Living Is So Easy

Album: Valhalla Dancehall (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is the first single from British indie-rock band British Sea Power's fourth non-soundtrack studio album, Valhalla Dancehall. The album was co-produced by BSP and Graham Sutton, whom the band worked with on their previous releases.
  • In Viking mythology, Valhalla was an enormous hall ruled over by the god Odin. The Scandinavian warriors saw it a form of Heaven where many of those that die in combat travelled to upon death, led by valkyries. In Valhalla the Vikings believed they would fight there all day, then at night those who were slain on the battlefield would be raised and the wounded made whole again. They would spend the evening in banquets, drinking wine from cups made from the skulls of their conquered foes. BSP chose the title to reflect the fact that the album contains the widest collection of songs they've done to date. "The title evolved as a place to house what we'd done," explained vocalist Yan to Clash Magazine."'Valhalla Dancehall' is this fictitious, imaginary place that we had to make up as a place that could house all these songs. Imagine all these different rooms and different things going on in them all at the same time. We're in the same house, but different rooms. So with the songs, we had a certain structure to fit into this word and atmosphere, but there wasn't really any limit to what could come out or what was possible."
  • The song's music video was directed by Luke Seomore and Joseph Bull, and was shot on London's Brick Lane. It was inspired by iconic French director Henri-Georges Clouzot's unfinished 1964 film L'Enfer.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.

Penny Ford of Snap!

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.

Queen

QueenFact or Fiction

Scaramouch, a hoople and a superhero soundtrack - see if you can spot the real Queen stories.

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Jimmy Webb

Jimmy WebbSongwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?