alternative meaning: seems to be about a girl who was associated with the band before they made it, who Bellamy regrets having to leave behind, due to him seeing her as a star.

Matthew Bellamy declared that while the band were recording, this song was one of his favourites, but found it a bit weak at first: "I wanted to make it sound good. So that was when John Leckie, our producer, had this idea to work out the guitar part on the piano. That was the first time I played piano in years it seems, and I had to spend two or three days just practicing Sunburn, which is a pretty simple part".

According to Bellamy, Sunburn was composed whilst in the studio.

Sunburn was added to Radio 1's C playlist on, or shortly before, 31st January 2000.

As of 18th July 2007, the piano and drums from the intro of Sunburn were used in the BBC's TV coverage of the Open golf championship

An early demo recording of Sunburn features different lyrics and has an extended ending. The entire song is played on guitar, and is seemingly the original version, before John Leckie decided that a piano version would sound stonger. The lyrical focus of this early version appears to be the end of a relationship. Also a live preformance of Sunburn acoustic was broadcasted over the radio 

Three remixes were created entitled "Sunburn (Timo Maas Sunstroke Mix)", "Sunburn (Timo Maas Breakz Again Remix)" and "Sunburn (Steven McCreery Remix)".

My Opinion

Sunburn is the first track on Muse' first album, and it was one of the first Muse songs I ever heard. I've always liked the song, but after watching the music video it became one of my favourites. You should really check it out, I think it's one of the best music video's ever made. 

Also, I have this guitar book with the tabs from Showbiz, and I'm trying to play Sunburn over and over, but it's just too hard for me. If I ever join a band -which I really hope, by the way- it'd be awesome to cover Sunburn. 

The song is awesome. It just is. 

Lyrics: 

Come waste your millions here
Secretly she sneers
Another corporate show,
A guilty conscience grows

And I'll feel a guilty conscience grow
And I'll feel a guilty conscience grow

She burns like the sun
and I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
make no mistakes

Come let the truth be shared
No one ever dared
To break these endless lies
Secretly she cries

She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
Make no mistakes

And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll run forever
I can't face the shame

And I'll hide from the world
Behind a broken frame
And I'll run forever
I can't face the shame

Alternative Lyrics

Instead of

Another corporate show

It was changed to, on some live versions:

Just like a virgin blows

Whilst Showbiz was still being recorded it was:

Just like an angel glows

Demo version

Let the truth be known
Life just carries on
When you're dead and gone
I'll still feel your glow

And I'll believe 
I'll still feel your glow
And I'll believe 
I'll still feel your glow

She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
Make no mistake

Let the truth be heard
True love is absurd
And I'll believe 
Just to feel your glow

She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
Make no mistake

She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn our horizons
Make no mistake

She burns like the sun
And I can't look away
And she'll burn my horizons
Make no mistake

Music Video:

I hope you'll like the song, and I also hope you've learned something you didin't knew yet, hehe. 

See you next time!

♣ Gasoline Diamond ♣

Source: MuseWiki.org for the info and the lyrics, Weheartit.com for the awesome picture of MCR :D