# Won't Stand Down

"Won't Stand Down" is a song by English rock band Muse. Released as a single on 13 January 2022, it is their first single from Will of the People, their ninth studio album. It topped the UK Rock & Metal chart and reached number 56 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was a sleeper hit in the United States, reaching number 1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in May 2022, becoming the first Muse song to do so.

## Release

On 25 December 2021, Muse lead singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy held a brief livestream on the official Muse Instagram account. In the video, he can be seen driving his Tesla on Autopilot mode, with his 10-year-old son Bing in the passenger seat. The pair are listening (and, in Bing's case, headbanging) to a then-unreleased Muse song, entitled "Won't Stand Down" on the car stereo screen, while Matt provides occasional commentary over the track. In total, the livestream previewed a roughly one-minute-long section of the song. Muse's own Instagram account hinted towards the release of a new single in a post on 31 December, initially uploaded with the caption "Looking forward to WSD. We'll see you on the other side!" before "WSD" was changed to "2022" after a few minutes.
The release of "Won't Stand Down" as a single was officially confirmed by Muse on 7 January 2022, with the release date set for 13 January on all digital platforms. On 9 January, a further snippet of the song, this time consisting of the opening verse, was posted to Muse's TikTok account as well as a "Won't Stand Down"-themed Instagram Stories mask filter.

## Writing and composition

Musically, the song has been described as heavy metal, hard rock, and electronic rock. Prior to release, the song was described as Muse's "heaviest material yet", featuring a metalcore breakdown. The song also contains "heavy guitars and industrial-like distortions", and "triplet-flow-type vocals in the verse".
According to vocalist and guitarist Matt Bellamy, "'Won't Stand Down' is a song about standing your ground against bullies, whether that be on the playground, at work or anywhere."

## Artwork and music video

The digital artwork for "Won't Stand Down" was described as "dark and ominous", featuring a hooded priest-like figure hovering over ten disciples, figures wearing digital-style masks and gothic chandeliers. A short teaser of the music video was posted to Muse's TikTok account on 9 January.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal
Muse
* Matt Bellamy – lead vocals, guitars, keyboards, production
* Chris Wolstenholme – bass, backing vocals, production
* Dominic Howard – drums, production
Production
* Aleks Von Korff – additional production, engineering
* Dan Lancaster – mixing
* Chris Gehringer – mastering
* Rhys May – mixing assistant
* Andy Maxwell – studio assistant
* Joe Devenney – studio assistant
* Tommy Bosustow – studio assistant
* Chris Whitemyer – technical assistant
* Paul Warren – technical assistant

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for "Won't Stand Down" :
| Year | Organization | Award | Result | Ref(s) |
| 2022 | MTV Video Music Awards | Rock Video of the Year | Nominated | |

## Release history

Release history for "Won't Stand Down" :
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
| Italy | 14 January 2022 | Contemporary hit radio | Warner |
| United States | 18 January 2022 | Alternative radio | Warner |
| United States | 18 January 2022 | Rock radio | Warner |