Machine Head's Robb Flynn Comments On "Is There Anybody Out There?" Being The Band's Most Streamed Song On Spotify

If you’ve ever perused the Spotify profile of Machine Head, you’ve likely scratched your head at the Bay Area band’s reigning top song on the digital service provider. While one would be inclined to think that their 1994 anthem “Davidian” would have cemented that spot, it’s in fact the band’s 2016 single “Is There Anybody Out There?” that sits atop them all.

At the time of its initial release, the band’s vocalist/guitarist Robb Flynn stated of that standalone track:

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“The song is about love, loneliness, racism, and not getting what is going on in the world/America. It’s very much about current events, but applies to a bigger picture.”

As of press time, “Is There Anybody Out There?” has accumulated 75,096,046 streams on Spotify alone, enjoying a comfortable lead over it’s closest competition (2011’s “Locust” sits at 43,242,327 streams.) A recent interview conducted by Gustavo Maiato saw Flynn elaborate on the peculiar success of “Is There Anybody Out There?“, he offered:

“I’m super proud of that. It’s a massive accomplishment. It’s kind of crazy, really, ’cause it’s not even on an album. It’s a standalone [single], which makes it even crazier. I think it just came at the right time. I think the world was kind of going through a bunch of crazy shit, and I think that that song just tapped into something.

I think a lot of songs have more to do with algorithms on Spotify. Like if you go to The Beatles‘ Top 10 [songs on Spotify], the number one song for The Beatles is ‘Here Comes The Sun‘. And I was, like, ‘Here Comes The Sun‘? It’s fucking George Harrison singing, and I’m, like, ‘What the fuck? That’s not my Beatles.’ But somehow the algorithm made that be the number one thing. I think it’s got a lot to do with playlists.”

He continued:

“I love Spotify and I listen to Spotify a lot, but I don’t think it’s a very true representation of what Machine Head‘s fanbase really listens to. Like, there’s not a single song from ‘The Blackening‘ on there [laughs] in the Top 10. I’m, like, ‘Look, Spotify algorithm, that’s not even fucking correct.'”