New Town Velocity

Album: The Messenger (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Marr told The Sun how the song was inspired by a memory he had from his teens when he decided to ditch school. "I was at the bus stop with Angie, my girlfriend, who's now my wife," he recalled. "I was deciding whether to go into school that day or not. I was a terrible truant but I decided to never go back again. I walked around town feeling like the world was in my hands and that I had the potential to be who I wanted to be."
  • This song provides an autobiographical peek into Marr's early life, recreating the day when he decided to leave school forever. He told NME: "It's autobiographical. It's about reconnecting with the feelings I had growing up, the ones that shape you. It was the last thing I did for the record, and I wanted something with a dreamy aspect, because the rest of the record is so banging. It reminded me of the hazy summer morning at 15 when I decided to not ever go back to school."
  • Marr explained to Mojo: "That was a last minute addition. I felt the picture I wanted to create of myself was incomplete. It needed something else, the idea of… romantic idealism."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

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.

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows

Adam Duritz of Counting CrowsSongwriter Interviews

"Mr. Jones" took on new meaning when the song about a misguided view of fame made Adam famous.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Andy McClusky of OMD

Andy McClusky of OMDSongwriter Interviews

Known in America for the hit "If You Leave," OMD is a huge influence on modern electronic music.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.