Rollercoaster

Album: Strange Desire (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds Bleachers leader Jack Antonoff looking to channel his inner Springsteen. He told Radio.com the track was his attempt at making his own modern version of his fellow New Jersey native's 1984 hit tune, "Dancing In The Dark." "He's like the greatest songwriter in history, ever," Antonoff said of Springsteen. "He's just unapologetic and not afraid to make you dance or make you cry."
  • The song's music video was filmed by writer/director Richard Shephard (Dom Hemingway, The Matador, The Hunting Party). Antonoff knew the writer/director from the eight Girls episodes he'd helmed. (Antonoff's girlfriend Lena Dunham is the creator, writer and co-star of The HBO series.)

    It was Antonoff who came to Shephard with the concept of the band playing on top of a van without realizing how dangerous that would be. "The idea of getting on top of a car and playing on a highway felt distinctly '90s in a way that excited me about videos I saw growing up. Didn't think it would be acutely dangerous — the brakes ended up going out and we literally almost died," Antonoff said via Pitchfork. "There's something special about almost dying for a video."

    "Beyond that, 'Rollercoaster' was written while I was driving home on the NJ turnpike," he added. "The song always felt like driving on a highway to me sonically."
  • The track soundtracks a commercial for Chase Bank's integration of Apple Pay. We see Jack Antonoff getting a haircut and the band eating tacos. Both are paid for using the mobile payment system via the iPhone 6.
  • The iconic riff from "Rollercoaster" came from Antonoff experimenting with a synthesizer at his home studio in New Jersey. He described the process to CBS Sunday Morning as "just playing around," demonstrating how inspiration can stem from casual creativity.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Michael Sweet of Stryper

Michael Sweet of StryperSongwriter Interviews

Find out how God and glam metal go together from the Stryper frontman.

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.