Our Song

Album: Coexist (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The xx close their sophomore album Coexist with this minimalist ballad in which the trio pay tribute to each other. "And there's no one else. Who knows me. Like you do. What I've done, you've done too," sings guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist Oliver Sim. "It's a friendship song," Madley Croft told Spin magazine. "It's the first time we've kind of just written about the love of friendship. Oliver and I felt quite keen to write a song that we felt reflected off each other. It's for Jamie [Smith, DJ-producer] as well. It's the only song where I've ever addressed Oliver and he's addressing me."
  • The xx titled the album Coexist to get across unity and togetherness. Sim explained to 7Digital United Kingdom: "There was talk of calling the album 'Together' but, even though it's such a simple word, for me it's very 'nice' and conjures up quite a twee image. I think we wanted to do something with a darkness to it, that was a bit more honest about how relationships can be."

    He continued: "Romy found the word 'coexist' when doing artwork research. She was looking at the way oil and water make those beautiful rainbows when mixed together and found a line about it: 'Oil and water don't mix, they agree to peacefully coexist.' She's a bit of a romantic and really liked that, and saw a mirror in what we do – in that we're three separate people and we only make this music when we come together. So the word 'coexist' seemed a lot more honest and it felt right."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Howard Jones

Howard JonesSongwriter Interviews

Howard explains his positive songwriting method and how uplifting songs can carry a deeper message.

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Lyric

Wherefore Art Thou Romeo LyricMusic Quiz

In this quiz, spot the artist who put Romeo into a song lyric.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Scott Stapp

Scott StappSongwriter Interviews

The Creed lead singer reveals the "ego and self-fulfillment" he now sees in one of the band's biggest hits.

Maxi Priest

Maxi PriestSongwriter Interviews

The British reggae legend tells the story of his #1 hit "Close To You," talks about his groundbreaking Shabba Ranks collaboration "Housecall," and discusses his latest project with Robin Trower.