Editors Top Belgian Charts With 'Papillon'

Editors certainly ended the year on a high note. The neo-post-punk band's 'In This Light and On This Evening' debuted at No. 1 on the UK album charts in October. But frontman Tom Smith is particularly proud -- and somewhat amused -- at another top chart position.

"Well, there was the No. 1 album, but we had a No. 1 single in Belgium with 'Papillon,'" he tells Spinner. "Bands like us don't have No. 1 singles. I don't know why the Belgians have taken to it like they have done, but they've really taken it to heart. That was pretty cool. We're the first international act to go straight to No. 1 in Belgium in the last 15 years. That's more than Madonna or Coldplay or anyone has achieved."

Might this feat put Editors in the 'Guinness Book of World Records'? "Yes, there will be some kind of documenting of it I'm sure," he says with a giggle, "in the pop vaults of Belgium!"

'Papillon' precedes the album's Jan. 19 release as the first US single. "It's definitely the most obvious single-type song on the record," Smith says of the anthemic, synth-pop gem, which culls its name from a '70s movie. "The idea of escape was going through my head when I was writing the lyrics, but I thought back to the film, which I remember watching with my dad. Steve McQueen was good at escaping from prison. The song feels like some kind of escape."

Though less obscure than the Belgium hit, a homeland No. 1 album debut was an enormous coup, Smith admits. "It's nice to know there's a foundation of people who are interested in what we are doing and excited about new material. It feels quite solid. It was an amazing feeling."