Know Til Now

Album: Regions Of Light And Sound Of God (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Regions Of Light And Sound Of God was inspired by Lynd Ward's 1929 graphic novel God's Man, which tells of a struggling artist who sells his soul to the devil in order to get a magic paintbrush that allows him to instantly become famous. James explained to Spin magazine that he wrote this song "for when the guy is progressing in the city."
  • Speaking with Billboard magazine, James said the song "started as just a sound collage." He explained: "I've been into getting into trances in general and meditating. I'm really into Fela Kuti and James Brown and music that's super repetitive, like the same [riff] for fu--ing 10 minutes while all this other s--t's changing on top of it. That one started with this loop that went on for much longer than is on the record. That's often how things like that'll start; I'll just play that thing for 10 minutes and then solo all over it and then pick out the parts I like and condense it to the best parts. I tried to make the beginning and end of the body of 'Know Till Now' a sound collage of different parts floating through space and I just felt like that ending thing came out of nowhere like a big ship or something."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.

Wedding Bell Blues

Wedding Bell BluesSong Writing

When a song describes a wedding, it's rarely something to celebrate - with one big exception.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

16 Songs With a Heartbeat

16 Songs With a HeartbeatSong Writing

We've heard of artists putting their hearts into their music, but some take it literally.