Eat the Elephant

Album: Eat the Elephant (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song started off as something that frontman Maynard James Keenan was writing for guitarist Billy Howerdel's solo project, Ashes Divide. Keenan told Kerrang that when Chester Bennington asked him if he wanted to co-write a song for Linkin Park's record, "this song was my ace in the hole, in case we didn't come up with anything on the fly."

    Keenan added that when Bennington committed suicide, "that event prompted me in a whirlwind of grief to finish that song. In a way it's a dedication to him."
  • This was the title track of A Perfect Circle's Eat the Elephant album. The record has a quieter, softer sound than the band's previous material, which came about because of a new songwriting approach from Howerdel.

    "A big differentiating factor was writing most of these songs on keyboard or piano," the guitarist told ABC Radio. "I've always gravitated towards the guitar, but in 2014, I purposefully decided to put it down, try and find a different avenue of writing songs."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Ed Roland of Collective Soul

Ed Roland of Collective SoulSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Shine," "December," "The World I Know" and other Collective Soul hits.

Joe Ely

Joe ElySongwriter Interviews

The renown Texas songwriter has been at it for 40 years, with tales to tell about The Flatlanders and The Clash - that's Joe's Tex-Mex on "Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

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.

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?

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.