Around The Bend

Album: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Asteroids Galaxy Tour is a Danish group led by singer Mette Lindberg and bass/keyboard player Lars Iversen. They started recording in 2007, and got a big break when their demo impressed enough industry bigwigs to land them a record deal and a gig opening for Amy Winehouse when she played in Copenhagen. Always on the lookout for a catchy song from an intriguing new band, Apple used this in commercials for their new iPod Touch in October 2008, which introduced the band in the States. This hyperkinetic song went very well with the spot, creating a sense of movement and excitement.
  • Lars Iversen of TAGT told us: "That's a more sexual kind of song. It's about sex, really, about that urge to feel someone close to you and to be addicted to it almost, so you would do anything to get that feeling. You would even say, 'I stay forever with you,' which is part of the song lyrics, even though it's a lie. It's ironic. Like, 'I will stay forever with you to get that feeling, to get what I want,' but you just say it because you want it. That's kind of the vibe in that song - you're out partying and at the same time craving this feeling, this intimacy, and you would do whatever it takes to actually get that feeling. Even make a fake promise."
  • This song is inspired by the '60s Soul music the band enjoys - especially the horns. Lindberg has a very distinctive voice that cuts through the music, and although it's not always easy to understand her lyrics, she generates a lot of energy to match the feel of the song. Iversen records on vintage equipment to help create the sound. According to the band, a common theme in their songs is a sense of freedom and adventure.
  • Iversen explains how this song got in the Apple commercial: "We have this company working for us in the States called Synch, and they got in touch with Apple. I think they had this meeting with Steve Jobs himself, and he picked that song out of the bunch and said, 'This is it, this is the new track for the iPod Touch.' Apparently he just loved that track, but we never saw it as one of our singles. We have some other songs that we thought would be great singles, and that would work cool on for the radio, but he really loved that song." (Read more from Lars in our Asteroids Galaxy Tour interview.)
  • When Apple used this in their commercials, the song was not released as a single and The Asteroids Galaxy Tour did not have an album out - just their first single "The Sun Ain't Shining No More." This presented Apple with a great marketing opportunity, as their commercial promoted a song that most listeners could find only on iTunes.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.