How Muse created Plug In Baby

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‘Plug In Baby' is one of Muse's most iconic songs, and often cited amongst the best guitar riffs ever.
~
0:00 An iconic Muse song
0:30 The origins - a 1997 demo
0:55 Cutting out an old chorus
1:20 Finding a guitar solo
2:00 Turning the solo into the main riff
2:30 A different outro in early versions
3:00 Lyrics
4:45 From the demo lyrics to the final version
5:11 Song title origin 1
5:30 Song title origin 2
5:54 A combination of Classical & Rock inspirations
6:35 Music Video
7:47 Singing falsetto vocals
9:14 1st American label requesting to re-record the song
9:38 Friendship & Brotherhood
~
DJ Shadow’s “Organ Donor” snippet used in the video is a cover by IntroducingLive

[@althejazzman]

Matt is hilarious. I hadn't realised how honest he is. People expect songs to all have some complex deep meaning or message, but naa, it's just random words that stick.

[@colalightyear7859]

read up the wiki article on champagne supernova by oasis. loled hard at the noel comment on the lyrics hahahaha I think by far the most popular songs have more or less meaningless lyrics

[@oriamir8994]

He's just on drugs 24/7

[@elghiffarihidayat6534]

It's amusing on how several UK bands sometimes prioritizing the melody first, then slap random lyrics over that melody. Paul McCartney's Yesterday is also one of the major examples

[@althejazzman]

@@elghiffarihidayat6534 It's how I write songs too. Write an instrumental, improvise a melody until it feels natural, mumble some gibberish that fits the pattern, and make a story or theme from that.

[@elghiffarihidayat6534]

@@althejazzman yeah that's fascinating, while some US bands/singer emphasize on the lyrics more than the melody

[@michaelv2304]

Early Muse was really something else. Citizen Erased is a masterpiece.

[@sminchan3732]

Yeah they sounded more like Radiohead, that's probably why.

[@michaelv2304]

@@sminchan3732 normally we keep silly thoughts to ourselves

[@sminchan3732]

@@michaelv2304 Excellent rebuttal. I'm still right though.

[@michaelv2304]

@sminchan3732 the idea of falling into a Muse versus Radiohead conversation on KZbin in 2024 feels like a fever dream. What's up?

[@sminchan3732]

@@michaelv2304 as long as people think this uncreative crap is good, I'm going to put it down

[@ReeAndreas]

I've always imagined Plug-in baby refrencing his guitar :) "Crucifies my enemies". Great video mate!

[@aledmb]

yeah, i think i heard that somewhere too.

[@ericberserker6075]

I was thinking the same way🤣

[@sideshowblob]

I always thought that lol

[@chrisjames1924]

He wouldn’t get very far if that’s the case.

[@aledmb]

yeah, he's saying it's not, but it makes sense to think he's talking about his guitar@@chrisjames1924

[@CodiMorphett]

This is ridiculously well made!

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thank you!

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

AI, making everyone a great editor one video at a time.

[@3minuteswithMarc]

What, I don't use AI for my vids, aside from Mid Journey for certain images (not in this vid)

[@user-tz2zz5ij1s]

@@3minuteswithMarcI don’t use AI then proceeds to admit to using AI…. Enough said

[@wormangel]

@@user-tz2zz5ij1sfirst implies author uses AI for EDITING the video, then conveniently generalizes that as if original statement was about using AI in general.. enough said (about you)

[@pjl626]

Matt looks like the love child of Billie Joe Armstrong and David Tennant.

[@helobiagi]

Who has morphed into Messi throughout the years

[@Redamthe5th]

And also Adam Scott

[@Pannemat]

Dani Filth.

[@user-xd1cm9vu9s]

IVE ALWAYS SAID THIS

[@marwanabdelshafy6726]

Muse is the british, more sophisticated green day and no one can convince me otherwise

[@pest_4109]

OOS is peak Muse

[@JasonGuitarHand]

I see a Clockwork Orange which is one of my favourite films, I see Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII which is one of my favourite games... And I see Muse, which is a terrific band in one thumbnail? How often can you say you now have a favourite thumbnail?

[@aledmb]

it so lame that a record company would ask them to change the falsetto to something else... it bothers me to think many artists end up caving to that bs.

[@IronLungProductionsOfficial]

This song is what got me into Muse / Music in the first place! 15 years later an I'm making my own songs!

[@alicebagli]

I honestly appreciate the demo lyrics of this song more because I think they tie in perfectly with the whole "fear and hope of technology" Matt was talking (well, rambling), about in an interview: "I never meant to love these machines/But they obey my commands adeptly" in particular. It's something that pops up in some of the b-sides written around that period as well (Pink Ego Box, anyone?), and in general it's just such a common theme around the turn of the millennium (the advent of the Internet, Y2K and so on). A bit less nonsense than magic mushrooms, at least.

[@user-kg1ed6qo1n]

it's been a while since i've watched a video this interesting, its helluva good job mate. and your sponsor transition was incredible

[@liamhorne6939]

One of my favorite songs of all time

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Awesome

[@randombruh3951]

I dont know why but i ve always thought its about his guitar; the guitar being his "plug in" baby, making him forget ab reality, crucifing his enemies, and all of this stuff. Like the guitar was his saviour

[@ctrlaltdelete200390]

That's what I thought. Hence the elaborate riff. Interesting to know I was wrong

[@Fiend119]

I've always thought this too!

[@reylui0250]

really loved your video, I hope you keep making muse content!!!

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thanks a lot!

[@nickmaatjes5611]

yeah ,that would be awesome!!!!

[@Alexisdc11]

So funny to see you compare the guitar riff from plug in baby to "Force your way" from Final Fantasy VIII. I remember that when I first discovered this song in 2001 (I was about 11), I immediately made the link between these two musics but I thought it was a coincidence (which is probably the case). Anyway, big fan of Muse and FF VIII here :)

[@andreatufo3885]

god i miss these old muse days

[@00Clive00]

I was sat in a GCSE English class and a mate pulled out his cassette player, listen to this "Plug In Baby", what an eargasm that was! I listened to Plug in Baby again whilst in detention.

[@sander-wit]

I love this, great script, editing and wonderful clip selection. My first video of yours I've seen, here's a sub.

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thanks a lot!!

[@KremBotop]

A 2019 boxset of the first 2 Muse albums has a higher quality demo of the original Plug in Baby that is very fascinating. It's almost an entirely different song. And it's amazing how a full year before OOS came out they've already figured out most of the finished song. Also, a lot more tracks from that album had "live demos" played through 2000 with a wide variety of differences. Such as New Born, Bliss, Darkshines, Feeling Good, Hyper Music and Screenager.

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Ahhh I need to check that out! Yeah it's so cool watching live versions in 2000 of songs that came out later

[@mint_1919]

You are soooo lucky, I want that box SO bad as a diehard early Muse fan. Such a pity it's about 300 dollars to buy it second-hand.

[@mint_1919]

Oops, I misread. I thought you owned a copy lol.

[@juliafernanda7713]

this is incredible, great editing capturing so many aspects of the construction of this banger 🥲 lots of hugs from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@FERNSTREAM_MUSIC]

The coolest and most unique thing about this song is that the chord pattern consists of three chords being looped in a 4/4 song. This means that starting point moves all the time, so first it is: || F# | G | D | F# || Next turn would then be: || G | D | F# | G || And so on. Super cool and creative way of writing! Awesome video! :)

[@user-tw3re9hg3j]

I think you are analysing this wrong, songs in 4/4 but the song consists of 4 bars less, songs normally have 16 bars in a loop, this is a 12 bar loop, starting point doesn't move all the time its still a 3 chord loop

[@marshelene]

i love your musical taste and your work, thanks for sharing them with us

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thank you so much!

[@user-bf6gz8ej4o]

If you keep doing video essays like this, you're gonna have hundreds of thousands of subs!

[@BladeRunnerJP11]

I’ve been hearing this song for 15 years And never knew this origin great great video

[@DugGLe55FuR]

Any old videos with Matt playing the yellow Les Paul double cut are a scream. I remember the one where he throws the guitar into the ocean. That and Hysteria at Earl's Court 2004 really were my idea of Muse when I found them. Absolution was still their newest album and it was a whole new thing to me.

[@DugGLe55FuR]

Had to find Matt throwing guitar into the ocean. It wasnt the Les Paul but here is the clip: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rqPXoouQmp6JjJYsi=n_A0M-MBHqwivJsJ

[@sherochafernando6346]

Thanks for that! A gem of a performance right there!

[@efesener8690]

Greaaat video mate. I hope you gonna do more content releasing about this amazing band

[@karenpicazo7448]

Great video, great editing!

[@Asheanae]

This is the second vid of yours I've seen. Subbed on the first, and this confirms it. You're gonna be huge, buddy!

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thank you!!

[@amaury6978]

Great video, you really digged to get cool facts about the song that I didn't know already 👏🏻

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thanks a lot!

[@sakedog32]

Such a well made video!!

[@kommissar.murphy]

The lyrics are about the joy of playing guitar. People can let you down,but your axe never will! Matt probably feels awkward admitting that in front of a big crowd,butthat only proves it even more!

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Perhaps yes!

[@luisfilipe5043]

Oh wow! It definitely makes a lot of sense! Also all the iterations of the lyrics and even the video clip relate to that.

[@alantracy6757]

No clearly vibrators

[@kwizzeh]

Until you break a string or a pick up decides to crap out lol

[@ryeofoatmeal]

this video is well made! and the selection of the interviews as well 😂 props to the subtitles! not only matt speaks so fast, but old footage has awful audio. makes it even worse. I love plug in baby demo, feels very nostalgic. when matt mentioned brotherhood & friendship within the band 🥹 from nothing to success. muse has come a long way..

[@connormatthews522]

nice transition to the ad at the end haha. i'm always here for muse videos if you do any more mate

[@PengoLu]

ikr i watched the whole thing waiting for a joke or something

[@user-cz9sx5lw1v]

Muse AND FF8 together in one video? 👀

[@sirennemesis]

I know 😍

[@Foo-oo-oo-oolsGold89]

Ne of thee best songs any Rockn' Roll bands ever. Matts guitar playing is insane.

[@Astartic.]

One of my all time favs ❤❤

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Awesome

[@bobsbigboy_]

its also noteable how all of that videogame music ws directly inspired by Emerson, Lake and Palmer

[@LuxPostNoctem]

Final Fantasy being a primary example. JRPG in general.

[@Postumeartist]

It’s incredible how prog rock became video game music. It’s where prog rock continues to be in the mainstream. Uematsu is my favourite artist of all time. The sheer volume of tracks made in such a short time span, the variety of genres explored by one guy, the simple complexity of his work.

[@SebDRUMmusic]

Well made and super fun to watch! OOOOOHHHHOOOOOOOOH🎶

[@MickeyKlein-cq9ck]

Most ppl have it wrong. The song was originally about virtual reality (which was changed to 'virgin reality') - ergo, 'plug in baby' which refers to the machine-brain interface of hypothetical, fully immersive VR (à la "The Matrix", altho the demo came 2 yrs before the film). Old lyrics such as: "I will never ever die In their circuits I can survive", "Electric love screens Have tempted me to jack it in Living lively", and "God is in me" really fit with this interpretation (OG demo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpy4pYGGnKaFjtE)

[@Utorak007]

That final fantasy 8 line from the battle theme is a connection to plug in baby that I have never clicked on and must have listened to both tracks thousands of times. Kudos to you for hearing that, even though, as you said, their similarities are most likely coincidental.

[@MissElleX1]

I was gonna say, as many times as I've played FF8 I've never noticed that!

[@aranthos]

Bloody hell this video is well done

[@chad_the_bug4091]

The first four Muse albums are unmatched for me when it comes to heavier rock, the orchestral and grand elements create an atmosphere unlike anything else I've heard... might be why I'm into deathcore now

[@deadalive9297]

What an amazing video

[@RankaiSolutions]

Never thought I'd see my favourite Final Fantasy game in a video like this. 🔥

[@adhamsalem9121]

Hey fellow ff8 fan. fuck all the haters.

[@Dienex]

best FF

[@will_da_man_]

My favorite somg of all time. Never gets old. ❤️❤️❤️

[@purplemonkeydishwasher5269]

I always thought it was about game controllers, how as a teenager you took your controller round to a friend's house for a console party and destroyed your friends at games like Tekan, 007 etc

[@robgreen5943]

Incredible video more please

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thanks!!

[@AstroidHotel]

i love this muse-ic

[@oanisrawbone]

Awesome track, I always thought the main plug in baby riff sounds a lot like the climbing scale in Bachs Toccata and Fugue

[@bassbich]

You’re gonna go far, kid

[@Dor_atar]

REALLY A BRILLIANCE AT LIKE THAT WHAT

[@SigCurtis]

FFVIII's Force your way mentioned!!!Another reason to love MUSE even more

[@BasedEnjoyer]

Although I don't play electric guitar much but never without acoustic I imagine the end product references his guitar . Listening to all the machinations it really is a product tbh .

[@GokdenizCetin]

Bu şarkıya bayılıyorum, riff'ler gerçekten başka bir seviyede

[@Aiden819]

A beautiful song tbh

[@thisisboringfilmstudios8102]

Loved it

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thanks!!

[@clemdagrunge]

Great video

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thank you!

[@Stevewatson3]

It is a very good song and the riff is phenomenal ❤ love muse 😊

[@DJ2109]

please more videos like this

[@ayayarodriguez]

I would like to hear the new reworked ver of the old ver of plug in baby (demo), the riffs sounds beautiful

[@jessestorey8312]

smoked a joint and had a beer with Chris a couple times, what a top man.

[@Turtlpwr]

Great deep dive

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Thank you!

[@Revilionwar]

I always thought it was all about his guitar and it made so much sense, also can relate a little bit, but now I don't know anymore...

[@3minuteswithMarc]

Perhaps it is - others have commented that as well :)

[@nerea4327]

That’s one popular theory, but I’m not sure where it came from cause there’s 0 evidence. The song was originally titled Virtual Reality, and was about technology and the conflict between the mind and the body, a common theme in both Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry. Some people assume his “plug in baby” is his guitar, but actually he took the name from a baby monitor from an Argos catalog, just cause he thought it sounded cool. He’s also said it’s based on a sex toy 😅

[@Nickshreds890]

It sounds amazing! Will you be playing Tosin Abasi ?

[@TonyHavenMusic]

That riff is hundreds of years old and still dominates pop culture, crazy

[@dcontraptionist]

*THEY'RE SO DELICIOSULY BRITISH*

[@Maltozombie]

Liking simply for mentioning Nobuo Uematsu !

[@johnhansel3481]

One fact is missing, I remember Chris saying in an interview that the bass was a line inspired (copied?) from Air - Sexy boy

[@PengoLu]

cool video

[@ferruscx]

All 90 is true talent artist

[@nedim_guitar]

Plug in baby is the guitar, obviously.

[@justtolivecomment]

Can we we get more like these pleeeeease? subscribed and clicked the bell

[@chrissteiger4199]

Plug in baby. Like an electronic baby.

[@Mr_Wiley]

it is THE best guitar riff

[@hisomets]

No mention of striking similarity to "Sexy Boy" by Air.

[@possiblymiki]

MUSE NATION RISE UP

[@MrKit19832009]

That old version with the bass comic in before the drums sounds shite, I'm glad they changed it.

[@Chico50445]

I don't dislike it, I just think it sounded generic. Like anyone could have made this in the grunge era.

[@Jaimellex]

6:08 blown away lol

[@frindom4905]

Cool, the song seems keep evolution ing until the final version

[@gavintuesday4959]

Mad, I remember when they broke onto the scene , 24 years ago… thought they were the next Radiohead ie The Bends era . Their version of feeling good was insane . Then they go all Prince with Super Magic Blackhole etc

[@VictorHugoAlvarez-tc4tg]

30 Years Ago Mate

[@garydavidson8133]

Super magic 😂

[@burakkeskin6239]

you should more videos i found your channel today

[@Jaimellex]

Amazing video

[@bohdan_bond]

👏

[@Cachace]

Now do "Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye

[@sjsbmksps]

Wow. Didn't expect FFVIII in here. At all. 😆

[@filipmajewski8382]

IDK why i was entirely convinced that the song is about guitars

[@jasonfanclub4267]

Please make a video about Gackt

[@geraldwesley]

don't really listen to rock till i discovered muse and this is my favorite muse song, it was starlight but i over listened to it 😂😂

[@zombiiexmassacre]

it's so chaotic XD

[@storagecrafter5701]

never expected there was a string between Muse and otaku culture ohh the change of time

[@zerolelouch22]

damn bro this vid is a phat sub from me fam.

[@Altturigo]

Please please please do one on NOFX - The Decline

[@KachZz]

I miss Origin Of Symetry era Muse. It was so fresh and raw.

[@grindnoisegorecore]

I heard that they made the song in Cubase and used a plugin, baby

[@nerea4327]

This song is as chaotic and confusing as Matt.

[@diegooo.9567]

Hey Marc i know your focused on a different kind of content now, but i would like you to do a piano tutorial for Big shot by Fontaines DC, they played a piano version of the song on Glastonbury and on Tiny Desk Cheers mate :)

[@gavintuesday4959]

The demo is pretty decent too for an indie rock type of song .

[@markyassineancheta4597]

Old Matt looks like Christopher Bale

[@brendan4859]

I always figured the riff was ripped from some classical music. Certainly sounds like it.

[@Pannemat]

1:41, "Sexy boooy ..."