Fiction

Album: Coexist (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song finds singer-bassist Oliver Sim broodingly lamenting, "Why do I refuse you?" Unusually for The xx it finds Sim singing on his own without singer-guitarist Romy Madley Croft. DJ-producer Jamie Smith told Spin magazine it is, "a song Ollie started. We wanted it to show his strength, especially as his voice and ability to write has gotten so much stronger."

    Madley Croft added: "['Fiction'] is something that I loved and I thought very much that it didn't need me on the song. I really feel that it's [Oliver's] moment to shine."
  • The song's music video was directed by Young Replicant and shot in Palm Springs, Florida during The xx's early 2013 tour across North America. The clip features Sim performing the track while wandering about and dancing outdoors under a full moon. His bandmates had decided very early on that the bassist would be the star of the clip. "We love to be really involved in our videos, and the idea came out of a conversation," Madley Croft explained to MTV News. "I really wanted it to be all about Oliver, really, as it should be; that's his song on the album, 'Angels' is my song, so it should be about him ... The idea of him performing a bit more was a big focus."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

00s Music Quiz 1

00s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

Do you know the girl singer on Eminem's "Stan"? If so, this quiz is for you.

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.

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?

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.