Your Life is a Lie
by MGMT

Album: MGMT (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The second single released from MGMT's eponymous third album is a short, sharp slice of surrealism. Vocalist Andrew VanWyngarden told Relix magazine that he wrote the song, "while tripping hard on acid by a fire."
  • MGMT premiered the song live during their concert at Portland, Maine's State Theatre on April 30, 2013.
  • The song's music video finds MGMT again working with Tom Kuntz, who was director of the band's 2010 mini-epic widescreen clip for "Congratulations." Kuntz pairs the band with an assortment of colorful characters, including skeletons singing around a piano, talking dolphins and Happy Days actor Henry Winkler.
  • On the face of it, some of the lyrics could be read as a rebuttal to MGMT's fair-weather fans who ditched the duo after their commercially successful Oracular Spectacular album:

    "Count your friends on your hands
    Now look again, they're not your friends."

    VanWyngarden said in an interview this interpretation would be missing the point: "It's not supposed to be directed at our fans," he said. "It's more for people to use and direct towards whoever they want, whoever they feel like is holding them down."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Peter Lord

Peter LordSongwriter Interviews

You may not recognize his name, but you will certainly recognize Peter Lord's songs. He wrote the bevy of hits from Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go's

Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Go'sSongwriter Interviews

Charlotte was established in the LA punk scene when a freaky girl named Belinda approached her wearing a garbage bag.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.