Eyes Shut

"Eyes Shut"
Single by Olly Alexander (Years & Years)
from the album Communion
Released	13 November 2015
Recorded	2014–15
Genre	Synth-pop alternative R&B
Length	3:18 (album version) 3:24 (original mix)
Label	Polydor Interscope
Songwriters	Oliver Alexander Thornton Resul Emre Turkmen Michael Thomas "Mikey" Goldsworthy Mark Ralph
Producers	Years & Years Ralph Two Inch Punch Mike Spencer
Olly Alexander (Years & Years) singles chronology
"Shine" (2015) "Eyes Shut" (2015) "Desire" (2016)

"Eyes Shut" is a 2015 single by Years & Years. It was produced by Mike Spencer. Two remixes were released on 10 October 2015.

Background

Describing the writing process, Alexander explained that "The song is about self preservation and wanting to hide from disaster. At the time I wrote it I was feeling very depressed so it was a bit more introspective than the other songs. I wrote it to be kind of a personal torch song".^[1]

Music video

A music video was produced for the song. It shows frontman Olly Alexander musing the remains of a post-apocalyptic society.^[2] It was shot on the outskirts of Bulgaria's capital, Sofia.^[3] it was released on 28 September 2015. The director is Chino Moya.^[4]

Track listing

Digital download – Remixes^[5]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Eyes Shut" (Honne Remix)	3:48
2.	"Eyes Shut" (Sam Feldt Remix)	5:06
3.	"Eyes Shut" (Tei Shi Remix)	3:01
4.	"Eyes Shut" (Danny Dove Remix)	2:51

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2015–16) Peak position Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[6] 3 Ireland (IRMA)[7] 25 Scotland Singles (OCC)[8] 11 Slovenia (SloTop50)[9] 41 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] 86 UK Singles (OCC)[11] 17

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[12] 96 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[13] Gold 45,000^‡ Poland (ZPAV)[14] Gold 10,000^‡ Sweden (GLF)[15] Gold 20,000^‡ United Kingdom (BPI)[16] Platinum 600,000^‡ ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Photos from the parties we threw to celebrate our book launch". 22 April 2022.
2. "Years & Years release new chaotic new video for Eyes Shut". Gigwise.
3. "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 11 October 2015. 4Music. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
4. "Years & Years 'Eyes Shut' by Chino Moya on Promo News". Promo News. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
5. "Eyes Shut (Remixes) - EP by Years & Years". iTunes Store (GB). Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
6. "Years & Years – Eyes Shut" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
7. "Chart Track: Week 2, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 11/12/2015 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
9. "SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart". slotop50.si. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
10. "Years & Years – Eyes Shut". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
11. "Official Singles Chart on 22/1/2016 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
12. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2016". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
13. "Danish single certifications – Years & Years – Eyes Shut". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
14. "Wyróżnienia – Złote płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2020 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2024-11-02. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
15. "Sverigetopplistan – Years & Years" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
16. "British single certifications – Years & Years – Eyes Shut". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 22, 2021.