Geronimo (Sheppard song)


"Geronimo" is the second single released, in February 2014, by Australian indie pop band Sheppard. It was written by three of its members, Jason Bovino with the siblings, George and Amy Sheppard, and was produced by Stuart Stuart at Analog Heart Studios, Brisbane. It is the first number-one single ever recorded in Brisbane and reached number one on the Australian Singles Chart in April 2014. Having held the position for three weeks, the song became the longest stay at the top of the charts for an Australian artist or band since "Battle Scars" by Guy Sebastian in August 2012. "Geronimo" also held the longest stay at number one on the Australian Singles Chart for any independent release. Furthermore, the track reached the top ten in eleven additional countries.
The title is a reference to the famous Apache military leader Geronimo and the custom of yelling his name before doing a courageous act. In the song, the courageous act is diving down a waterfall. It is also a reference to the Eleventh Doctor's quote "Geronimo!" in the popular sci-fi British drama Doctor Who. It was certified 6× platinum in Australia. It was also featured as the trailer theme for the 2015 Australian family film Paper Planes and appears in the 2015 film ' and its soundtrack. It was also briefly used in ', Underdogs and Norm of the North. Sheppard performed the song in the 13th episode of the second season of the television series Girl Meets World, called "Girl Meets Semi-Formal", which aired on Disney Channel on 14 August 2015. The song was a sleeper hit in the United States, which peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2015.

Composition

"Geronimo" is written in the key of G major, with a tempo of 142 beats per minute.

Music video

In the official music video, a Frankenstein-like version of Geronimo appears, as the central motif, and is shown as the secret creation of a group of rebels. The video, which incorporates many costumes and props made from cardboard, tells the story of a rebellion and two war-torn lovers, one played by the band's lead vocalist George Sheppard. The rebels bring to life a Frankenstein-like creature, based on the real Geronimo, to aid their army. Amidst the chaos, the two lovers reunite and share a kiss. The video was published on YouTube on 1 August 2014 and had received over 39 million views as of March 2019.
An alternate video for the song shows the band performing the song in a warehouse, with various props spelling the word "Geronimo", and clips of George running on a treadmill as various backgrounds are projected behind him and shadow puppets are used to spell out the lyrics.

Track listing

  1. "Geronimo" – 3:37
  1. "Geronimo" – 3:38
  2. "Geronimo" – 4:30
  3. "Geronimo" – 3:32
  4. "Geronimo" – 4:57

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

"Geronimo" was the highest selling single in Australia by an Australian artist in 2014, fourth overall.
Chart Position
Australia 4
Austria 52
Germany 42
Italy 26
Netherlands 57
Netherlands 65
New Zealand 37
Poland 33

Decade-end charts

Certifications