BOOM

Album: Orion (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This anthem for walking away from a toxic relationship with head held high was penned by X Ambassadors frontman Sam Harris from personal experience. "I've had to break off a few of them recently myself, and I was writing all these sad songs because of it," he said. "I needed to write one to give me confidence again. To turn my pain into my power."
  • The artwork for "Boom" features a series of dots which spell "boom" in Braille. X Ambassadors keyboardist Casey Harris has been blind from birth, so this is the first physical manifestation of the band's work he has been able to view.
  • The song was produced by Ricky Reed (Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty," Pitbull's "Fireball", Meghan Trainor's "No").
  • The music video starts off with X Ambassadors performing the song wearing outfits that resemble construction-site safety uniforms. About halfway through it takes a surreal turn as an overhead light drops on Sam Harris' head, knocking him out. The singer picks himself up and continues to perform despite his injuries.
  • Sam Harris explained to Billboard the song came from a demo that had been sitting on his computer for a while from a session with a producer named Thomas Eriksen. Later when X Ambassadors were recording with Ricky Reed and Harris was looking for a drum sample to use in a different song, he pulled up "Boom." He'd forgotten all about it and exclaimed, "Whoa, what's that? We should work on that right now." They finished it within a day or two.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Jonathan Cain of Journey

Jonathan Cain of JourneySongwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

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.

Weezer

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."