Atomic Number

Album: case/lang/veirs (2016)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The idea of a collaborative record between Neko Case, k.d. lang, and Laura Veirs was first floated in the early 2010s when lang sent Case and Veirs an email that said, "I think we should make a record together." Both lang and Case subsequently contributed to Veirs' 2013 album Warp and Weft.

    Both Lang and Veirs live in Portland, Oregon, which made writing and recording easier than it could have been. The record was laid down with Veirs' husband-producer Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket), between lang's loft and Veirs' dining room and backyard studio.
  • This is the opening track of case/lang/veirs. Veirs told CBC Music: "This is the one song on the album where we trade lines back and forth. It's a great opening to the album for that reason. The listener gets to get a glimpse of each artist at the outset."
  • The trio croon on the hook:

    Latin words across my heart
    Symbols of infinity
    Elements so pure
    Atomic number


    Veirs said: "I like that I don't really know what the chorus means. This song at some level is about purity."
  • The trio wanted to call their band the Atomic Numbers, but the name was already taken. Veirs told Uncut: "We didn't want anything funny or genderized, it was really difficult. It's not like we didn't try, we spent hours and hours on names."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."