Saturnz Barz
by Gorillaz (featuring Popcaan)

Album: Humanz (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This stratospheric tune incorporates trap-style beats with Gorillaz' animated lead singer 2-D crooning about feeling lost and alone in a digital world:

    With the holograms beside me
    I'll dance alone tonight
    In a mirrored world, are you beside me
    All my life?
  • 2-D is joined on the song by Jamaican dancehall stalwart Popcaan, whose other collaboration include songs with Drake ("Know Yourself, "Controlla"), Jamie XX ("I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times),") Melissa Steel ("Kisses For Breakfast"), Naughty Boy ("Should've Been Me") and AlunaGeorge ("I'm In Control").
  • The "Saturnz Barz" virtual reality 360° video was directed by Gorillaz member Jamie Hewlett and it features the animated crew exploring a surreal haunted house.

    The haunted house is a real one, located at 220 Hendrie Street in Detroit. The building sits alone in an empty field, across the street from a warehouse.
  • The clip was viewed more than three million times in its first 48 hours, breaking YouTube's record for the biggest debut of a virtual reality video.
  • The British voice that announces at the start of the song, "Press the button to begin," is sampled from a children's educational toy called Interactive Planetarium. The device, made by the company Scientific Toys, features narrated audio clips that explain the Solar System.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)

Steve Cropper (Booker T & the MG's, Blues Brothers)Songwriter Interviews

Steve Cropper on the making of "In the Midnight Hour," the chicken-wire scene in The Blues Brothers, and his 2021 album, Fire It Up.

David Paich of Toto

David Paich of TotoSongwriter Interviews

Toto's keyboard player explains the true meaning of "Africa" and talks about working on the Thriller album.

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal Tap

The 10 Bands Most Like Spinal TapSong Writing

Based on criteria like girlfriend tension, stage mishaps and drummer turnover, these are the 10 bands most like Spinal Tap.

Tommy James

Tommy JamesSongwriter Interviews

"Mony Mony," "Crimson and Clover," "Draggin' The Line"... the hits kept coming for Tommy James, and in a plot line fit for a movie, his record company was controlled by the mafia.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.