"Jumpsuit" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released on July 11, 2018, as the first of the lead singles from their fifth studio album Trench (2018), alongside "Nico and the Niners".[1] The track was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Peaking at number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, it is their fifth-highest-charting song, behind "Stressed Out", "Heathens", "Ride", and "Level of Concern".

"Jumpsuit"
Single by Twenty One Pilots
from the album Trench
B-side"Nico and the Niners"
ReleasedJuly 11, 2018
Genre
Length3:58
LabelFueled by Ramen
Songwriter(s)Tyler Joseph
Producer(s)Tyler Joseph
Twenty One Pilots singles chronology
"Heavydirtysoul"
(2016)
"Jumpsuit" / "Nico and the Niners"
(2018)
"Levitate"
(2018)
Music video
"Jumpsuit" on YouTube

Background and release

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The band started working on the song during the Emotional Roadshow World Tour (2016–2017). Tyler Joseph, the band's frontman, created the bass riff during that time and would play it during sound checks before shows.[2] Following the tour, the band withdrew from public life in order to record the album Trench.[3] Joseph revealed in an interview with NME that the album was originally supposed to be a "lighter sounding and softer record," but "then he wrote 'Jumpsuit' which ruined that."[4] On July 6, 2018, the band broke their year-long public silence by an email of a closing eye with the words "ARE YOU STILL SLEEPING?"[5] Three days later, they returned to social media for the first time since the hiatus, posting a clip from the official video for the song inside of an opening eye.[6] On July 11, "Jumpsuit" was released along with its music video.[7]

Composition

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"Jumpsuit" is a hard rock,[8][9] alternative rock,[10] and electronic rock song, containing nu metal-styled hooks.[11] It lasts for a duration of three minutes and fifty-eight seconds.[12] According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music, it is written in the time signature of common time, with a moderately fast tempo of 127 beats per minute.[12] The song is composed in the key of B minor while Tyler Joseph's vocal range spans one octave and four notes, from a low of D3 to a high of G4.[12] Lyrically, the song features Clancy, the main character from the conceptual world of "Trench", calling for protection from the bishops, the leaders of the city Dema.[13] The song was described by Rolling Stone as having "distorted bass guitar, crisp drumming and dark washes of synth" with frontman Tyler Joseph's vocals building from "a near-whisper to a full-throated scream, to an atmospheric falsetto."[10] Idolator described its sound as alternating between "semi-acoustic and hard rock".[14]

Music video

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The music video for the song was filmed in Thórsmörk, Iceland (pictured).

A music video for "Jumpsuit" was released on July 11, 2018.[14] It was directed by Andrew Donoho, who had previously directed the music videos for the duo's songs "Heathens" and "Heavydirtysoul". The video was filmed in Thórsmörk, Iceland.[15] On July 12, 2018, the music video for "Jumpsuit" surpassed "Heathens" for the most YouTube views in one day for the band (5.2 million), and as of March 2024, has over 125 million views.[16]

The video begins with the car from the "Heavydirtysoul" music video still smoldering, before suddenly catching on fire. Lead-singer Tyler Joseph climbs onto the car and states to the viewers: "We've been here the whole time, you were asleep, it's time to wake up." The scene then cuts to a valley where Joseph is seen laying unconscious in a stream of water, he wakes up and observes his surroundings when mysterious people in yellow-taped outfits appear upon the clifftops of the valley, watching him. As he makes his way through the valley, he is pursued by a red-hooded figure on a white stallion who upon reaching him, coats his neck in black paint. Following this, he is seen following the red-hooded figure on the horse in a trance-like state. The people in yellow toss petals at the bishop and Joseph, breaking him out of his trance and disorientating the bishop's stallion, allowing him to attempt an escape. However, Joseph trips while running and is captured by the bishop. The video ends cutting back to the original scene, with Joseph opening the back of the flaming car, grabbing a yellow jumpsuit and putting it on before walking away.

The clip was named one of the twelve best music videos of 2018 by the British rock music magazine Kerrang!.[17]

Reception

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Spin was critical of the song, finding the lyrics and backstory confusing, and feeling that its progressive rock-inspired song structure would not catch on at contemporary pop music.[18] Chris Willman, writing for Variety, was more positive, saying "The color-coded storytelling of 'Jumpsuit' doesn't get in the way of its thunderous pleasures".[19] PopMatters' Joshua Copperman called the song the band's "heaviest, even best song to date".[20]

The song was named the Hottest Record of the Year in 2018 by BBC Radio 1 during DJ Annie Mac's radio show.[21] Billboard also deemed the song the best rock song of 2018.[22] Loudwire featured it on their "40 best hard rock songs of 2018" list, placing it at No. 28.[9] The track was nominated for Best Rock Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.[23]

Commercial performance

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"Jumpsuit" debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of July 21, 2018, with 11.4 million airplay audience impressions, 5.2 million U.S. streams and 22,000 downloads sold according to Nielsen Music, and peaked at number 50 the following week.[24] The same month, "Jumpsuit" peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, the band's fourth on the list. By taking two weeks to peak at number one, "Jumpsuit" became the fastest song to reach number one on the Alternative Songs chart in the 2010s.[25] The song also peaked at number 6 on the Hot Rock Songs chart. Later, the song peaked at number one on the Rock Airplay chart, marking the band's third on the list.[26]

Live performances

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Twenty One Pilots first played the song live at the Brixton Academy for their concert "A Complete Diversion", on stage with a flaming car and yellow petals from the original music video.[27] They also performed the song at the 2018 American Music Awards with the same type of setting.[28] It is the opener of the set list for The Bandito Tour, which took place from October 2018 to June 2019.[29] Joseph revealed that the track was his favorite song to play live, calling it a "very useful song" due to the fact that "the song gives off the energy that is required to be injected into a room that can sustain for the course of an entire set."[30]

Track listing

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Digital download / stream
No.TitleLength
1."Jumpsuit"3:58
2."Nico and the Niners"3:47

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Trench and Tidal.[31][32]

Recording and management

Twenty One Pilots

  • Tyler Joseph  – vocals, bass, synthesizers, guitar, piano, programming, songwriting, production
  • Josh Dun  – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

Usage in media

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The song appears on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 19,[35] in addition to an episode of Riverdale.[36]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[60] Gold 35,000
Canada (Music Canada)[61] Platinum 80,000
Poland (ZPAV)[62] Gold 10,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[64] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Top 40 Future/M Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018.
  2. ^ Bacon Pilots (July 12, 2018), Josh Dun interview with BBC Radio 1 - 12 July 2018, retrieved October 24, 2018
  3. ^ "Josh Dun talks 'Trench' writing process, fans and Twenty One Pilots hiatus". Alternative Press. August 12, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  4. ^ Ryan, Gary (March 4, 2019). "Twenty One Pilots reveal details of next album: "There's definitely an end-game"". NME. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  5. ^ Tornow, Sam (July 6, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Break Year-Long Silence With Cryptic Email to Fans". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  6. ^ "twenty one pilots Signal Return With Cryptic Emails & Tweets". MTV UK. July 9, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 11, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Storm Back with 'Jumpsuit' and 'Nico and the Niners': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (September 13, 2018). "What We Know About: Twenty One Pilots' New Album". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "The 40 Best Hard Rock Songs of 2018". Loudwire. December 3, 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Reed, Ryan (July 11, 2018). "Hear Twenty One Pilots' New Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  11. ^ Lee, Amelie (October 17, 2018). "A nostalgic album experience". The Bull's Eye. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c Joseph, Tyler. "Twenty One Pilots 'Jumpsuit' Sheet Music in B Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  13. ^ Mamo, Heran (August 11, 2018). "Here Are the Lyrics to Twenty One Pilots' 'Jumpsuit'". Billboard. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Wass, Mike (July 11, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Return With "Jumpsuit" & "Nico & The Niners"". Idolator. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  15. ^ "twenty one pilots: Jumpsuit (Beyond the Video)" – via YouTube.
  16. ^ Trapp, Philip (July 12, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots already broke a record with "Jumpsuit"". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  17. ^ "The 12 Best Music Videos Of 2018". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  18. ^ Copperman, Joshua (July 11, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Release Two New Songs, Announce Album and Tour". Spin. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  19. ^ Willman, Chris (October 7, 2018). "Album Review: Twenty One Pilots' 'Trench'". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  20. ^ Copperman, Joshua (October 12, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Get Sensitive on 'Trench'". PopMatters. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  21. ^ "BBC - Twenty One Pilots crowned Hottest Record of the Year - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "The 25 Best Rock Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  23. ^ Lynch, Joe (December 7, 2018). "Grammys 2019 Nominees: The Complete List". Billboard. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  24. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (July 19, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Return to Rock Charts With 'Jumpsuit' & 'Nico and the Niners'". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  25. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (July 24, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots' 'Jumpsuit' Is Fastest-Rising Alternative Songs No. 1 This Decade". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  26. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (August 9, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots' 'Jumpsuit' Rules Rock Airplay Chart". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  27. ^ Mylrea, Hannah (September 13, 2018). "Everything that went down at Twenty One Pilots' Brixton show". NME. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  28. ^ Payne, Chris (October 9, 2018). "Watch Twenty One Pilots Deliver Intense 'Jumpsuit' Performance at the 2018 AMAs". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  29. ^ "Here's twenty one pilots' setlist for the 'Bandito' tour". Alternative Press. October 17, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  30. ^ "Twenty One Pilots the songs that shaped Tyler and Josh, in the own words - Kerrang!". PressReader. December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  31. ^ Trench (Media notes). Twenty One Pilots. Fueled by Ramen. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ "Jumpsuit / Nico And The Niners / Twenty One Pilots – Tidal". Tidal. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  33. ^ Carter, Emily (October 3, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots: They're back! And their journey to create Trench is a story that could only come from them... - Kerrang!". PressReader. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  34. ^ mj (September 7, 2018). "Twenty One Pilots Tracks Songs for "Trench" at United Recording - United Recording Studios". United Recording Studios, Los Angeles. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  35. ^ "Twenty One Pilots, Panic! At The Disco, more to be featured on the NHL '19 soundtrack". Alternative Press. September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  36. ^ Riverdale Soundtrack (October 7, 2018), Riverdale , retrieved January 1, 2019
  37. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #482". auspOp. July 21, 2018. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
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  42. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
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  46. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  47. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  48. ^ "George Ezra tops Official Irish Singles Chart, Ariana is highest new entry". Official Charts Company. July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  49. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  50. ^ "Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  51. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  52. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 29. týden 2018 in the date selector. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  53. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 29, 20 juli 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  54. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  55. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  56. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  57. ^ "Twenty One Pilots Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  58. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  59. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  60. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  61. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit". Music Canada. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  62. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2019 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  63. ^ "British single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  64. ^ "American single certifications – Twenty One Pilots – Jumpsuit". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 1, 2022.