Gemini

Album: Sound & Color (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This was the first track that Alabama Shakes recorded for Sound & Color. Vocalist Brittany Howard told the story of this song to Uncut: "The story here is that I'd set my studio up in the kitchen, because it's too cold in the basement," she said. "I'd been fooling around on my computer, trying to find something that I can dig into. I've got this little MIDI keyboard, I can't stop playing with it."

    "Anyway, I started writing music," Howard continued. "Then I went and got a short story I had written and I tried to fit as many words in there as I could. I took the demo when we went to the studio, showed it to the guys. They thought it was really cool, so ' Gemini' was the first song we cut in the studio for this record."
  • Late '60s and early '70s Temptations was the touchstone for this psychedelic space jam. "With 'Gemini,' I thought about how the Temptations used to write pop songs, but then got really far out on 'Cloud Nine' or 'Psychedelic Shack,'" Howard explained. "I imagined myself in the situation of the African-American groups in the '70s, when synthesizers had just come out and they were making all of this moody stuff."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Women Who Rock

Women Who RockSong Writing

Evelyn McDonnell, editor of the book Women Who Rock, on why the Supremes are just as important as Bob Dylan.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde of The PretendersSongwriter Interviews

The rock revolutionist on songwriting, quitting smoking, and what she thinks of Rush Limbaugh using her song.

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul Station

Paul Stanley of Kiss, Soul StationSongwriter Interviews

Paul Stanley on his soul music project, the Kiss songs with the biggest soul influence, and the non-make-up era of the band.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went MainstreamSong Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.