Unintended
by Muse

Album: Showbiz (1999)
Charted: 20
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The fifth single from Muse's debut album finds lead singer Matt Bellamy picking up the pieces of his broken heart so he can put it back together for someone new, an "unintended" love interest who shows up while he's nursing his wounds. Bellamy explains how the love song ended up on the album: "There are a few unintended love songs as well. The song I wrote about the girl was written in the studio after a phone conversation with her. We called it 'Unintended' because it came out of nowhere, and I didn't mean it to happen, all of these feelings for this girl." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • While most Muse tracks originate with Matt Bellamy experimenting musically, "Unintended" was a rare case where the lyrics came first.
  • The song was originally written in 1997 or 1998, composed on keyboard, which made it difficult to perform live because the band didn't have a dedicated keys player. By December 1998, however, the track had been rearranged for acoustic guitar, giving it the haunting, fingerpicked quality fans would come to know from the Showbiz album version.
  • "Unintended" found a regular place in Muse's live sets during their 2000 tour, and over the years it has appeared in a variety of arrangements, including both piano and acoustic renditions. However, after 2013, the song more or less disappeared from the band's live performances. It returned in June 2025 when it made a surprise return during Muse's set at the Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands, marking its first live appearance in over a decade.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.