Bumblebeee

Album: 48:13 (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the first track that Kasabian songwriter and guitarist Serge Pizzorno had for 48:13, having come up with a melody after going to Damon Albarn's Africa Express at Granary Square in London in September 2012. It was debuted by the band in Paris on April 30, 2014 at the first warm-up gig for their tour, and performed on Later…With Jools Holland on May 13, 2014.
  • This call to arms is about Kasabian's connection with their fans. Pizzorno told NME: "I didn't have a name and my little boy Ennio called it 'Busy Bee.' I thought he said 'bumblebee' and thought, 'That's an amazing title.' Humans can't exist without bumblebees, and the song's about the fans and about us joining together and reaching a higher state with them - our fans are our bumblebees. Without them we're f---ed. without their pollinating flowers, we're done."
  • Asked by Q magazine to describe the song Pizzorno said: "It comes from the dance tent and how right they get it. I love that moment where you time something to perfection. It's such an art...when you get a crowd to a point and they're like, 'Just please f---ing do it.'"

    "And Bumblebee is about the fans," he added. "Lyrically, I was so much more direct. So there's a moment in that song where I scream as loud as I can, 'Everybody go!'"
  • Here are a few bumblebee fun facts from The Encyclopedia of Trivia:

    Bumblebees have smelly feet and leave a scent on the flower they visit to tell other bees there is no other nectar left.

    Bumblebees don't have ears. They pick up vibrations through their bodies.

    Bumblebees can fly at up to 30mph. The buzz is produced by their flight muscles.

    The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

David Gray

David GraySongwriter Interviews

David Gray explains the significance of the word "Babylon," and talks about how songs are a form of active imagination, with lyrics that reveal what's inside us.