Mercury

Album: Intimacy (2008)
Charted: 16
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lyrically this up-tempo dance track appears to be influenced by astrology. The subject of the song appears to making several warnings, including "this is not the time to start a new love" as "Mercury's in retrograde." The reference to Mercury being in retrograde concerns the times when the planet, from an observer on Earth's point of view, appears to rotate in the opposite direction. In astrology this apparent retrograde motion of Mercury is commonly thought to signify difficulties in communication, hence the warnings in the song.
  • Much of the Intimacy album was influenced by a broken relationship that singer and lyricist Kele Okereke went through. He explained to Rolling Stone magazine: "I went through a break-up at the end of last year and I guess that's what the record's about really. I couldn't help thinking about it or talking about it or writing about it. I wouldn't want anyone to think it's the clichéd break-up record but I haven't written about true, personal experiences all that much in the past."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Curt Kirkwood of Meat Puppets

Curt Kirkwood of Meat PuppetsSongwriter Interviews

The (Meat)puppetmaster takes us through songs like "Lake Of Fire" and "Backwater," and talks about performing with Kurt Cobain on MTV Unplugged.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.