Earthquake

Album: The Hogyssey (2001)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • A real earthquake inspired this song. Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon was in New Zealand when one hit, providing Earth-shaking inspiration. In a Songfacts interview with Langdon, he explained: "It's a metaphoric representation of that, and it was a pretty big earthquake. I was in Wellington and it just changed my perspective of what I thought was solid."

    The quake gave Langdon a new perspective. "It's kind of cool in a really weird way because it gives one a deeper appreciation of the atom and also just how powerless we are over nature. It just hit me, so I made this song, and it came up real quick - a little ditty."
  • At the end of the song, the band yells, "Beans on toast!" That's a reference to a food item popular in their native England, but not so prevalent in America, where they moved in 1994.
  • The Hogyssey is the third Spacehog album, and their last until 2013, when they re-formed to released As It Is on Earth. The Hogyssey, released in 2001, sold poorly and led to the band's demise, but Langdon was starting another chapter in his life: he got engaged to Liv Tyler that year, and married her two years later. The couple split up in 2008.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

dUg Pinnick of King's X

dUg Pinnick of King's XSongwriter Interviews

dUg dIgs into his King's X metal classics and his many side projects, including the one with Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam.

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A Timeline

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.