Songfacts®:

• The inspiration for this song came to Kasibian guitarist and lead songwriter Serge Pizzorno in the summer of 2009 when he found a £20,000 bottle of antique absinthe on a German website. He told Q magazine that it was the stuff that Hemingway and Piccaso used to drink, and though tempted, he eventually decided not to buy the vintage highly alcoholic beverage. The previous time he drank a lot of absinthe he nearly destroyed his relationship with his veterinary assistant girlfriend, Amy.
• Pizzorno described the song to Q: "It's a psychedelic tune about those moments when you look around and think the dream is over, and the only thing left to do is pull out the absinthe and head for oblivion. The whole X Factor, celebrity culture thing. Dogs in handbags."
• Absinthe is a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage, which achieved great popularity as an alcoholic drink in late 19th- and early 20th-century France. It was particularly associated with artists and writers, and may have provided a creative spark for their work. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Wilde were all known drinkers. By 1915, absinthe had been banned in the United States and in most European countries. The song title comes from the fact that it traditionally has a natural green color and is commonly referred to in historical literature as "la fée verte" (the "green fairy" in French).
• The song originally appeared on the soundtrack for the 2010 William Monahan directed film London Boulevard. The version heard in the movie is different to the one on the album.
• Pizzorno explained the song's meaning to Q magazine: That song's about not having to deal with the real world by getting out of your mind. It's saying, 'you take your real world and I'll just sit over here with me guitar and me absinthe, thanks."
• Pizzorno told Q magazine: "There's a few little private jokes in that song to some of my pals. The line, 'I met Dali in the street.' Dali is (English comedian) Noel Fielding. And he is the modern-day Dali. That man is a precious jewel.