Take Shape
by Code Orange (featuring Billy Corgan)

Album: The Above (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This grungy rocker is about struggling with dark thoughts while trying to find one's place in the world. "'Take Shape' is really about feeling like you're being pushed through a stage play of your life that you really can't control, like some Truman Show s--t," vocalist and conceptual mastermind Jami Morgan told Apple Music. "Like you're just a puppet on strings being controlled by your own subconscious or your goals or whatever."
  • Guest vocalist Billy Corgan croons the bridge, voicing the urge to sell out.

    Spread your wings
    Show us who you are
    Spread your wings
    You'll go far


    Despite their growing popularity, Code Orange remains an independent band. They're known for their heavy sound and their experimental approach to music, preferring to do things their way. But there are always temptations to compromise the group's values by releasing music that's more commercial.
  • Code Orange recorded "Take Shape" for their fifth album, The Above. It was produced by Jami Morgan and the group's keyboardist, Eric "Shade" Balderose, and engineered by Nirvana producer Steve Albini's at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The Above is Code Orange's first album to be entirely self-produced.
  • The Above is the follow-up to 2020's Underneath, and there's a direct overlap between the two records. "Where I feel Underneath and The Above coincide is like there's almost this door between them," Morgan told Apple Music. "It's the door of moment and choice. To me, it's the thin, reflective line between things and feelings that feel very far apart but are often very close, like the inverse, the question and the answer, darkness and light. A lot of The Above's themes are different ideas of light - the light of self versus the light of acceptance and want."
  • Code Orange first teased "Take Shape" June 2021 when they shared a photo of the band posing in the studio with Corgan.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.

Harold Brown of War

Harold Brown of WarSongwriter Interviews

A founding member of the band War, Harold gives a first-person account of one of the most important periods in music history.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80s

Wang Chung Pick The Top Songs Of The '80sSongwriter Interviews

'80s music ambassadors Wang Chung pick their top tracks of the decade, explaining what makes each one so special.