Radioactive (Imagine Dragons song)

"Radioactive"
Single by Imagine Dragons
from the album Night Visions
ReleasedOctober 29, 2012
RecordedDecember 2011 - April 2012
Genre
Length3:07
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Alex da Kid
Imagine Dragons singles chronology
"It's Time"
(2012)
"Radioactive"
(2012)
"Hear Me"
(2012)
Music video
"Radioactive" on YouTube

"Radioactive" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons from their major-label debut EP Continued Silence and later on their debut studio album, Night Visions (2012), as the opening track. It was first sent to modern rock radio on October 29, 2012,[1] and then released to contemporary hit radio on April 9, 2013. Musically, "Radioactive" is an electronic rock and alternative rock song with elements of dubstep. In a 2021 podcast interview called The Turning Point, Dan Reynolds revealed that after almost a decade, he had realized that the lyrics were actually about him not giving up hope after losing faith in Mormonism.[2]

The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the production, lyrics, and vocals, calling it a highlight on the album. Due to heavy rotation on various commercials and trailers, the song became a sleeper hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the band's first top 10 single as well as being the third best selling song in that country in 2013.[3] It also broke the record for slowest ascension to the top 5 in chart history[4] and held the record for most weeks spent on the Billboard Hot 100 at 87 weeks, a record for over seven years.[5] The song has also reached number one in Sweden and in the top 20 in several countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, becoming Imagine Dragons' most successful single to date. It has since been certified Diamond (16× Platinum) in the US, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.[6]

"Radioactive" received two Grammy Awards nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance, winning the latter.[7] This was Imagine Dragons' first time being nominated. During the broadcast, they presented a remix of the song with their Interscope label-mate, rapper Kendrick Lamar. The remix was later released for purchase on iTunes.[8]

  1. ^ "Available for Airplay Archive – Modern Rock". FMQB. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  2. ^ "Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons" (Podcast). My Turning Point.
  3. ^ Hot 100 Songs Year End 2013 (December 31, 2013). "Hot 100 Songs: 2013 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2016.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "The Slow Hit Movement: Year-Old Songs On The Pop Charts". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive' Breaks Record For Longest Hot 100 Run". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  6. ^ Paul Grein (May 7, 2014). "Chart Watch: John Legend Wins A Squeaker". Yahoo. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  7. ^ "Grammy Awards 2014: Full Nominations List". Billboard. December 6, 2013.
  8. ^ "Radioactive featuring Kendrick Lamar is up on iTunes". Facebook.

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