Gold Rush (song)

Gold Rush is a song by American indie pop band Death Cab for Cutie, released as the lead single for their ninth studio album, Thank You for Today, on June 13, 2018.

"Gold Rush"
Single by Death Cab for Cutie
from the album Thank You for Today
Released	June 13, 2018 (2018-06-13)
Genre	Indie pop
Length	4:00
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Ben Gibbard, Dave Depper, Yoko Ono
Producer(s)	Rich Costey
Death Cab for Cutie singles chronology
"Million Dollar Loan" (2016) "Gold Rush" (2018)

Origins and lyrics

"Gold Rush" originated as a demo that the band planned to discard, but was revisited at the suggestion of producer Rich Costey and combined with another demo.[1] The song was written by lead vocalist and guitarist Ben Gibbard as "a requiem for a skyline", inspired by the rapid changes to Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where Gibbard had lived for 20 years and some areas were "almost unrecognizable" due to the influx of workers for companies like Amazon.[2][3]

Composition

The song uses a sample from "Mind Train", a song from Yoko Ono's 1971 album Fly.[4] The song is in the key of F major and has a BPM of 80. The title is mentioned 46 times throughout the song.

Music video

The music video for "Gold Rush", directed by Alex Southam, features Gibbard walking down a city street, observing passersby as their outfits change to a modern style. The video ends with Gibbard stopped by a swarm of people distracted by their smartphones.[5]

Media appearances

Death Cab for Cutie performed the song on the June 21, 2018, episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[6] It appears on the EA Sports FIFA 19 video game.[7]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8]	1
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9]	6
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[10]	14
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[11]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (2018)	Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[12]	30
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[13]	44
US Rock Airplay Songs (Billboard)[14]	24

References

1. Fields, Taylor (June 12, 2018). "Death Cab for Cutie Shares New Song "Gold Rush"". iHeartRadio. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
2. Boilen, Bob (June 13, 2018). "Ben Gibbard Talks About Death Cab For Cutie's New Album And First Single, 'Gold Rush'". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
3. O'Malley, Maura (June 13, 2018). "Death Cab For Cutie Reveal Yoko Ono Sample on New Single 'Gold Rush'". Radio.com. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
4. Pescovitz, David (June 13, 2018). "New song and video from Death Cab for Cutie: "Gold Rush"". Boing Boing. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
5. Griffin, Noemi (June 13, 2018). "Death Cab for Cutie Preview New Album with First Single "Gold Rush"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
6. Tornow, Sam (June 22, 2018). "Death Cab For Cutie Perform Bittersweet Single, 'Gold Rush,' On 'The Late Show'". Billboard. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
7. https://www.easports.com/fifa/news/2018/fifa-19-soundtrack
8. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
9. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
10. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
11. "Death Cab for Cutie Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
12. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
13. "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
14. "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.