| "Heavydirtysoul" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Twenty One Pilots | ||||
| from the album Blurryface | ||||
| Released | December 9, 2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Fueled by Ramen | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tyler Joseph | |||
| Producer(s) | Ricky Reed | |||
| Twenty One Pilots singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Heavydirtysoul" on YouTube | ||||
"Heavydirtysoul" is a song by American musical duo Twenty One Pilots from their fourth studio album Blurryface (2015). It was written by vocalist Tyler Joseph, who derived some of its lyrics from a poem called "Street Poetry" which he had written and published three years earlier. The track was produced by American record producer Ricky Reed and recorded at Serenity West Recording in Hollywood, California. As the opening track of Blurryface, "Heavydirtysoul" acts as the album's introduction, both musically and thematically. The song contains a self-referential statement where Joseph touches on the concept by candidly addressing its music with self-aware lyrics that give away his insecurities.
"Heavydirtysoul" is an intense, aggressive track in which the duo mix and move between several music genres. The song features high-speed vocals as Joseph rotates from complex rapping to melodic singing to falsetto screaming over soulful drumming by Josh Dun. Lyrically, "Heavydirtysoul" is about asking for help in defeating one's inner demons to become something greater. The song's lyrics convey an anthemic theme relating to self-discovery through being vulnerable.
Following the release of Blurryface, "Heavydirtysoul" subsequently became a hit song. In the United States, the song peaked at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and reached number eight on the top ten most viral tracks on Spotify. It also managed to top the alternative radio add board for the final week of 2016, becoming the most added song on the radio format. The song received universal acclaim from contemporary music critics. "Heavydirtysoul" was released as the final single from their fourth album in December of 2016.
An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Andrew Donoho and filmed outside the band's hometown, Columbus, Ohio. It features Joseph sitting in the passenger seat of an out-of-control vehicle while playing chicken with Dun and his flaming drum kit. Twenty One Pilots won the award for Best Rock Video with "Heavydirtysoul" at the 34th annual MTV Video Music Awards. "Heavydirtysoul" has since been certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 2,000,000 paid digital downloads.