Supermassive Black Hole by Muse

Album: Black Holes and Revelations (2006)

Charted: 4

License This Song

artistfacts

Songfacts®:

"Supermassive Black Hole" is one of Muse's most popular songs, reliably animating their live shows with waves of sound and a communal chorus: "You set my soul alight."

But what's it about? Muse frontman Matt Bellamy offered this explanation to Hot Press: "it's kind of comparing a woman to the centre of the galaxy, as this gigantic black hole that you powerlessly get sucked into. What I'm trying to say in a roundabout way is, that's what women are like."
The song was released in 2006 and was revived in 2008 when it was used on the soundtrack of the movie Twilight. Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the original novel, is a big Muse fan, and after this song was placed on the soundtrack, the band got a big boost, particularly in America.

Muse manager Cliff Burnstein recalled to Billboard magazine: "Some time ago, when the band was playing in Arizona, we invited [Meyer] to a show. Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke wanted to use 'Supermassive' in a very long scene, with not a lot of dialogue in the foreground. We thought, 'This is fun; this is a nice woman who writes these books, she's a fan of ours, let's get involved in this.' No one was really thinking at the time, 'This is a huge opportunity.'"
"Supermassive Black Hole" was Muse's first foray into funk. The sound was inspired by Prince, who was always pushing musical boundaries. It's also the first muse song with a falsetto lead vocal - also a Prince influence.

Despite being a musical departure for the band, they made it the lead single to their fourth album, Black Holes and Revelations. According to Bellamy, this was "a deliberate shock tactic" to "create a stir."
A supermassive black hole is the biggest of the black holes, an entity that traps everything inside it, even light. When this song was released in 2006, none had been viewed directly. That changed on April 10, 2019 when the Event Horizon Telescope team released a photo of the supermassive black hole inside the core of the supergiant elliptical galaxy Messier 87 in the constellation Virgo. Matt Bellamy responded to the news on Instagram, writing: "Supermassive black hole, finally spotted."
"Supermassive Black Hole" is now a standout in the Muse canon, but when it was first released, many fans thought it just sucked. "When we put 'Supermassive Black Hole' out, I remember there being a huge backlash," Matt Bellamy told The Independent. "The first time we started playing that live, the crowd reaction was absolutely dead... the crowd would just stand there. [Then] 'Supermassive Black Hole', for a while, was the number one most streamed song in the UK in the [previous] two or three years, and when we play it live it gets the best reaction, in the top three or four songs we have."
Muse didn't have a hit in America until 2009 with "Uprising," but thanks to "Supermassive Black Hole," "Knights Of Cydonia" and "Invincible," the Black Holes and Revelations album was huge in their native UK and gave Muse a claim to the title "biggest live draw in Britain," with top billing at the Reading and Leeds festivals and sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium.

Comments: 26

Paul M. from Liverpool"Godang I didn't know Supermassive Black Hole was Muses' oo. I LOVE THAT SONG
Zube"
Z from ZacramentoGodang I didn't know Supermassive Black Hole was Muses' oo. I LOVE THAT SONG
Zube
Blake from WisconsinI've never actually seen the movie before, but am a big fan of Muse. The song is okay, but it overshadows the best ones on the album, like Knights of Cydonia or Starlight.
Emma from Kingston, EnglandFeeling Good isn't an original Muse song, it was written by English singer-songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd. It's been covered by tons of people although I do like the Muse version.
Jessica from Richmond, VaI think Liam's wrong. He's clearly singing about some kind of twisted romance.
K from Nowhere, OnI don't think that. I think the books were great, the Twilight movie was crap, the New Moon movie was awesome, and half the songs on the soundtracks aren't that amazing. This isn't one of them. I love this one, and I love the one in New Moon, I Belong to You.
Emma from Adelaide, Australiathe music of the twilight soundtrack is actually quite good but the movies (and books)are terrible
Zachary from State College, PaIf I may, my interpretation of this song is of having to deal with someone with an over inflated. I know that to some it may not seem to be much (especially compared to some of Black Holes and Revelations' other song that deal with, like, big government conspiracy theories, aliens, and assassins, among other things), but I believe that the overinflated ego could very well belong to, say, a politician. (I have very anti-gov't leanings, by the way)
David from Dunfermline, United KingdomLiberty. feeling good was not originally muse and has been covered by many others
K from Nowhere, OnGotta say, compared to the book, the movie did suck. (LOL, there's some irony for you.) Something about this song made it fit perfectly into the baseball scene. I think it's fun enough (I'm lacking better words) for the game, and just dark enough to tell us what will happen soon.
Ashleigh from ?????, MoI agree. I'm a Twilight fan. (though I have to admit they ttly screwed up the movie. It kinda sucked. But it's twilight so I watch it neway.) I bought the soundtrack, loved it. But I wouldn't call myself a Muse fan until I've heard more of their music. I'm just a girl who thinks they're cool. But whoa ppl. Chill.
Liberty from Somewhere, In Audrey, Adam did sing a Muse song one week. It's called Feeling Good and its from Origin of Symmetry.(Sorry, to anybody who hates american idol.)
Liberty from Somewhere, InI love this song. I'm not mad that it was in Twilight because it was perfect for the scene. But I'm annoyed by people who are like, "Oh, I LUV Muse cause one of their songs was in Twilight." At least listen to some of their other music first.
Dc from ???, DcWow. Twilite sux, and doesn't deserve this song. play something by taylor swift. muse shouldn't have been embarrased like that.
Audrey from Peace, Althis song is really good
dont be mad at me if you hate american idol, but i think Adam couldve sung this well
Nady from Adelaide, Australiai just get a bit excited when it comes to muse...my personal gods.
Nady from Adelaide, Australiait only annoys me when people say "omg i effing love this song IT WAS IN TWILIGHT EEEEEEE!!" im just sick of it thats all. i just wish some things stayed sacred and untouched by commercialism. it just p*sses me off how all these 14 yr old twilight fans think they're die hard muse fans because they heard 1 song in a movie. grates my goat it does
Jess from Cobram, Australiaummm twilight didnt ruin this song. it was put onto the movie because the auther stephanie meyer happens to be a massive MUSE fan and the director thought it would b great to have a MUSE song on there to please stephanie.
MUSE is awsum and so is twilight!!!
Nady from Adelaide, Australiabloody twilight its ruined everything!!!lets hope muse stay sacred
Rosalie from New York, NyThis song was in the Twilight baseball scene! I love it!
Kelsey from Brandon, FlThis song is amazing
Emma from Brooklyn, Nyaaaaahh!!!!! this song is on the twilight soundtrack!!!!!!!!!!! i love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nady from Adelaide, Australiathis is a pretty wicked song:)One of Muse's sexiest by far
Alayna from Somewhere, NjI don't know what this song is about, but I like it anyway! The music video is also pretty cool. :)
Elli from Beverly Hills, CaThis song is about Matt's obsessive girlfriend, [how long before you let me go; oh baby you know i suffer] who went out with him pretending to be someone she's not [you're the queen of the superficial; you caught me under false pretenses].
Ash from Mooroopna, AustraliaI dunno Liam... i dont think thats entirely true

see more comments

More Songfacts:

Right Here, Right NowJesus Jones

The Jesus Jones song "Right Here, Right Now" was conceived as an optimistic version of Prince's "Sign O' The Times."

The Kids Aren't AlrightFall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy's "The Kids Aren't Alright" song title is not a reference to The Offspring's 1998 single of the same name. It actually alludes to The Who's 1979 rockumentary film called The Kids Are Alright.

All About That BassMeghan Trainor

Meghan Trainor and her producer Kevin Kadish wrote "All About That Bass" for another artist to record, but after Epic Records boss LA Reid heard Meghan play a demo of the song on a ukulele, he signed her to his label and told her she should sing it.

It's My PartyLesley Gore

One of the first teenage stars of the Rock Era was Lesley Gore, who was just 16 when she recorded "It's My Party," a huge hit in 1963. It gave us the iconic phrase, "It's my party, I'll cry if I want to."

DilemmaNelly

Kelly Rowland was the first Destiny's Child member to have a hit away from the group: her Nelly duet "Dilemma."

Louie LouieThe Kingsmen

"Louie Louie" was first recorded in 1955 by an R&B singer named Richard Berry, and his lyrics are easy to understand. When The Kingsmen recorded the hit version, their lyrics were indecipherable.