Radar Detector

Album: Darwin Deez (2010)
Charted: 62
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Darwin Deez are a New York based Indie folk band, who are named after the stage moniker of their main man Darwin Smith. This is their second single, and their first UK top 75 hit.
  • Darwin Smith told Gigwise about this song: "A radar detector is a device, illegal in some provinces, that alerts drivers to the presence of police radar in the vicinity. Drivers, in turn, use this information to modulate the speed of their spacecraft, you nawmsayin? I once fell in love with a girl who reminded me of a radar detector in the way that she constantly kept her eye out for my well-being, like a loving machine, and I wrote this song about her."
  • This track is included on Darwin Deez's self-titled album. Smith told CMU how he wrote for the record: "For most of the tracks on this album, I started with a topic or concept for the song, and then I established the rhythm guitar part and the lyrics and melody. More than once, I started with the first line of the first verse, and in those cases, the first line then determined the shape of the verse melody, and then I wrote a chorus to contrast it. I added all the other instrumentation during the recording process."
  • During an interview with The Sun, the comment was made that Darwin Deez's dancing in the video is a bit dorky. He responded: "I went a little crazy during the shoot so I had to ask the director to use the tamer stuff for fear of an excessively high dork factor."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Gary Lewis

Gary LewisSongwriter Interviews

Gary Lewis and the Playboys had seven Top 10 hits despite competition from The Beatles. Gary talks about the hits, his famous father, and getting drafted.

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)

Max Cavalera of Soulfly (ex-Sepultura)Songwriter Interviews

The Brazilian rocker sees pictures in his riffs. When he came up with one of his gnarliest songs, there was a riot going on.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.