Little Lion Man
| "Little Lion Man" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Little Lion Man" is the debut single by London folk quartet, Mumford & Sons released from their debut album, Sigh No More. It was released in the UK on September 28, 2009.
The single was ranked in first place in Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2009, an Australian music poll and the largest in the world with over 800,000 votes cast in total.[2] "Little Lion Man" won by an unprecedented margin.[citation needed]
Thoughts on the Song
About the song Marcus Mumford has said:
It’s a very personal story, so I won’t elaborate upon too much. Suffice to say, it was a situation in my life I wasn’t very happy with or proud of… and sometimes when you can’t describe a feeling with your own words, it’s almost easier to express in a song. And then, when you get asked about the songs, it’s quite difficult to explain. It’s a conundrum — you don’t want to seem self-indulgent explaining yourself; it’s always awkward. Which is weird again, because it’s never awkward actually singing them. I suppose the song should stand on its own and people draw their own interpretation from the words. But for me, personally, it’s the lyrics that I listen to again and again in a song. I place specific importance on them. I can’t write lyrics unless I really feel them and mean them, which can sometimes be quite frustrating — because if you’re not feeling much at the time, you’re stuck.
“I guess the sound of it grabs you a little bit by the balls — it’s quite an aggressive song, a bit more of a punch in the face. Or at least, for our stuff, anyway — a lot of our stuff isn’t quite as hard-hitting as that. It felt like the right song to be the single because it represented the harder, darker side of what we do, and at the same time, the more folksy and punchy side.”[3]
Track listing
- CD single[4]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Lion Man" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "To Darkness" | 4:42 |
Chart performance
"Little Lion Man" first debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 20 September 2009 and number 72. The following week the single climbed 11 places to number 61. On 4 October 2009 the single climbed to number 47, before climbing into the Top 40 at a current peak of number 24 on its fourth week in the chart. The single fell 10 places to number 34 before falling to number 47 on 25 October 2009, meaning it only spent 2 weeks within the Top 40. The song found its biggest success in Australia, debuting at number 23 in October before eventually reaching a peak of number three in February 2010.
In the U.S., "Little Lion Man" entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Aug. 28, 2010, when it debuted at #98. It has since reached #61.
| Charts (2009–2010)[5] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[6] | 3 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] | 70 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] | 4 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[9] | 39 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] | 41 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11] | 19 |
| New Zealand[12] | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 61 |
| U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs[15] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Rock Songs[16] | 4 |
Nominations
The music video for Little Lion was nominated for a 2010 VMA for the non-voting category, Best Cinematography.[17]
| Year | Organisation | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2010 MTV Video Music Awards | Best Cinematography in a Video | Nominated |
References
- ^ http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=253863
- ^ "Hottest 100". triple j.
- ^ "Countdown: Hottest 100 - 2009". ABC Online. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Lion-Man/dp/B002PJ7LEM/ref=pd_sim_dmusic_a_4
- ^ http://acharts.us/song/49673
- ^ "Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 12, 2010". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Mumford+%26+Sons&titel=Little+Lion+Man&cat=s
- ^ "Mumford & Sons: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Mumford & Sons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mumford-sons/chart-history/1183741?f=377&g=Singles
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/mumford-sons/chart-history/1183741?f=902&g=Singles
- ^ [1].