Arcady

Album: Grace/Wastelands (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This album opener is just Doherty, harmonica and some acoustic finger-picking from Blur's Graham Coxon. Doherty told The Sun March 13, 2009: "That's how I started out. The mayhem came later. The thing about all the chaos, the so-called rock and roll thing, is you can throw yourself headlong into it, into the night, into eternity. It's a childish fantasy thing. You're supposed to die and stay forever that age but most of us don't. Most of us actually have to come out the other side and lying there is still the old trusty harmonica."
  • Arcady, or Arcadia is a central plateau in Greece. Later writers idealized the life of shepherds there during ancient times.
  • Doherty explained the lyrical content to the NME March 21, 2009: "I'd been listening to an Edwardian musical that mentioned Arcady. It's still a dream of a place without infringement. A place without oppression… a place of creativity."

Comments: 1

  • KeefCan't hear any harmonica
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Petula Clark

Petula ClarkSongwriter Interviews

Petula talks about her hits "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep In The Subway," and explains her Michael Jackson connection.

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees

Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn YankeesSongwriter Interviews

Revisit the awesome glory of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees: cheesily-acted videos, catchy guitar licks, long hair, and lyrics that are just plain relatable.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."