Bacchanalia
by Down

Album: Down IV - Part Two (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Down close their Down IV - Part Two EP with this epic track, which features what sounds like a ukulele passage by guitarist Pepper Keenan. Vocalist Phil Anselmo told Artist Direct about the recording of the song. "On the last day of tracking guitars, I said to Pepper, 'We need this part,'" he recalled. "It was a reminder because it was something we talked about plenty."

    "Sure enough, he brought out this smaller guitar," he continued. "It wasn't really a ukulele [Laughs]. It was a miniature guitar, and I'm not even sure how many strings it had on it. Yes, right then and there on the spot, we gave him as much silence as we could because we were all in the room and pretty excited. We were laughing and talking in the background as he was telling us to 'Shut up, please!' He came up with that little part. It was recorded within an hour or so."

    "While he was tracking that, I was generally getting the repeating hook over and over in my head," Anselmo added. "I tracked my part. Really, that whole piece came out automatically, organically, and fast. S--t, I think it took us two hours to do."
  • The Bacchanalia were Roman festivals in honor of the wine god Bacchus. They were characterized by drunkenness and licentiousness, hence 'Bacchanalian orgy' for any uninhibited drunken revelry.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Bill Withers

Bill WithersSongwriter Interviews

Soul music legend Bill Withers on how life experience and the company you keep leads to classic songs like "Lean On Me."

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.