Harlem (New Politics song)
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2017) |
| "Harlem" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by New Politics | ||||
| from the album A Bad Girl in Harlem | ||||
| Released | March 9, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | New Politics | |||
| New Politics singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Harlem" is a song by alternative rock band New Politics. The song was released as the first single from their second album A Bad Girl in Harlem on March 9, 2013, through RCA Records, following the release of a music video three weeks prior. The song is widely considered to be the band's breakthrough into mainstream success. Lyrically, the song is about a "romantic adventure" member David Boyd had with a girl from Harlem, a neighborhood in the Upper Manhattan region of New York City.
Following it's release, the song was featured in a trailer the 2013 animated musical-comedy film Frozen (most likely in an attempt to fool audiences for a non-musical animated comedy film) and appeared in EA game NHL 14, Activision game Guitar Hero Live, and Windows 8.1. It is also featured as a "Now! What's Next" bonus track on Now That's What I Call Music! 48.
Release and commercial performance[edit]
A music video for a song titled "Harlem" was uploaded to YouTube on Feb 20, 2013 on the official New Politics account. Three weeks later, on March 9, the track was released through RCA Records as a promotional single for the album A Bad Girl in Harlem. After it's release, the song quickly became their first national hit and most successful single to-date in the US. "Harlem" was also widely successful on American radio, peaking at number 4 on the US Alternative Airplay chart, and briefly debuting on Top-40/CHR radio charts as well.
On June 29, 2017, the song received a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, marking track-equivalent sales of 500,000 units in the US, making it their first and only song to date to receive any certification.
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2013–14) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Rock (Billboard)[1] | 27 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[2] | 10 |
| US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[3] | 39 |
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[4] | 21 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[5] | 34 |
| US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[6] | 7 |
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[7] | 14 |
Certifications[edit]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References[edit]
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
- ^ "New Politics Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
- ^ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
- ^ "American single certifications – New Politics – Harlem". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
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