Figure 8

Album: Halcyon (2012)
Charted: 33
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Most of the songs on Halcyon were penned by Goulding about her former partner Greg James, including this dark and brooding track. Speaking about her past relationship with the BBC Radio 1 DJ, she told The Sun: "My songs are always about things I experience and my ex knows that and my guy now knows that and even my friends know that - everyone knows that. Greg and I are still friends. Yes, I was worried about what he'd think about these songs but he's heard them and is fine. He's always been a fan of my music," she continued, "that's how we met. I don't think he takes it too seriously. That period in our lives has passed now. We've moved on. He texted me the other day to say that he really liked 'Figure 8'."
  • Goulding explained the concept for the song's music video to MTV News: "I kind of just wanted to put into one video the desperation of unrequited love; I didn't want to do anything that conceptual, I just wanted to do something just, you now, very performance [driven]," she said, "and try to get across as much as possible how horrible, how heartbreaking, how desperate and hopeless it is. But there's also a bit in it where I say 'lovers hold on,' so there's a little hopeful element to it as well."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.