Music / Black Holes and Revelations

"Our hopes and expectations, black holes and revelations."

No one's gonna take me alive
The time has come to make things right
You and I must fight for our rights
You and I must fight to survive

— "Knights of Cydonia"

Black Holes and Revelations is the fourth studio album by the English Alternative Rock band Muse, released on 3 July 2006. It is known for songs such as "Supermassive Black Hole", "Knights of Cydonia" and "Starlight".

It introduces electronic and Western elements into the band's sound, beginning their trip into Genre-Busting territory, something which they would expand on in the future.

"Supermassive Black Hole" was also featured in Twilight, which would help expand the band's popularity.

The music video of "Knights of Cydonia" has its own page for the tropes of said video.

Tracklist:^note Japanese releases, as well as streaming and digital releases, contain "Glorious" as track 12.

1. "Take a Bow" (4:35)
2. "Starlight" (3:59)
3. "Supermassive Black Hole" (3:29)
4. "Map of the Problematique" (4:18)
5. "Soldier's Poem" (2:03)
6. "Invincible" (5:00)
7. "Assassin" (3:31)
8. "Exo-Politics" (3:53)
9. "City of Delusion" (4:48)
10. "Hoodoo" (3:43)
11. "Knights of Cydonia" (6:06)

You trope... and bring tropes to all that you touch:

• Album Title Drop: Black Holes and Revelations is a lyric in the song "Starlight".
• Audience Participation Song:
  • "Knights of Cydonia". All together now: "NO-ONE'S GONNA TAKE ME ALIVE!"
  • "Starlight" has a famous clap to go with it, which spells out "tits" in Morse code.
    • Also from "Starlight", "Our hopes and expectaaaations, black holes and revelaaaations..."
• B-Side:
  • "Crying Shame" on the "Supermassive Black Hole" single.
  • "Easily" on the "Starlight" single. A fan favorite, the song would make its live debut at the band's first-ever by-request show in 2017.
  • The "Knights of Cydonia" single features an extended version of "Assassin", officially known as the Grand Omega Bosses edit.
  • "Glorious", which appeared in the "Invincible" single, and is exclusive to the Japanese and streaming versions of the album.
• Cluster F-Bomb: The hidden track on the Starlight DVD. Commonly referred to as 'You Fucking Motherfucker' in fan circles.^note According to Matt, it is actually named "You Funky Motherfucker", although that might have been a joke on his part. Also counts as an absolutely massive Cluster of Atomic F-Bombs.
• Concept Album: Black Holes and Revelations draws parallels between astronomical concepts such as space and time, and human concepts like love and hatred.
• Driven to Suicide: The lyrics to "Starlight" imply this.
• Ennio Morricone Pastiche: The album is filled with this, but "Knights of Cydonia" is no doubt the most notable. Most live performances from 2009 onwards even quote "The Man with a Harmonica" from Once Upon a Time in the West.
• E.T. Gave Us Wi-Fi: According to a German interview quoted on the MuseWiki, Matthew Bellamy wrote "Exo-Politics" about "a trade agreement between the US government and extraterrestrials, about the use of new technologies," although he has not been entirely consistent on that line.
• Government Conspiracy: "Exo-Politics", taken at face value, is about the government cooperating with aliens from the Zeta Reticuli system in a massive mind control conspiracy. Matthew Bellamy has alternately confirmed this interpretation, or highlighted how alien theories cover up real military conspiracies at sites like Area 51. Either way, he clearly believes the US government is up to no good.
• Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Storm Thorgerson's cover art for the album features a modernized interpretation of the concept, correlating to more contemporary issues:
  • Narcissism: the man in the mirrored suit,
  • Greed: the man in the gold suit,
  • Paranoia: the man in the suit covered in eyes, and
  • Intolerance: the man wearing horse blinders and a suit covered in religious symbols.
• Incredibly Long Note: "City of Delusion". And the Last Note Nightmare of "Take a Bow" as well.
• In the Style of: The intro to "Knights of Cydonia" pays homage to "Telstar" by The Tornadoes. Appropriate, seeing as Matt Bellamy is the son of George Bellamy, one of the group who performed the earlier song.
• It's a Small Ride: The music video for "Invincible" has the band ride though a not-so-kid-friendly journey through history, which then takes an abrupt turn when an Alien Invasion shows up, complete with evil giant teddy bear mechs.
• Last Note Nightmare: "Take A Bow," which turns what was an almost triumphant choral climax into an electronic howl that fades away over the space of more than 20 seconds.
• Longest Song Goes Last: Unsurprisingly, "Knights of Cydonia". Averted on the Japanese and streaming releases, although a few interviews imply that the band consider "Knights" the proper final song on the album.
• Lyrical Dissonance:
  • "Starlight." The verses in particular seem to indicate rather dark suicidal thoughts, with that glossy piano playing over it.
  • "Map of the Problematique's" lyrics indicate wanting to stay with someone and sort it out, but the music is heavy with lots of momentum in the bassline.
  • "Soldier's Poem" sounds like a barbershop quartet piece but is about the pointlessness of war and how apologists let people die.
  There's no one left for us to blame. It's a shame we're all dying.
• Lyric Swap:
  • Whenever "Map of the Problematique" is performed live, the line "since I met you" is often swapped with "since I lost you".
  • Early performances of "Starlight" incorporated the lyric "our trials and tribulations..." into the chorus.
• Mesodiplosis: "Starlight": "And":
  "Our hopes and expectations / Black holes and revelations"
• Miniscule Rocking: The hidden track on the "Starlight" DVD.
• Musical Nod: Sergei Rachmaninoff's Prelude in G Minor (Op. 23 No. 5) in "Assassin (Grand Omega Bosses Edit)"
• Non-Appearing Title: "Map of the Problematique", "Soldier's Poem", "Exo-Politics", "Hoodoo" and "Knights of Cydonia".
• One-Word Title: "Starlight", "Invincible", "Exo-Politics" and "Hoodoo".
• Out-of-Genre Experience: "Soldier's Poem", a soft acoustic guitar track with vocal harmonies that could be right out of a barbershop quartet, smashed between "Map of the Problematique" and "Invincible". Apparently, they recorded it with the usual full-band arrangement, but it didn't sound quite right.
• Protest Song:
  • "Take a Bow" has a laser-focused vicious stab at various world leaders, enough that it could be the anger march of La Résistance.
    FEED THE HEX ON THE COUNTRY YOU LOVE.
• Rearrange the Song: "Take A Bow" is rearranged into a "four hands" piano piece on Matt's 2021 solo EP Cryosleep.
• Shout-Out: Most of the video for Knights of Cydonia is movie references, listed on its page.
• Subliminal Seduction: Right before the second verse of "Assassin":

AIM! SHOOT! KILL YOUR LEADERS!

KILL THEM ALL!

• Surprisingly Gentle Song: "Soldier's Poem"
• Take That!: "Take A Bow" is one aimed at an "all but nameless politician."
• Truck Driver's Gear Change: "Take a Bow", which has thirteen key changes throughout the song.
• War Is Hell: "Map of the Problematique" and "Soldier's Poem".

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Hold you in my arms
I just wanted to hold
You in my arms
I just wanted to hold