Intro (The xx song)

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"Intro"
Song

"Intro" is the opening song of English indie pop group The xx's 2009 self-titled debut album. The trip hop instrumental was composed by the group and produced by one of its members, Jamie xx. The song has been positively received, as well as getting comparisons to the works of Casiokids, Interpol. It has been analyzed by The Daily Telegraph to have been a "TV favourite", getting play in several television commercials, events, and shows. The track has reached number 129 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as appearing record charts in France, Spain and the United States.

Production

"Intro"'s production was handled by Jamie xx, who was also mixer. The recording and mixing was held between December 2008 and May 2009 at XL Studios, a studio by XL Recordings located in London, England. Rodaidh McDonald engineered the track and was also the mixer. Romy Madley Croft and Baria Qureshi played guitar, the latter being a keyboardist for the song, while Oliver Sim was bassist. Finally, the mastering was done by Nilesh Patel at studio The Exchange in Camden Town.[1]

Composition

Composed by Baria Qureshi, Jamie xx, Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft,[1] "Intro" is a trip hop instrumental[2] lasting for two minutes and eight seconds.[1] It is in the key of A minor, with a chord progression of F–Am followed throughout the song. It is performed in common time at a tempo of 110 beats per minute.[3] The instrumentation of "Intro" consists of a "fuzzy keyboard, a simple guitar riff, wordless chanting" and "double-tracked drums", according to The A.V. Club's Vadim Rizov.[4] It opens with a riff that BBC Music's Lou Thomas compared it to "Fot I Hose" by Casiokids, before the beat drops in which he said was "heavy enough for dubstep".[5] Ben Schumer, in his review for Popmatters, said "Intro" "could almost pass for the score to a scene in a James Bond film. Although, it would have be some sort of nautical nighttime mission for Mr. Bond." He also compared it to "Untitled" from Interpol's debut album Turn on the Bright Lights, explaining that it "sets the scene [of xx] and gives listeners their first intoxicating taste of the xx’s soundworld."[6] Allmusic journalist Heather Phares described the sound as "moody" and "monochromatic".[7]

Reception

"Intro" has received universal acclaim from critics and fans alike. Chase McMullen of Beats per Minute honored the song as "a perfect opening to the greatness that is [xx]."[2] The Observer critic Sarah Boden wrote that "As the languorous swirl of Intro fades in [...] you immediately sense you're listening to something seductively special."[8] Vadim Rizov of The A.V. Club called the arrangement "epic minimalism",[4] while Allmusic's Heather Phares opined it "lovely enough".[7] Commercially, "Intro"'s first appearance on the charts was in 2010, when it hit number 161 on the UK Singles Chart.[9] Between 2012 and 2013, the track reached number 96 in France and number 50 in Spain,[10] as well as earning a new peak on the UK chart at number 129.[11]

In other media

In 2010, Neil McCormick, a writer for The Daily Telegraph, analyzed "Intro" to have "become a TV favourite", and has helped the xx develop enough media presence to garner "over half a million sales around the world without ever having anything as vulgar as a hit". BBC used it as the theme for the 2010 United Kingdom general election.[12] It also was used in a commercial starring American speed skater Apolo Ohno for the telecom company AT&T.[13] Furthermore, the song was featured in the 2010 film It's Kind of a Funny Story, and the 2012 film Project X.

Rihanna's song "Drunk on Love", from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk, samples the melody of "Intro",[14] and because of the sample, all members of The xx earned writing credits on Talk That Talk.[15]

In October 2014, Young Turks released a post on Twitter accusing the music of a commercial for the German luxury fashion and style house Hugo Boss sounding just like "Intro": "@HUGOBOSS as a firm built around original design, isn't it odd that you'd pay for such a poorly disguised fake?"[16]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[1]

  • Romy Madley Croft – guitar
  • Oliver Sim – bass
  • Jamie Smith – beats, mixing, MPC, production
  • Baria Qureshi – guitar, keyboards
  • Rodaidh McDonald – engineering, mixing
  • Nilesh Patel – mastering

Charts

Period Chart Peak
position
2010 UK Indie (Official Charts Company)[17] 20
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[9] 161
2012–13 France (SNEP)[18] 96
Italy (FIMI)[19] 66
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[10] 50
UK Indie (Official Charts Company)[20] 11
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] 129
US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[21] 32

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Italy (FIMI)[22] Gold 15,000
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000

*sales figures based on certification alone

References

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  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Spanishcharts.com – The XX – Intro" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2010-09-18" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The XX – Intro" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-03-16" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter The xx in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
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