The Road

Album: Exile (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the first track to be released by the English synthpop duo Hurts, from their sophomore album Exile. It received its first worldwide radio play on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show on January 4, 2013.
  • The song is heavier and more guitar-led than the tracks on Hurts' debut album. It is one of several cuts on Exile that were penned after Adam Anderson listened back to the demos that he and Theo Hutchcraft had done in their old bands and found them naïve, flawed and yet full of energy. Hutchcraft explained: "We wanted people to hear 'The Road' first because it's the most extreme example of the idea on the record."
  • The lyrics are about a car accident and were inspired by JG Ballard's novel Crash and colored by Cormac McCarthy's apocalyptic book The Road, which Hutchcraft read three times while writing Exile. "We tried to write the darkest song we could," Hutchcraft told NME. "We thought. 'How bleak can we make it?'"

    James Graham Ballard (1930-2009) was an English novelist and short story writer. His best-known works include Crash, which was adapted into a film by David Cronenberg and his fictionalised autobiography of his childhood in a Japanese internment camp outside Shanghai, which was made into a movie by Steven Spielberg.

    Here are some other songs on our database inspired by Ballard's stories:
    "A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun" by The Manic Street Preachers.
    "Atrocity Exhibition" by Joy Division.

    In addition, the Australian Electro-Pop duo Empire Of the Sun took their name from Ballard's autobiographical novel of the same name.

    Cormac McCarthy (born July 20, 1933) is an American novelist and playwright. He is best known for his 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Road and his 2005 book No Country for Old Men, which was adapted as a 2007 film of the same name, and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture.Other songs on our database inspired by his works include:
    "Major Minus" by Coldplay.
    "Breathe" by U2.
    "Pray For Rain" by Massive Attack.
    "As He Climbed the Dark Mountain" by Thursday.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket

Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet SprocketSongwriter Interviews

The "All I Want" singer went through a long depression, playing some shows when he didn't want to be alive.

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Lecrae

LecraeSongwriter Interviews

The Christian rapper talks about where his trip to Haiti and his history of addiction fit into his songs.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.