Oblivion

Album: Visions (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Grimes is the alter-ego of Vancouver-born one-woman band Claire Boucher. The waif-like songstress originally moved to Montreal to attend McGill University, where she became involved with the underground electronic and industrial music scene and met her now-manager and engineer Sebastian Cowan. She began making music in 2010, with two albums on local label Arbutus, but it was when this song began circulating as a mp3 in October 2011 that critics began getting interested. The tune soon became a major highlight of Boucher's live sets and it was released as a single on January 31, 2012.
  • The creepy lyrics hint at nighttime violence. Boucher explained to Spin magazine that "the song's sort of about being - I was assaulted and I had a really hard time engaging in any types of relationship with men, because I was just so terrified of men for a while."
  • The music video was directed by Emily Kai Bock and shot in Montreal at the Olympic Stadium and at McGill University's Molson Stadium. It finds Grimes dancing and singing amongst spectators, shirtless frat boys, as well as in a men's locker room surrounded by cartoonish masculine athletes. "Art gives me an outlet where I can be aggressive in a world where I usually can't be," she told Pitchfork, "and part of it was asserting this abstract female power in these male-dominated arenas."
  • This was voted #1 in Pitchfork's list of Top 100 Tracks of 2012.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Glen Ballard

Glen BallardSongwriter Interviews

Glen Ballard talks about co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill album, and his work with Dave Matthews, Aerosmith and Annie Lennox.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?