Gravity's Union

Album: The Afterman: Descension (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Coheed and Cambria lead singer Claudio Sanchez wrote this song as part of the group's concept set The Afterman. The first album in the set, The Afterman: Ascension, was released in 2012, followed by The Afterman: Descension four months later. They are based on a series of comic books Sanchez wrote, and cover some heavy science fiction themes, including the quest for insights on the afterlife.

    Underlying many of these songs, however, are much more accessible themes inspired by life here on Earth. "Gravity's Union" draws on Sanchez' dislike of driving. He has hated being behind the wheel ever since getting a Chevy Baretta (dubbed "The Red Rocket") when he was younger.
  • Regarding how the band constructs their songs and the vocal track on this one, CC guitarist Travis Stever told us: "Sometimes I have a riff and it really excites him. He'll write a song to that riff and we'll work on it together. There are a couple of songs on this Descension record where that was the case: 'Iron Fist' and 'Dark Side Of Me' and 'Away We Go' are songs that I had riffs for and then we worked on it together as a band, and he wrote the lyrics and vocal melodies and arranged it. That's what happens with a majority of the songs that Claudio has. He'll have this skeleton of a song, and sometimes it's even fully arranged, like 'Gravity's Union' is an example. He had that song for a year before he had the demo version. Some of the vocals, the original vocals, were recorded at his house from demo mode, and it turned out to be one of my favorite vocal performances by him on the record."
  • The band worked on this song on-and-off for about two years, during which time drummer Chris Pennie left the group, replaced by Josh Eppard. "I had guitar parts that I had put to it and then I changed them by the time the rest of the band played on it," Travis Stever told us. "Because when Josh got in there, it was a completely different feel. We worked on that song with Chris Pennie two years prior, and it just changed. It changed for the better. That's nothing against Chris, it's just the way that that song turned out. It was very fit for what Josh does."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Songs Discussed in Movies

Songs Discussed in MoviesSong Writing

Bridesmaids, Reservoir Dogs, Willy Wonka - just a few of the flicks where characters discuss specific songs, sometimes as a prelude to murder.

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.