That Black Bat Licorice

Album: Lazaretto (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Lazaretto album was named after a word for a quarantine hospital island.

    The title was inspired by this personal song, which finds White talking about being a confined prisoner in a hospital. "That really is me, personally," he told NPR. "My sort of fantasy that I have is, I wish that some other forces, some powers that be, would push me into this scenario for a month and lock me somewhere, instead of me doing it to myself all the time. I'm always imposing restrictions on myself. And so I guess my fantasy is, it would be so nice to be in a quarantine hospital, but not to die from it - just to know that I had to stay here for two months and I can't do anything else. That's why I named the album Lazaretto."
  • The song finds White virtually rapping the lyrics as he references a fast black hearse, Nietzche, Freud and Horace in the same couplet:

    She's built for speed like a black castrum doloris
    Good for the needy like Nietzche, Freud and Horace


    "That's basically a hip-hop song," White told Jam! Music. "I wasn't going for it but I just found myself in the middle of it. I think I've done that a lot in my career and people haven't noticed. 'Icky Thump' is a hip-hop track. 'Freedom at 21' on the last album was a hip-hop track but I don't think anyone really categorizes that."
  • The "three-in-one" interactive video features a live action clip directed by White himself, an animated version helmed by James Blagden, and a "headbang" edition shot by Brad Holland. Viewers can switch between the three visuals by holding down the '3' or 'B' keys on their keyboard.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."