A-Punk

"A-Punk" is a song by indie rock band Vampire Weekend, released on February 28, 2008 as the second single from their 2008 self-titled debut album. The band made their network television debut by performing "A-Punk" on the Late Show with David Letterman.

"A-Punk"
Single by Vampire Weekend
from the album Vampire Weekend
Released
  • February 28, 2008 (2008-02-28)
  • October 27, 2008 (2008-10-27) (re-release)
Recorded2007
Length2:17
LabelXL
Composer(s)Vampire Weekend
Lyricist(s)Ezra Koenig
Producer(s)Rostam Batmanglij
Vampire Weekend singles chronology
"Mansard Roof"
(2007)		 "A-Punk"
(2008)		 "Oxford Comma"
(2008)
Vampire Weekend track listing
  1. "Mansard Roof"
  2. "Oxford Comma"
  3. "A-Punk"
  4. "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"
  5. "M79"
  6. "Campus"
  7. "Bryn"
  8. "One (Blake's Got a New Face)"
  9. "I Stand Corrected"
  10. "Walcott"
  11. "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance"

Critical reception

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork described "A-Punk" as having a "spunky drive, pogo-inducing rhythm, and subtle but hugely effective sonic accents" and said that "while solid, [it] isn't one of the stronger songs on Vampire Weekend".[1] Drowned in Sound writer Alex Denney, commented that "A-Punk" was not the best song from their debut album due to it being "a little too uptempo to let their disarmingly clever melodies breathe", but stated "for the flute-aping synths and bottled-sunshine guitars alone you need this in your life."[2] The review from Greg Rose of Gigwise, was mixed. Rose said that although the song lacked originality, it "manages to sound unique" due to the lyrical inventiveness of lines by Ezra Koenig such as, "His honor drove southward seeking exotica/cut his teeth on turquoise harmonicas", which were described as being "perky" and gave the song "a buzzing zip."[3] In reference to "A-Punk", The Times writer Ben Blackmore, said, "Do believe the hype."[4]

"A-Punk" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. Paste and Far Out ranked the song number five and number one, respectively, on their lists of the greatest Vampire Weekend songs.[5][6] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 62 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[7]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 on Billboard magazine's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.[8][9] The single also reached #6 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Though it never reached the Billboard Hot 100, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in July 2013, making it the band's first gold single.[10]

On October 27, 2008, Vampire Weekend re-released "A-Punk" in the UK, in the hope of achieving a higher Chart placement on the UK Singles Chart. However, "A-Punk" only managed to peak at number 63, which was less than the placement at number 55 earlier that year.

The single continues to be sold over the years. In 2019 it was certified Platinum in the US[10] and in the UK.[11] In 2020 it achieved platinum certification in Canada.[12]

Music video

The music video directed by Garth Jennings, that was said to convey the song's "spiky energy," used footage of the band performing as sped up stop-motion figures, simulating winter and underwater scenes during the performance. Despite the band being sped up, they "never miss an upstroke beat."[1] The video made its worldwide premiere on January 7, 2008 on MTV2's Subterranean indie video block.

Track listing
  1. "A-Punk"
  2. "Oxford Comma" (Rehearsal version)

Personnel

Vampire Weekend

Technical

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2008–11) Peak
position
UK Indie (OCC)[13] 12
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 55
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[15] 23
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[16] 25
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[17] 6
US Pop 100 (Billboard)[18] 91

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] 2× Platinum 160,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[10] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Use in other media

The song is featured in the video games Lego Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5,[19] Guitar Hero Live, Just Dance 2, SingStar Guitar, the 2008 film Step Brothers, the 2010 film Furry Vengeance, and the UK television shows The Inbetweeners, Love Island and The Wrong Door. It is also used in the second trailer for Peter Rabbit. It is also featured in the shows Reef Break, Superstore, 90210 and Friday Night Lights.

References
  1. Richardson, Mark (7 January 2008). "Video: Vampire Weekend: "A-Punk"". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  2. Denney, Alex. "Vampire Weekend: A-Punk". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  3. Rose, Greg (2008-02-14). "Vampire Weekend - 'A-Punk'". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 2009-05-22. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  4. Blackmore, Ben (2008-02-26). "A-Punk by Vampire weekend". The Times. London. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  5. Edelstone, Steven (January 25, 2019). "The 10 Best Vampire Weekend Songs". Paste. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  6. Taysom, Joe (April 8, 2021). "The 10 best Vampire Weekend songs". Far Out. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  7. 150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years | NME.COM
  8. "A-Punk - UK chart position". Acharts.us. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
  9. "A-Punk - Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart position". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-24.
  10. "American single certifications – Vampire Weekend – A-Punk". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  11. "British single certifications – Vampire Weekend – A-Punk". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  12. "Canadian single certifications – Vampire Weekend – A-Punk". Music Canada. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  13. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  14. "Vampire Weekend: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  15. "Vampire Weekend Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  16. "Vampire Weekend Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  17. "Vampire Weekend Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  18. "Vampire Weekend Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 1, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  19. "Guitar Hero® GH5". Hub.guitarhero.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
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