Ludens (song)

On 1 October 2019, it was revealed that the video game Death Stranding was getting an official soundtrack album titled Death Stranding: Timefall after Scottish band Chvrches released their song "Death Stranding" as its lead single.{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2019/music/news/chvrches-khalid-major-lazer-death-stranding-timefall-1203354194/|title=Chvrches, Khalid + Major Lazer Featured on 'Death Stranding: Timefall' Album (Listen)|work=Variety|date=1 October 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}} Along with the announcement of the album, the track listing was revealed, which included the band's "Ludens".{{cite news|url=https://www.altpress.com/news/bring-me-the-horizon-death-stranding-timefall-soundtrack/|title=Bring Me The Horizon have a new song on 'Death Stranding' soundtrack|work=Alternative Press|date=1 October 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}}

On 4 November, the band shared a photo of a floppy disk-like device with the numbers 06.11.19 written on it.{{cite news|url=http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2019/11/5/bring-me-the-horizon-teases-arrival-of-death-stranding-song.html|title=Bring Me the Horizon teases arrival of 'Death Stranding' song, "Ludens"|work=ABC News Radio|date=4 November 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/bring-me-the-horizon-ludens/|title=Bring Me The Horizon unleashes aggressive new song 'Ludens'|website=Loudwire|author=Chad Childers|date=16 November 2019|accessdate=5 March 2021}} The next day, they revealed that "Ludens" would be on BBC Radio 1 with Annie Mac in promotion of the single.{{cite news|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bring-me-the-horizon-ludens-timefall-soundtrack-oli-sykes-no-new-album-interview-2574246|title=Bring Me The Horizon on bold new track 'Ludens' – and why they may never make another album again|work=NME|date=6 November 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}}

"Ludens" has been described by critics as being an electronic rock,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/big-reads/bring-me-the-horizon-cover-interview-2020-post-human-survival-horror-2804768|title=Bring Me The Horizon: "I'm like everyone else: confused, scared and angry"|website=NME|last=Trendall|first=Andrew|quote=Bring Me gave us a first taste of ‘Survival Horror’ with last year’s single ‘Ludens’, an electro-rock beast written for the soundtrack to Hideo Kojima’s PS4 game Death Stranding.|date=30 October 2020|accessdate=2 March 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://riffmagazine.com/album-reviews/bring-me-the-horizon-post-human/|title=Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human|publisher=Riff Magazine|last=DeWald|first=Mike|quote=In some ways, electro-rocker “Ludens” created the framework for the rest of the album.|date= 30 October 2020|accessdate=5 March 2021}} pop rock,{{Cite web|url=http://wesleyanargus.com/2020/12/03/in-bring-me-the-horizons-post-human-survival-horror-ep-the-apocalypse-is-channeled/|title=In Bring Me the Horizon’s "Post Human: Survival Horror" EP, The Apocalypse is Channeled|website=The Wesleyan Argus|last=Bauman|first=Oscar Kim|quote=Beginning as mellow electropop, the first chorus escalates to pop rock, before bringing in the entire band on the full-throated second chorus.|date=3 December 2020|access-date=24 November 2021}} electropop,{{cite web|url=https://www.theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2019/11/16/review-bring-me-the-horizon-ludens/|title=Review: Bring Me The Horizon – Ludens|publisher=The Edge|author=Morgan McMillan|date=16 November 2019|accessdate=5 March 2021}} and a metalcore song. The song was written by the band's lead vocalist Oliver Sykes and keyboardist Jordan Fish, initially for the video game Death Stranding and its soundtrack Death Stranding: Timefall, but is also featured on the band's commercial release Post Human: Survival Horror.{{cite news|author=Emily Carter|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/bmth-announce-post-human-survival-horror-ep-featuring-babymetal-and-amy-lee/|title=BMTH Announce Post Human: Survival Horror EP Featuring Babbymetal, Amy Lee|work=Kerrang!|date=14 October 2020|accessdate=14 October 2020}}{{cite news|author=James Wilson-Tayloe|url=https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/bring-me-the-horizon-new-album-post-human-survival-horror|title=Bring Me The Horizon Just Announced A New Release - 'Post Human: Survival Horror'|work=Rock Sound|date=14 October 2020|accessdate=14 October 2020|archive-date=26 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026071549/https://www.rocksound.tv/news/read/bring-me-the-horizon-new-album-post-human-survival-horror|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|author=Graham Hartmann|url=https://loudwire.com/bring-me-the-horizon-new-album-post-human-amy-lee-babymetal-nova-twins/|title=Bring Me the Horizon Announce New Album + Collabs|work=Loudwire|date=14 October 2020|accessdate=14 October 2020}}

Sykes and Fish wrote and recorded the song in less than a week, with Sykes attributing the short deadline to "legal shit" with Sony and Kojima. Sykes requested an extension or an option to submit a placeholder demo instead, but both requests were declined. The song was created while the band was touring in Europe, with Sykes and Fish setting up temporary studios in hotel rooms.{{cite news |last1=Trendell |first1=Andrew |title=Bring Me The Horizon on bold new track 'Ludens' – and why they may never make another album again |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/bring-me-the-horizon-ludens-timefall-soundtrack-oli-sykes-no-new-album-interview-2574246 |access-date=5 January 2021 |work=NME |publisher=BandLab Technologies |date=6 November 2019}} "Ludens" is the name of Kojima Productions' company icon and mascot.{{cite news|url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/17/11692240/kojima-productions-logo-character-ludens-hideo-kojima|title=Hideo Kojima reveals the character behind the new Kojima Productions logo|work=Polygon|date=17 May 2016|accessdate=29 October 2020}} The tagline of Kojima Productions is 'From Sapiens to Ludens'. The Latin word 'Ludens' simultaneously refers to play and practice. More to it, the game character Die-Hardman wears a carbon skull mask with Ludens text on the forehead. However, the character is not present in Death Stranding. When asked about the identity of the mascot, Hideo Kojima responded:

{{Blockquote|"That's everyone, that's us, that's the users, that's each one of us wearing that skull mask."}}

Sykes has stated that musically the song was inspired by the 1999 film The Matrix and the nu metal and industrial metal that was featured on its official soundtrack. According to Sykes, the song's lyrics are centred around the human race and its ability to adapt while also tying into the themes of Death Stranding. The song's lyrics were partly inspired by environmental activist Greta Thunberg while lyrically, it is also a political song, as Sykes told NME:

{{Blockquote|"I don't want to come across as a hypocrite. Our music has always been about human emotions and the human condition. I've never tried to talk about how the world is. I've just been thinking about how I can start talking about it. I'm not a politically-charged person. I don't want to be. I don't want to talk about politics and I don't want to sing about politics, but if you're talking about environmental issues then you can't talk about one without the other. It just felt like a great way to start talking about that. It uses quotes from the game [Death Stranding] and stuff, but I'm talking about the bigger picture. We need to be our own heroes. We need a new way of looking at things. Greta Thunberg has shown us that—it's crazy, but this kid has proven that we can be our own leaders. We don't need to wait for these other people. It goes through the motions of what's wrong with the world and what we can do to fix it."}}

Physical releases of Post Human: Survival Horror bear a different lyric in the second verse of the song. This alternative version of the song replaces the line "names can dig so many graves, you won't know where to stand" with the more graphic and potentially controversial line "names will make me blow the brains out of all the kids in class". The digital version of the song available on streaming services and online retailers contain the original line.{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/18486450|title=Bring Me The Horizon - Ludens Lyrics|website=Genius|accessdate=31 October 2020}}{{cite tweet|user=bmthofficial|number=1322273882838106114|title=@maksss0308 just on the cd/ lp|date=31 October 2020|accessdate=31 October 2020}}

"Ludens" entered the UK Singles Chart on 15 November 2019, peaking at number 75 for a solitary week.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20191115/7501/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}} It, however, fared much better on the Scottish Singles Chart, peaking at number 53 and staying on the chart for three consecutive weeks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20191115/41/|title=Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20191122/41/|title=Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}} It simultaneously entered the UK Downloads and UK Singles Sales chart, both peaking at 45 for three total weeks on the charts respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-downloads-chart/20191115/7000/|title=Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/20191115/7509/|title=Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}}

"Ludens" debuted and peaked on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart at number 2, being denied the top spot by Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/20191115/111/|title=Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=15 November 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}} The song spent a total of seven consecutive weeks on the chart.{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/rock-and-metal-singles-chart/20191227/111/|title=Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40|publisher=Official Charts Company|date=27 December 2019|access-date=16 February 2023}}

The music video for "Ludens" was released shortly after the single was initially streamed.{{cite news|url=https://www.loudersound.com/news/watch-bring-me-the-horizons-video-for-death-stranding-track-ludens|title=Watch Bring Me The Horizon's video for Death Stranding track Ludens|work=Louder Sound|date=12 November 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}} Directed by Sykes himself, it features the band playing to a relatively small crowd while they mosh to the music and protest, with footage from Death Stranding being shown throughout the video. In the behind the scenes video for the song's music video,{{cite news|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/go-behind-the-scenes-on-bring-me-the-horizons-ludens-video/|title=Go Behind The Scenes On Bring Me The Horizon's Ludens Video|work=Kerrang!|date=26 November 2019|accessdate=29 October 2020}} Sykes states:

{{Blockquote|"The concept of the video is kinda like it's got a kinda protesty rally feel to it because the song has kinda got this message of you've got this choice, basically we can give up we and let the world and everything else give up or we can all start making an effort start working together to try and save it."{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4rqyLzfc7k|title=Bring Me the Horizon - Ludens (Behind The Scenes)|website=YouTube|date=26 November 2019|access-date=29 October 2020}}}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Ludens"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=single|artist=Bring Me the Horizon|title=Ludens|award=Gold|relyear=2019|certyear=2023|accessdate=6 March 2023}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=Bring Me the Horizon|title=Ludens|award=Gold|relyear=2019|certyear=2023|accessdate=7 March 2023}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true | noshipments=true | streaming=true}}

{{reflist}}

{{Bring Me the Horizon songs}}

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Category:2019 songs

Category:2019 singles

Category:Bring Me the Horizon songs

Category:Songs written by Oliver Sykes

Category:Songs written by Jordan Fish

Category:Song recordings produced by Jordan Fish

Category:Electronic rock songs

Category:RCA Records singles

Category:Sony Music UK singles