Unnatural Selection
by Muse

Album: The Resistance (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song had the working title of "Billions of Digits Carved into Crystal," a phrase borrowed from evolutionist theorist Richard Dawkins. Frontman Matt Bellamy told Q magazine September 2009 that it asserts the idea that our DNA make us more like computers than we realise.
  • This track opens with a church organ before transforming into a driving, full-throttle battery of driving guitars. Bellamy told The Sun September 16, 2009: "We just wanted to have at least one song that really is just a riff orientated track. The whole middle section is quite Seventies rock, almost Led Zeppelin-like. That one was a lot of fun."
  • Bellamy wrote this after the demonstrations against the Spring 2009 G-20 summit meeting in London during which an innocent bystander died after being pushed by a policeman. The lyrics such as, "I am hungry for an unrest/Let's push this beyond a peaceful protest," highlight the Muse singer's politics, which according to Rolling Stone, can be described as "aggressive scepticism."

Comments: 1

  • Bert from Pueblo, NmFavorite song from "The Resistance"
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.