# Zombie (Yungblud song)
"Zombie" is a song by the English musician Yungblud (Dominic Harrison), released on 30 May 2025 as the third single from his fourth studio album *Idols*, the first part of a double album issued on 20 June 2025 through Locomotion/[Capitol Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/capitol-records).[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) Harrison has called it the most important song on the album, a ballad written about his late grandmother and framed as a love letter to nurses.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie) • [3](https://s202.q4cdn.com/508919455/files/doc_news/2025/Oct/03/Yungblud-PHLive_Newsroom.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 30 May 2025, third single from *Idols* (album out 20 June 2025), Locomotion/Capitol Records[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) |
| Subject | Written about his grandmother's decline; described as a "love letter to nurses around the world"[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) • [3](https://s202.q4cdn.com/508919455/files/doc_news/2025/Oct/03/Yungblud-PHLive_Newsroom.pdf) |
| Music video | Directed by Charlie Sarsfield, produced by Untold Studios, starring Academy Award-nominated actress Florence Pugh[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) |
| Arrangement | Features strings from the London Philharmonic Orchestra[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/yungblud-zombie/) |
| UK chart peaks | No. 71 on the Official Singles Chart, No. 2 on the Singles Sales Chart, No. 7 on Downloads, No. 11 on Video Streaming[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/yungblud-zombie/) |
| Early streaming | 12 million streams in its first two weeks of release[5](https://www.gibson.com/fr-eu/blogs/gibson-gazette/yungblud-on-bludfest-and-the-classic-rock-energy-of-new-studio-album-idols) |
| Recognition | Nominated for Best Rock Song at the 68th Grammy Awards; reworked with The Smashing Pumpkins in January 2026[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie) |
## Meaning and origins
Harrison has said he carried the song for about five years before it found its place on *Idols*, an album he began making after his second record, 2020's *Weird!*, but was not ready to finish until later.[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/idols-complete/1874720357) In his track-by-track commentary he described its theme as "being afraid to turn to others for help. The fear of being a burden. The fear of appearing weak or ugly."[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/idols-complete/1874720357)
The song's personal root is his grandmother. A press release states it was "written for his late grandmother who died from alcoholism";[3](https://s202.q4cdn.com/508919455/files/doc_news/2025/Oct/03/Yungblud-PHLive_Newsroom.pdf) in the single's own announcement Harrison said it was written "initially about my grandmother going through serious injury and trauma, leading her to become a different person to who she was before," about "the feeling of deterioration and ugliness; shutting out the world and the people we love out of the fear of becoming a burden or an embarrassment."[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) For the video he wanted a direct portrayal of what a nurse goes through, saying nurses are taken for granted and understaffed, and that the NHS is "a bedrock for why our country is great."[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/idols-complete/1874720357)
## Music and video
The recording features strings from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Harrison described the track as a ballad about "feeling you're ugly, and learning to battle that."[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/yungblud-zombie/) Reviewers have noted its full arrangement and steady, dirge-like chords,[7](https://5fingerreview.com/yungblud-idols-review/) and NME called it "the album's biggest track."[8](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/yungblud-idols-and-idols-ii-review-3930267)
The official music video, directed by Charlie Sarsfield and produced by Untold Studios, stars the Academy Award-nominated British actress [Florence Pugh](https://www.edgepedia.org/florence-pugh) as a nurse.[1](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/) Harrison said he needed "a great British artist who could carry that story with truth and authenticity," and chose Pugh.[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/idols-complete/1874720357)
A standalone single, *Zombie (Recorded at Hansa Studios)*, was released on 6 August 2025.[9](https://music.apple.com/us/album/zombie-recorded-at-hansa-studios-single/1831335869)
## Chart performance
On the UK Official Singles Chart the song peaked at No. 71, spending 11 weeks in the Top 100; it reached No. 2 on the Official Singles Sales Chart, No. 7 on the Downloads Chart, and No. 11 on the Video Streaming Chart.[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/yungblud-zombie/) Gibson Gazette reported 12 million streams in the song's first two weeks.[5](https://www.gibson.com/fr-eu/blogs/gibson-gazette/yungblud-on-bludfest-and-the-classic-rock-energy-of-new-studio-album-idols) The song became a fixture of the Idols World Tour, closing sold-out shows including [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall) in June 2026.[10](https://loudwire.com/yungblud-exclusive-interview-2026/)
## Smashing Pumpkins version and Grammy nomination
On 2 January 2026 Yungblud released a reworked version of "Zombie" with [The Smashing Pumpkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-smashing-pumpkins), a heavier take featuring [Billy Corgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-corgan)'s guitar sound. Harrison said the song was heavily influenced by the band's ability to mix "emotion, cinema and heavy guitars," that he was channeling their album *Siamese Dream* when making it, and that he emailed Corgan to ask him to reimagine the song.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie) Corgan said it had been "great fun to lend our zig-zag voice" to a song Harrison said was inspired by the band.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie)
At the 68th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) "Zombie" was nominated for Best Rock Song, one of three nominations Yungblud received that year alongside *Idols* for Best Rock Album and his live [Black Sabbath](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sabbath) cover "Changes" for Best Rock Performance.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie) The song's credited writers are Dominic Harrison and Matt Schwartz, his longtime collaborator and producer.[11](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/le-preguntamos-a-la-ia-quienes-seran-los-ganadores-de-los-grammy-awards-en-las-categorias-mas-destacadas-f202601-n/)
## References
1. [YUNGBLUD Drops New Single "Zombie" with Official Music Video Starring Florence Pugh, Universal Music Canada](https://www.universalmusic.ca/2025/05/30/yungblud-drops-new-single-zombie-with-official-music-video-starring-florence-pugh/)
2. [Watch Yungblud team up with Smashing Pumpkins for a reworking of 2025 single Zombie, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/yungblud-smashing-pumpkins-rework-zombie)
3. [Yungblud PHLive Newsroom announcement, October 2025](https://s202.q4cdn.com/508919455/files/doc_news/2025/Oct/03/Yungblud-PHLive_Newsroom.pdf)
4. [ZOMBIE – YUNGBLUD, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/yungblud-zombie/)
5. [YUNGBLUD on Bludfest and the classic rock energy of new studio album, Idols, Gibson Gazette](https://www.gibson.com/fr-eu/blogs/gibson-gazette/yungblud-on-bludfest-and-the-classic-rock-energy-of-new-studio-album-idols)
6. [Idols (Complete) – Album by YUNGBLUD, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/idols-complete/1874720357)
7. [YUNGBLUD | Idols Review, 5 Finger Review](https://5fingerreview.com/yungblud-idols-review/)
8. [Yungblud – 'Idols' and 'Idols II' review, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/yungblud-idols-and-idols-ii-review-3930267)
9. [Zombie (Recorded at Hansa Studios) – Single, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/zombie-recorded-at-hansa-studios-single/1831335869)
10. [Yungblud Has Taken Over – Exclusive Interview, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/yungblud-exclusive-interview-2026/)
11. [Grammy Awards 2026 category predictions, AS USA](https://as.com/us/tikitakas/le-preguntamos-a-la-ia-quienes-seran-los-ganadores-de-los-grammy-awards-en-las-categorias-mas-destacadas-f202601-n/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Alternative rock songs › 2020s alternative songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license