Iscariot's Ashes

"Iscariot's Ashes" is a single by jazz singer Riley Brendan. The single was not released in the UK, but it was released as the 4th single from Riley's album "Days Go By" in America, and is the 6th single to be lifted from the album in total. The song received its US release on September 13th, 2011, and while it did not meet the same level of success as its predecessor "Be Good To Me", it was another top 50 hit for Riley in the States.

Background
"Iscariot's Ashes" is one of Riley's original songs, written about a friendship that ended in betrayal. Like previous single "Excuse You", Riley has not been forthcoming about who the song is about, but it is clearly not targetted at the same person as "Excuse You". Riley was interested in releasing the song as a single, and he did so once he had healed from his shooting in June. He decided not to release the single in the UK, having declared the era over once he released "Eternity". It became the follow-up to US single "Be Good To Me" due to Riley's desire to push it as a single. Because Riley was still in rehab and physical therapy while recovering from his injuries, no music video was shot.

Reception
Having achieved greater mainstream success with "Be Good To Me", the single was not met as favourably with pop audiences; the song was deemed 'too clever' lyrically, and there was also minor backlash about its biblical references. Since it's biblical influence was nowhere near the extent featured in "Eternity", it was still able to find favour at Riley's core radio formats, and the song was able to perform well enough digitally for Riley to log another top 50 chart hit. The single eventually hit gold sales before the end of 2011.

Promo CD

 * 1) Iscariot's Ashes (Radio Edit)
 * 2) Iscariot's Ashes (Call-Out Hook)

US Digital EP

 * 1) Iscariot's Ashes
 * 2) Iscariot's Ashes (Instrumental Version)
 * 3) Be Good To Me (Buzz Junkies Club Mix)
 * 4) Iscariot's Ashes (Matt Pendergast Remix)

Chart Performance
"Iscariot's Ashes" hit the top 10 on Hot AC and the top 15 on AC, Riley's core radio formats in the US. Pop audiences didn't react well to the song, and it barely made a dent in the top 50 even coming off the back of a top 20 pop hit with "Be Good To Me". A high-profile TV performance earned Riley a one-week sales boost for the single, which was enough to push it into the top 50 to become Riley's third top 50 hit. By the end of 2011, the single had been certified gold by the RIAA, for sales exceeding 500k. To date it is Riley's third gold record.