The Day is My Enemy

Album: The Day Is My Enemy (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of The Prodigy's sixth album, the song was inspired by Ella Fitzgerald's version of the Cole Porter tune "All Through the Night," in particular its lyrics "the day is my enemy, the night my friend."
  • Like The Prodigy's previous albums, The Day Is My Enemy is imbued with a sense of aggression. "I can't tell you why this record came out so angry, I think its just inbuilt in me," explained keyboardist/producer Liam Howlett. "It's more about what I like music to do."

    "I've always seen music I like as a form of attack," he added. "That's what I use music for, it's an attack. I didn't plan this album to sound violent, it's just the sound that came out of the studio, a kind of build up over the last four years."

    "'Anger is an energy', that's a lyric which always resonated with me," Howlett concluded. "The tension is buried deep in the music right from the first drop. It's all about the sound having that sense of danger. That's what The Prodigy sound is about."
  • The song features vocals by Martina Topley-Bird, who is known for her work with Tricky and Massive Attack. Her singing was actually done for a completely different track that Howlett had done. He loved her contribution, but just didn't like the song. Howlett told Spin: "I tucked it away for the right moment, and so I pulled it back out without the track. It was really perfect for the concept of this album."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner of Soul AsylumSongwriter Interviews

Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In Songs

Sending Out An SOS - Distress Signals In SongsSong Writing

Songs where something goes horribly wrong (literally or metaphorically), and help is needed right away.

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.