Numbness

Album: Forth (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Like a number of songs on the album, this was musically an improvised jam recorded in one take. The band forgot about it and it was only later when the engineer went back through the tapes and said that he'd found this really good track that it was included on the album. Guitarist Nick McCabe explained to BBC DJ Steve Lamacq: "Me and Si, at the end of the second set of sessions in Richmond got a whiteboard in and had a look at what we had and we got like 35. The guy that engineered it got 64 or 65 so we started scouring the hard disk to see what we had and tucked away was this thing that we later remembered playing very late at night and it's probably my favorite tune on the record actually because it's the least considered and it's had the least work done to it but it's somehow truer for it I think really and I think Richard's vocal on that is probably one of my favorite things that he has ever done. It gets me. I keep joking about it. I can't listen to that after six o'clock at night because it just depresses me too much. (Laughter)"
  • Frontman Richard Ashcroft told Steve Lamacq that, "there's nothing really deep and meaningful about the lyrics."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

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.

Zakk Wylde

Zakk WyldeSongwriter Interviews

When he was playing Ozzfest with Black Label Society, a kid told Zakk he was the best Ozzy guitarist - Zakk had to correct him.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.