Evil

Album: Antics (2004)
Charted: 18
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Songfacts®:

  • Interpol's frontman Paul Banks writes their lyrics, but rarely reveals their meanings. He did tell Flaunt in 2004 that this dreary tune was about "the art of nearly falling apart."
  • Who is the "Rosemary" Paul Banks is singing about? The song seems to be about losing one's self after a trauma, so it could be inspired by the final days of Fred and Rosemary West, a British serial killer couple. While awaiting trial, Fred committed suicide, leaving his wife to serve a life sentence in prison. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Cam - St. Catharines, Canada
  • The band doesn't appear in the video: the main character is a puppet who we follow into a hospital after he gets in a car accident; he sings the song throughout the clip.

    The director, Charlie White, came up with the concept of the video. It took 17 hours to shoot on a soundstage and in a hospital operating room in Los Angeles. Paul Banks, told MTV in 2005 why he was so fond of the idea. "The treatment was so interesting," he said. "When we saw the images of the puppet early on, we were sold on the concept of this artificial thing interacting in a real-world environment."
  • Charlie White explained to MTV in 2005 how the puppet in the video represented a fusion of Interpol: "It fits the profile for both band and fan: It's pale, thin, with dark hair and a boyish-man quality about him."
  • The song has been featured in numerous television shows, including the first-season episode of the hospital-drama Grey's Anatomy, "Shake Your Groove Thang," and the Season 2 episode of the teen-drama, The O.C., "The Accomplice."
  • The eerie tune appears on NME's list of 100 Best Songs of the '00s at #59.

Comments: 25

  • Dimitri Iii from Brazili've always seen this song as fred west taunting rosemary because he took the easy way back to hell and she has to take the long way AKA living the rest of her life in prison and also how she is whole without him

    Rosemary
    Heaven restores you in life/this is fred saying heaven is keeping her alive as punishment probably. note:this is the only line i'm not too sure about


    You're coming with me
    Through the aging, the fearing, the strife/he is basically singing about their marriage and how in the end she'll come with him

    It's the smiling on the package
    It's the faces in the sand
    It's the thought that holds you upwards
    Embracing me with two hands/this would symbolize even though fred manipulated rose, he's still the motive she hangs onto life

    Right will take you places
    Yeah maybe to the beach/this would be talking about how being good on the moral compass is ordinary and basically no fun (thus it takes you to an ordinary place like a beach)

    When your friends they do come crying
    Tell them now your pleasure's set up on slow-release/this is talking about how when her friends cry seeing her incarcerated, she has to tell them she'll be there for a long time (thus slow release)

    Hey wait
    Great smile
    Sensitive to faith, not denial
    But hey whose on trial?/this is the main taunting point i feel, fred never denied having committed the murders (Sensitive to faith, not denial) and he once again taunts her with the "But hey whose on trial?" line

    It took a life span with no cellmate
    The long way back/this is fred mocking her for taking the long way back to hell and living in solitary confinement

    Sandy, why can't we look the other way?/this is a comment on how people can't look away from a tragedy just like how he can't look away from rose rooting in a prison

    We speaks about travel
    Yeah, we think about the land
    We smart like all peoples
    Feeling real tan
    I can take you places
    Do you need a new man?/this is them trying to fit in as normal people despite failing (thus the broken grammar)

    Wipe the pollen from the faces
    Make revision to a dream while you wait in the van/this is a representation for their life of crime, making revisions to a dream would be making up a story so they don't get caught and wiping the pollen from the faces of their victims since they are being buried in dirt

    Hey wait
    Great smile
    Sensitive to faith, not denial
    But hey whose on trial?
    It took a life span with no cellmate
    To find the long way back
    Sandy, why can't we look the other way?/the same as the previous comment

    You're weightless, you are exotic
    You need something for which to care/here fred would be mocking how she's withering away in prison (you're weightless) and how that is exotic. the second line would be talking about how she doesn't have anything to care for anymore since everything she loves is gone

    Sandy, why can't we look the other way?

    Leave some shards under the belly
    Lay some grease inside my hand/this is them committing their crimes, grease would mean lube as they raped their victims

    It's a sentimental jury
    And the makings of a good plan/a sentimental jury would be a good thing since it would be biased and forgive their heinous crimes (thx genius!)

    You've come to love me lightly
    Yeah you've come to hold me tight
    Is this motion ever lasting
    Or do shudders pass in the night?/basically gaslighting rose and asking if her love for him will last forever

    Rosemary
    Oh heaven restores you in life/ note: this is the only line i'm not too sure about

    I spent a lifespan with no cellmate
    The long way back
    Sandy, why can't we look the other way?

    You're weightless, semi-erotic
    You need someone to take you there/ mocking the fact that she is nothing alone, if we are talking about orgasms she needs someone to take her "there"

    Sandy, why can't we look the other way?
    Why can't we just play the other game?
    Why can't we just look the other way?/the other game would be normal life without crimes

    this is what I interpreted, you can have your own interpretation, may it be about masturbation or similar to mine, this is how i see the song and may be very far from the truth.
  • TylerI think it’s based upon the notion and dangers of nostalgia, maybe specifically a partnership that didn’t work out that should have. “You’re coming with me, through the aging, the fear, and the strife.” Reminds me of reliving the good old days and seeing those moments everywhere. Not being able to appreciate moments in life as they are compared to ones in the past. “Why can’t we just look the other way.” Like a prison inside your head. Something about how everything looks better in hindsight but common consensus would say that those moments were hellish or not so great. “I spent a lifespan with no cell mate.”
  • Samuel from Méxicoa dude named John Kolbek has recovered the puppet
  • Ryan from BrooklynI really hate autocorrect. It’s so damn sneaky
  • Ryan from BrooklynMaybe He’s trying to steal her away from heaven and back to life. He might be dieing and meeting her in the light years after she died and plotting on hiring back to earth with her instead of heaven.
  • Ryan from BrooklynSeems to Touch on the grimness of mortality.

    Song seems to be about someone trying to keep their love from dieing on them, while heaven is calling and pulling her away from him.
    Life is the prison he was in for a a lifetime with no cell mate before he met her. And now heaven is calling her away from him so he pleads with her to look the other way, towards him and away from the light of heaven, and play the other game with him..the game of Life (which might be thought of as the greater prison). Rosemary seems to be representative of heaven calling. Or him praying for her to ignore heaven calling. Not sure if it’s heaven’s name for her soul or symbolic of heaven or him praying for her to live (but the sensitive to faith, not denial part seems opposed to him praying)
    I like the idea of it being about heaven and the guy who’s not dying calling her back like tug of way on her soul.
  • Karl from Ingatestone, United Kingdomthis song sounds like a mixing between 'Here I Stand Before Me' from God Shuffled His Feet and 'Not Even Jail' from Antics
    love it to bits
  • Chris from Los Angeles, CaI wonder about all this -- I've heard the lead singer mention how he often takes on characters and sings as them in a song. I wonder (given the title and the lyrics) if he's not singing the song AS Charles Manson, singing the song to Sharon Tate (called "Rosemary" in this because that was her husband's film and she was pregnant). Kind of a stretch, but still interesting to consider...
  • Alex from Mansfield, Ohyour all completely off this song is about someone named rosemary (a british cerial killer) convicted for a horrible crime having to do with masterbation and charles manson (of course this song clearly includes him)then on the way to prison they get in a car crash with a man who had a affair and kills his wife (and hes guilty about it)then she gets out of prison and trys to cope with living life outside of a prison, and interpol wrote it for a remake of rosmarys baby that was never realeased, u can thank me whenever for clearing this up for all of u
  • Patrick from Portland, MeI think it's about someone who did a horrible crime but was convicted for a much shorter time. They knw that they should've been in for life, but were in for so much shorter that they're having trouble fitting back into civilization.
  • Gen from Los Angeles, CaI'm also not sure what about the herb rosemary makes you think masturbation. It is traditional thought to symbolize remembrance (which makes a lot of sense in this song) and for improving memory. I have never heard anything about it representing or having to do with anything remotely sexual. It seems to me with this song eluding to death and loss, rosemary might just be a reference to the herb.
  • Gen from Los Angeles, CaCharles Manson? Just because it says stuff about jail and eludes to death does not mean it's about Manson. That's seems totally random...maybe I missed something?As For sex or masturbation...that also seems random to me. Nothing in the lyrics seems to suggest anything of the sort.The story of Rosemary West seems much more likely, but if Paul says "Rosemary" was a random choice it could just be a coincidence.Whatever the subject matter, it is a beautifully constructed, poetic song.
  • Viktoria from Alberta-Pays homage to the film Rosemary's Baby. (Not officially confirmed).

    -Also references british serial killer housewife Rosemary West (Not officially confirmed. This may be a reference to Clacton-on-Sea, birthplace of Paul Banks).

    Wikipedia
  • Ash from Mooroopna, AustraliaI also think it is about masturbation, research the herb Rosemary...
  • Spencer from Los Angeles, Ca@Jessica, the band has stated that they picked the name "Rosemary" just because it sounded good with the song, and doesn't actually mean anything.
  • Jessica from S, WaI heard this song was actually about Rosemary West (like Will says)about her trial and life imprisonment.

    "Rosemary..."
    "You took a life span with no cell mate..."
    "But, hey, who's on trial?"

    I think its sung from her husband's perspective or something.
  • Oliver from Albury, Australia*Roll's Eyes* This song's about a man who has an affair, kills his wife, feels guilt and wishes he hadn't done it because he knows his new partner will most likely leave him.
  • Steve from Inane-isville, Pano, its about masturbation but its still not stupid. Ever here fake plastic trees by Radiohead. Its like that. The protagonist still hopes to have this violent sexual encounter with the woman in the song, but shes married with kids so all he can do is follow, watch, and wish. Interpol's just always had a darker feel to their songs, hence the rather disturbing tones and borer line neurotic vocals
  • Danny from Sydney, AustraliaOne of the scariest video clips ever.
  • Will from Seattle, WaAfter a little research, I found another presumption that this song is about a serial killer from Great Britian. Her name was Rosemary West and she is sentenced to life imprisonment. The link to the site with this theory is http://bit.ly/2OLbrgd and the site with information on Rosemary West is https://bbc.in/317TeeY if you're interested.
  • James from Victoria, CanadaThis could be what freddie says or Adam. It could be about a car crash. It could be anything that the lyrics say to you. Although this not about sex, masturbation, or felatio because I know Interpol aren't that stupid to write such a beautiful, lyrical song about masturbation.
  • Jonathan from Natchitoches, LaThis song sounds like a blend of Barenaked Ladies and the Cure. Very different, but I like it!
  • Less from New Castle, PaFirst of all its not about any of that , and Paul Banks didn't write this song. Interpol believes in band unity , and communal writing , as mentioned in interviews , but most lyrical influence comes from Daniel Kessler.

  • Freddie from Leeds, EnglandThis song is about Charles Manson
  • Adam from Liverpool, EnglandIts about a female childkiller and her new partner trying to adjust to life outside prison after she is released. Its hard as she is emotionally numb after a life of solitary confinement
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