Neptune

Album: Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part 2 (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • At 10 minutes and 18 seconds long, this sprawling track is about trying to escape this troubled world; finding refuge on the planet Neptune or dying are the only solutions.
  • The song reflects singer Yannis Philippakis' Greek heritage as he talks about getting away from the UK with its "white wards." He wishes to find sanctuary in Greece, where he can "walk where I know, through the olive groves." Philippakis explained to DIY magazine:

    "It's a kind of out-of-body experience where you're leaving behind all the mess; there's a sense of inescapable fate to it, where you're wanting to pass on into a place that's away from all this. And then whatever happens next, whether it's in another record or whatever, will be what happens next. It felt like a fitting way to end a long journey."
  • Philippakis also touches on the digital afterlife. "I got interested in when people die and their social media accounts are still there," he told NME. "There's something ghoulish but also immortal about that."
  • The song started with the core structure, then the band did live takes during which they came up with the jam that's in the middle. "That's an essentially unedited jam we fell in love with," Philippakis told Apple Music. "It's exactly how it was, with some synthesizers and background vocals laid over the top."
  • The sprawling video reflects the epic nature of the song. Directed by David East, it combines "striking natural beauty with images that conjure the feeling of a world teetering on the precipice of an apocalypse." The clip continues Foals' fight against climate change, following their animated visual for "Like Lightning."
  • Foals recorded a re-imagining of the song for the opening theme of BBC's documentary TV series Universe. The band worked with Hans Zimmer's company Bleeding Fingers for the revamped version, teaming up with their composer Anze Rozman and score producer Russell Emanuel.

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