Album: Arc (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was inspired by frontman Jonathan Higgs wish to write "an orchestral, sort-of 'Eleanor Rigby' quartet song," but "it got a bit out of control." Higgs told The Line Of Best Fit: "We slaved for ages on it. It was originally just orchestral with a far more electronic accompaniment but we really worked hard to try and get the rest of the band involved in it."

    Bassist Jeremy Pritchard added that he and the other two band members are "kind of the sides-men on that song." "And we're perfectly happy to be," he continued, "really, because the strings arrangement is central to it. And if you take that away we're not really contributing much. The beat is important and that was vital - finding the right thing for Mike to play, a happy back-beat [gestures drumming]".
  • Higgs references a classic line from the movie Casablanca when he sings: "Of all the dead volcanoes on Earth, you just happened to retch and roll through mine."
  • Higgs directed the song's music video, which sees him perform the track in the aftermath of a volcanic eruption as ash falls down on him. Speaking to NME about the concept behind it, Higgs said: "This song is about being with someone you love at the end of the world, even if it's just the world that you both share."

    "I wanted to do something visually related to the ash/concrete bodies found at the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii," he added. "They are amazingly powerful to look at and formed by a totally natural, destructive force. The bodies of the people are huddled together while there is death literally raining down. That's what I wanted it to feel like."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

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.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

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.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?