Rococo

Album: The Suburbs (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a track from The Suburbs, the third album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. In this song, the band mocks empty-headed feral, modern kids: "They will eat right out of your hand/Using great big words that they don't understand."
  • Rococo is a style of architecture, decoration and furniture making, which prevailed in King Louis XV's reign in France. It developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly more ornate, florid, and playful. So why are the kids in this song singing "Rococo"? Multi-instrumentalist Regine Chassagne explained to The NME July 31, 2010: "Win (Butler, vocals) was strumming the chords on the guitar and I was on the couch and said, 'Hey, those chords sound like baroque music, so the words rococo comes from baroque."
  • Chassagne said: "We recorded it at the church with everyone together in one room, and it spontaneously grew from a small song into something big. At one point the guitars sounded like Nirvana!"
  • This was among the most challenging tracks to record on Suburbs. Inspired by Chassagne's Haitian heritage and the island's brutal French colonial history, it sees feedbacking guitars vying with harpsichord and scraping violins. She told Q magazine with a laugh: "I asked for the strings to sound like mosquitoes attacking Frenchmen wearing fancy clothes in the jungle."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)

Dexys (Kevin Rowland and Jim Paterson)Songwriter Interviews

"Come On Eileen" was a colossal '80s hit, but the band - far more appreciated in their native UK than stateside - released just three albums before their split. Now, Dexys is back.

AC/DC

AC/DCFact or Fiction

Does Angus really drink himself silly? Did their name come from a sewing machine? See if you can spot the real stories about AC/DC.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."