Ion Square

Album: Intimacy (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Kele Okereke told Rolling Stone that his favorite song on Intimacy is this song, "because it evokes a really great time in a relationship when everything was going right."
  • This features lyrics from E. E. Cummings' poem I Carry Your Heart with Me, which has been a favorite selection at weddings for many years. It has also featured a number of times in popular culture. For instance, American guitarist Michael Hedges set it to music on his 1990 Taproot album with backing vocals provided by David Crosby and Graham Nash. Also, in the 2005 movie In Her Shoes starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, I Carry Your Heart with Me is read by Diaz at the climatic wedding scene.

    American poet E(dward) E(stlin) Cummings (1894-1962) was initially well known for the idiosyncratic punctuation and typography of his poems ( he always wrote his name as 'e.e. cummings'). However in time their lyrical power became recognized. I Carry Your Heart with Me was published in 1958 in his collection 95 Poems.

    Okereke first came across this poem at school and he was reminded of it when he wrote this song. He explained on his record label's website: "So we called his estate and asked if we could use it. So that's what the chorus is. It really was right for the song. It's the best feeling in the world, feeling comfortable with someone, and being in love. When it ends it's hard, obviously, but when it's great it's the best thing in the world. So yeah, I wanted to end a note of positively."
  • Okereke said of this six-and-a-half minute techno-psychedelic love song on his record label's website in 2008: "I wrote the words two years ago. It's just about being in love with someone and the bad stuff having not appeared yet on the horizon. It's about being comfortable with someone."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

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.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."