Music Myth: Is “Evil” by Interpol About Serial Killers?

Interpol released their second album, Antics, in 2004, with “Evil” as its second single. With its iconic opening bass line and suitably surreal, creepy music video starring a puppet, it’s become one of the band’s signature songs and is a frequent piece of their live shows. In the UK, it hit No. 18 on the Singles Chart, while in the US, it peaked at No. 24 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart. It’s remembered as one of the best songs to come out of alternative music in the early 2000s.

The British Serial Killers Rumored to Be the Subject

After the song’s release, fans speculated that “Evil” was written about British serial killers Fred and Rosemary West. Between 1971 and 1987, the couple killed a total of nine women, including Fred’s daughter, Charmaine. Fred committed suicide in prison, while Rosemary is still in custody.

This interpretation of the song is largely due to the song’s opening lines: “Rosemary / Heaven restores you in life.” Although the song also references “a lifespan with no cellmate” and a “sentimental jury,” the lyrics are otherwise vague and don’t seem to directly reference the couple or their crimes. Some interpretations see the lyrics as a conversation between the two killers.

Interpol Has Denied That “Evil” Is About the Wests

“I’d hate to rain on someone’s good time by spoiling the lore or theories about some songs, but generally, they are wrong. Everyone thinks ‘Evil’ is about serial killers but it isn’t at all,” frontman Paul Banks told The Guardian in 2024.

Although the band hasn’t explained what actually inspired the song, Banks did say it’s about “the art of nearly falling apart.” Its title was taken from The Flowers of Evil, a collection of poetry by Charles Baudelaire.

Some fans have also speculated that the “Rosemary” referenced in the opening lines could be a reference to Rosemary Kennedy, but it’s more likely that the name was chosen for its sound.

“The name Rosemary is just because it’s, to me, quite… angelic,” Banks explained. “Or I suppose… I don’t want to say it’s a holy name, but you know what I mean. There’s like a kind of inherent religiosity to that name. So that’s—it’s more leaning towards… I guess it adds something angelic to it that counterpoints some of the other lyrics in the song.”

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