Blind (Hercules and Love Affair song)

"Blind" is the first single from the eponymous debut album by Hercules and Love Affair.

"Blind"
Single by Hercules and Love Affair
from the album Hercules and Love Affair
ReleasedMarch 3, 2008
GenrePost-disco[1]
Length6:18 (Album Version)
3:47 (Radio Edit)
LabelDFA Records
Songwriter(s)Antony Hegarty, Andrew Butler
Producer(s)Antony Hegarty, Andrew Butler, Tim Goldsworthy
Hercules and Love Affair singles chronology
"Classique #2" / "Roar"
(2008)
"Blind"
(2008)
"You Belong"
(2008)
Music video
"Blind" on YouTube

Writing and inspiration

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"Blind" was written by Anohni and Andrew Butler. The song began as a poem by Butler before it was recorded by Anohni.[2]

Critical reception

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Jacob Wright of Resident Advisor commented that the song is "accessible," yet is "new and ambitious and different, and it has quality."[3]

The Chicago Maroon placed "Blind" at #2 on the Top 5 Songs of 2008.[4] "Blind" ranked at #2 on the 10 Best Singles of 2008 list by American magazine Entertainment Weekly.[5] Mother Jones ranked "Blind" at #14 on The Best Singles of 2008.[6] Likewise, NME placed "Blind" at #18 on the Top 50 Singles of 2008.[7] Pitchfork Media placed "Blind" at #1 on The 100 Best Tracks of 2008[8] and at #18 on The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s.[9] PopMatters placed "Blind" at #8 on The Best Singles of 2008.[10] Resident Advisor voted "Blind" at #6 on the Top 30 Tracks of 2008[11] and at #18 on the Top 100 Tracks of the 2000s.[12] Rolling Stone placed "Blind" at #77 on the 100 Best Singles of 2008.[13] Slant Magazine placed "Blind" at #4 on the Top 25 Singles of 2008[14] and at #16 on the Best of the Aughts: Singles.[15] Spin placed "Blind" at #19 on The 20 Best Songs of 2008.[16] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 128 on its list 150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years.[17]

Music video

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The music video for "Blind" was directed by Saam Farahmand. The video features English actress Jaime Winstone. Winstone is seen walking through a Greek ritualistic orgy. Doric columns and a lot of swirling mist are seen throughout the video.[18]

Track listings

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Anohni performing "Blind" as a part of the Hercules and Love Affair collective during the 2012 Meltdown Festival at London's Southbank Centre.
  1. "Blind (Radio Edit)" – 3:47
  2. "Shadows" – 4:19
  3. "Blind (Frankie Knuckles Vocal)" – 7:54
  4. "Blind (Hercules Club Mix)" – 7:00
  1. "Blind" – 6:16
  2. "Shadows" – 4:15
  3. "Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)" – 7:51
  4. "Blind (Serge Santiago Version)" – 10:48
  5. "Blind (Hercules Club Mix)" – 6:56
  6. "Blind (Frankie Knuckles Dub)" – 8:09

Song usage

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"Blind (Serge Santiago Version)" appeared on the mix album FabricLive.41 by Simian Mobile Disco.[21]

Charts

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Chart (2008) Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[22] 23
Belgian Tip Chart (Wallonia)[22] 22
Belgian Dance Chart[22] 2
Italian Singles Chart[22] 12
UK Singles Chart[23] 40
UK Dance (OCC)[24] 1
U.S. Dance/Club Play Songs[25] 22

Nominations

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Year Category Genre Recording Result
UK Music Video Awards[26]
2008 Best Producer Music Video Blind Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Boles, Benjamin (10 April 2008). "Miami party madness". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 22 May 2016. The quirky post-disco track was getting dropped at parties all weekend, even at the more mainstream events.
  2. ^ Zipf, Jen (2009-01-13). Hercules & Love Affair Interview Prefix Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  3. ^ Wright, Jacob (2008-03-02). Hercules and Love Affair – Blind Resident Advisor Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  4. ^ Underwood, Rob (2009-01-09). Top 5 Songs of 2008 Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine The Chicago Maroon. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  5. ^ "10 Best Singles of 2008". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  6. ^ (2008-12-16). The Best Singles of 2008 Mother Jones. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  7. ^ (2008-12-11). NME's Top 50 of 2008 Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  8. ^ (2008-12-15). 100 Best Tracks of 2008 Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  9. ^ (2009-08-21). The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 20-1 Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  10. ^ (2008-12-19). The Best Singles of 2008 PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  11. ^ (2008-12-22). Top 30 Tracks of 2008 Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  12. ^ (2010-12-29). RA Poll: Top 100 Tracks of the 2000s Archived 2010-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  13. ^ (2008-12-11). Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Singles of 2008 Stereogum. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  14. ^ (2008-12-15). 2008: Year in Music Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  15. ^ (2010-01-25). Best of the Aughts: Singles Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  16. ^ (2008-12-12). The 20 Best Songs of 2008 Spin. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  17. ^ "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years | NME.COM". www.nme.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. ^ (2008-02-11). Hercules and Love Affair’s Blind by Saam Archived 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine PromoNews. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  19. ^ Hercules And Love Affair – Blind Discogs. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  20. ^ Blind – Hercules and Love Affair Archived January 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine iTunes. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  21. ^ Simian Mobile Disco – FabricLive.41 Discogs. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  22. ^ a b c d Hercules and Love Affair – Blind Ultratop. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  23. ^ Hercules and Love Affair – Blind Chart Stats. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  24. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  25. ^ Hercules and Love Affair – Chart History – Dance/Club Play Songs Billboard. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  26. ^ (2008-09-29). UK Music Video Awards 2008 – Individual award nominations in full Archived 2008-10-17 at the Wayback Machine PromoNews. Retrieved 2010-06-28.