See the Leaves

Album: Embryonic (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Wayne Coyne explained this hypnotic, bass-led groove in the album's press notes: "A simple, menacing groove, but also a kind of grinding machine. It implies a primitive self-exploration. To understand life, we must, sadly, understand death. To know the value of love, we must try to understand the nature of evil. To know ecstasy, one must explore suffering. Crazy, panic drums by Kliph.(Scurlock)."
  • While planning the double album, the band thought they'd record around 10 semi-normal songs and 10 more "freakout" tracks - experimental, open-ended jams that would allow them to explore weirder, more self-indulgent ideas. "The more we played around with it, the less we became inclined to do the other part of the record," Wayne told Diffuser. "Your Bats' and 'See the Leaves,' those were supposed to be the things we were doing on the side. And then the side became the thing. I think if we didn't do those things, we wouldn't be happy. That was probably the first time where we scrapped what we'd planned to do and went with what we're starting to do. And that's pretty radical."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

John Kay of Steppenwolf

John Kay of SteppenwolfSongwriter Interviews

Steppenwolf frontman John Kay talks about "Magic Carpet Ride," "Born To Be Wild," and what he values more than awards and accolades.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).