Fanfare for the Conscious Man

Album: Common Dreads (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Singer Rou Reynolds told Kerrang! May 2, 2009 that "this song has my favourite line, 'Our gracious Queen should grasp her crown and take a good f--king swing at Blair and Brown!'." He added: "Lyrically, it was our last chance to have a massive outpouring of frustration."
  • Reynolds plays the trumpet on this track and his brother the trombone. The vocalist explained to Kerrang!: "We wanted to have an outro with a massive brass section with gang vocals." He added "The trumpet was the first instrument I ever learned. I started when I was eight years old. I stopped because it wasn't cool and I didn't want cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie. I picked it up again last year."
  • The song title is a play on words of American composer Aaron Copland's 1942 classical piece "Fanfare For The Common Man." In 1977 a rocked-up version became a hit single for the British rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

90s Music Quiz 1

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.