Blood // Water - Wikipedia

2017 single by Grandson

"Blood // Water"
Single by Grandson
from the album A Modern Tragedy Vol. 1
Released	October 27, 2017
Recorded	July–August 2017
Genre	Rap rock[1] hard rock[2]
Length	3:35
Label	Atlantic Fueled by Ramen
Songwriter	Jordan Edward Benjamin
Grandson singles chronology
"War" (2017) "Blood // Water" (2017) "Overdose" (2018)
Music video
"Blood // Water" on YouTube

"Blood // Water" is a song by American-Canadian musician Grandson. It was released on 27 October 2017 as the lead single from Grandson's first extended play, A Modern Tragedy Vol. 1, through the Fueled by Ramen label. The song is featured in EA Sports' NHL 19.

Background

[edit]

The official audio video was released on Grandson's YouTube channel on October 27, 2017.[3]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Gil Kaufman described the song as a "pop-spiked take on Rage Against the Machine's activist rap-rock".[1] The song is performed in a G-sharp minor. The song has a tempo of 154 beats per minute.[4]

In a May 2019 interview with Radio.com, Grandson described the lyrics of "Blood // Water" as "the first shot from a personal revolution, and it has been growing ever since. In the grand raw tradition of activist rock, grandson cut through the chaotic culture, urging people to pay attention."[5]

Live performances

[edit]

On August 15, 2018, the first live television performance of "Blood // Water" aired on the US talk show Late Night With Seth Meyers. Billboard magazine described the performance as an anti-capitalist anthem where "complacency is not an option".[1]

Music video

[edit]

The music video for "Blood // Water" was released on June 4, 2018, to coincide with the announcement of his debut extended play, A Modern Tragedy Vol. 1. Alex Darus of Alternative Press described the music video as "[referencing the] 1950s nuclear family idea and [juxtaposing] them with images of politicians profiting off problems such as prescription drug abuse."[6]

Track listings

[edit] Digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Blood // Water"	3:36

Digital download – remix

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Blood // Water" (Awolnation remix)	3:48

Blood // Edits EP

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Blood // Water" (Awolnation remix)	3:46
2.	"Blood // Water" (Tom Morello remix)	3:33
3.	"Blood // Water" (Krupa remix)	3:42
4.	"Blood // Water" (King Kavalier remix)	2:59
5.	"Blood // Water" (22 Bullets & Ghost remix)	3:18

Charts

[edit]

Weekly charts [edit] Weekly chart performance for "Blood // Water" Chart (2017–18) Peakposition Canada Rock (Billboard)[7] 19 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[8] 19 US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[9] 25

Year-end charts [edit] Year-end chart performance for "Blood // Water" Chart (2018) Position US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[10] 48

Certifications

[edit] Certifications for "Blood // Water"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[11]	2× Platinum	140,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[12]	Platinum	30,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[13]	Platinum	40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[14]	3× Platinum	240,000‡
France (SNEP)[15]	Gold	100,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[16]	Gold	200,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[17]	Platinum	30,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[18]	2× Platinum	100,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[19]	Gold	5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[20]	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[21]	2× Platinum	2,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

• Nuclear family
• Death of an Optimist

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Kaufman, Gil (August 16, 2018). "Grandson Rages Against The Corporate Machine During Intense 'Blood//Water' Performance on 'Late Night': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
2. ^ "The 40 Best Hard Rock Songs of 2018". Loudwire. December 3, 2018.
3. ^ "grandson – Blood // Water (Official Audio)". YouTube.
4. ^ "Key & BPM for Blood // Water". tunebat.
5. ^ Cerio, Michael (May 7, 2019). "Grandson Goes Inside the Lyrics of "Blood // Water" and Beyond". Radio.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
6. ^ Darus, Alex (June 4, 2018). "Grandson Announces Politically Charged EP, Drops Music Video for "Blood // Water"". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
7. ^ "Grandson Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
8. ^ "Grandson Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
9. ^ "Grandson Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
10. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
11. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
12. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
13. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
14. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water". Music Canada. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
15. ^ "French single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
16. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Grandson; 'Blood // Water')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
17. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water". Radioscope. Retrieved August 14, 2025. Type Blood // Water in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
18. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2021 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 2025-01-14. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
19. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
20. ^ "British single certifications – Grandson – Blood/Water". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
21. ^ "American single certifications – Grandson – Blood // Water". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 28, 2023.

External links

[edit]

• Blood // Water at Discogs

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work