My Mistake

Album: Father of the Bride (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "My Mistake" is a mournful piano ballad that describes a person attempting to cross the United States southern border in order to achieve a better life. The refugee gets caught and describes his "hoping for kindness" as his/her "greatest mistake."
  • Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig describes the immigrant's innocent youthful days in the first verse.

    Unaware of the fall
    Unaware of my fate
    There was peace in the valley
    'Til I made my mistake


    Ezra Koenig's family were Jewish refugees who came to America from Europe (including Romania and Hungary). Here, he might referencing Elvis Presley singing the gospel staple "Peace in the Valley" on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1957. The King dedicated the song to the victims of that year's Hungarian refugee crisis, who had fled their country after the October 1956 invasion by the Soviet Union.
  • Ezra Koenig wrote the song with regular Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) collaborator Ludwig Göransson. He co-produced the track with Father of the Bride executive producer Ariel Rechtshaid and Kendrick Lamar collaborator DJ Dahl. Koenig told Q Magazine:

    "I wrote My Mistake, which is a quiet favorite, with Ludwig who I met years ago through Donald Glover. We worked on a chord progression together then he forgot about it and I worked on it with DJ Dahi and Ariel."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."