Under Cover of Darkness

"Under Cover of Darkness" is a song by American rock band The Strokes. The single served as the lead single for their fourth studio album, Angles, and was released online on February 9, 2011 as a free download for 48 hours exclusively.^[3] It was the first single release from the band in five years, following the release of "You Only Live Once" in 2006. "Under Cover of Darkness" received positive reviews, managing to reach BBC Radio 1's A Playlist; before going on to debut at number 47 on the respective chart.^[4] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 133 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".^[5]

"Under Cover of Darkness"
Single by The Strokes
from the album Angles
B-side	"You're So Right"
Released	February 9, 2011
Recorded	2010
Studio	Avatar (Manhattan, NY) One Way (Upstate New York) Electric Lady (Manhattan, NY)
Genre	Garage rock revival^[1] alternative rock^[2] post-punk revival^[2]
Length	3:56
Label	RCA Rough Trade
Songwriter(s)	Julian Casablancas Nikolai Fraiture Albert Hammond Jr. Fabrizio Moretti Nick Valensi
Producer(s)	Joe Chiccarelli Gus Oberg The Strokes
The Strokes singles chronology
"You Only Live Once" (2006) "Under Cover of Darkness" (2011) "Taken for a Fool" (2011)
Music video
"Under Cover of Darkness" on YouTube

Music video

The music video for the song was released on March 2, 2011. The video was directed and produced by Warren Fu at Loew's Jersey Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey on February 17, 2011. The video begins with a clip of the music video for "You Only Live Once", and contains a reference to the song "Last Nite". The reference occurs when Julian Casablancas throws his microphone stand (which he also did in the video for "Last Nite") while stating that "everybody's singing the same song for 10 years."^{[citation needed]} This led some to believe he was talking about the longevity of arguably the band's most popular single. However, in a 2014 interview, Casablancas stated that this line was an opinion of the music business essentially churning out the same old pop music without ever innovating, and not a reference to The Strokes or any particular band.^[6]

Commercial performance

"Under Cover of Darkness" is the third most successful single in the band's discography. It peaked at number 12 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and charted a total of 17 weeks.^[7]

In popular culture

"Under Cover Of Darkness" was made available for download on July 24, 2012 to play in Rock Band 3 Basic and PRO mode utilizing real guitar / bass guitar, and MIDI compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards. It appears on the setlist for Rocksmith which was released in October, 2011 in North America. The song is also featured on the soundtrack for basketball simulation game NBA 2K15 which was released on October, 2014 in North America.

Track listing

Digital download^[3]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Under Cover of Darkness"	3:55

Vinyl^[8]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Under Cover of Darkness"	3:55
2.	"You're So Right"	2:34

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[9]	18
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)^[10]	24
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[11]	88
Canada Rock (Billboard)^[12]	13
France (SNEP)^[13]	75
Ireland (IRMA)^[14]	46
Japan (Japan Hot 100)^[15]	9
Switzerland Airplay (Schweizer Hitparade)^[16]	71
UK Singles (OCC)^[4]	47
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)^[17]	16
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[18]	23

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)	Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[19]	46

Certification

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[20]	Gold	35,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[21]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format
United Kingdom	10 February 2009^[3]	Digital Download
Worldwide	11 February 2009
United Kingdom	1 March 2009^[8]	Vinyl

References

1. Lipshutz, Jason (March 4, 2011). "The Strokes -- Under Cover of Darkness". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
2. Cobb, J Matthew (April 20, 2011). "The Strokes: Under Cover of Darkness". HiFi Magazine. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
3. The Strokes to release 'Under Cover of Darkness' as free download NME, Retrieved 2011-04-18.
4. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
5. "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". NME. 6 October 2011.
6. Casablancas, Julian (April 1, 2014). Julian Casablancas: The Strokes van a volver [Julian Casablancas: The Strokes will come back] (Interview) (in English and Spanish). Chile: CooperativaFM. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
7. "Billboard Biz: Under Cover of Darkness". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
8. The Strokes 'Under Cover of Darkness' - 7" Vinyl The Strokes.com, Retrieved 2011-04-16.
9. "The Strokes – Under Cover Of Darkness" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
10. "The Strokes – Under Cover Of Darkness" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
11. "The Strokes Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
12. "The Strokes Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
13. "The Strokes – Under Cover Of Darkness" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
14. ". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
15. "The Strokes Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
16. "Schweizer Airplay Charts 14/2011 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
17. "The Strokes Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
18. "The Strokes Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
19. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
20. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
21. "American single certifications – The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 24, 2021.

External links

• "Under Cover of Darkness" Official audio on YouTube
• "Under Cover Of Darkness" Official music video on YouTube