"Audience of One" is a song by American punk rock band Rise Against, written by the band's frontman Tim McIlrath. It is the second single from their 2008 album Appeal to Reason. Hitting number four on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, "Audience of One" is Rise Against's third-highest charting single, behind the previous single from Appeal to Reason, "Re-Education (Through Labor)", which peaked at number three and the third single "Savior".

"Audience of One"
Single by Rise Against
from the album Appeal to Reason
ReleasedMarch 3, 2009
RecordedJanuary–June 2008 at The Blasting Room, Fort Collins, Colorado
Length4:06
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)Rise Against
Producer(s)Jason Livermore, Bill Stevenson
Rise Against singles chronology
"Re-Education (Through Labor)"
(2008)
"Audience of One"
(2009)
"Savior"
(2009)

Performance

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In mid-October 2008, the L.A. radio station KROQ began playing "Audience of One."[1] Its video was announced to be shot with director Brett Simon on December 9.[2] On January 15, 2009, the video for "Audience of One" premiered on MySpace. The song impacted radio on January 20.[3] The single was released on CD and 7" vinyl on March 3, 2009, in the UK.[4]

Music video

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The music video features an eight-year-old boy who resembles George W. Bush playing with a miniature world, and throughout the video the boy plays with objects depicting high gas prices, the war in Iraq, the funeral of a soldier, Abu Ghraib prison, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, deforestation, house foreclosures, gay marriage, and illegal immigration before going to bed in the White House. It also features Rise Against performing in a miniature White House lawn, which the boy smashes before the end of the video.[5]

Other appearances

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"Audience of One" is featured with a customized Rise Against Theme in Tap Tap Revenge 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It is featured again in the aforementioned game's sequel, Tap Tap Revenge 3, in a double pack that also includes “Ready to Fall”. The song is also a downloadable song in Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 3.

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Audience of One"4:05
2."Tour Song" (live Jawbreaker cover[6])3:16

Charts

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Chart (2009) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[7] 4
U.S. Billboard Rock Songs 16
Canadian Hot 100[8] 59

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The World Famous KROQ – Alt Rock Music News, Photos, Videos, Concerts". Kroq-data.com. 2010-05-21. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  2. ^ "BOOKED: Rise Against – Brett Simon, director". VideoStatic. December 10, 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-04.
  3. ^ "AllAccess.com Alternative eWeekly". AllAccess. January 13, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  4. ^ "Audience of One: Rise Against: Music". Amazon. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
  5. ^ "Rise Against's 'Audience of One' Video Premiers on MySpace Music". StarPulse.com. January 15, 2009. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "Audience of One – Rise Against Single Review by David Adair". Allgigs.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  7. ^ "Artist Chart History – Rise Against" Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  8. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Audience of One" Billboard.com. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
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