Songfacts®:

• Esben and the Witch is a three-piece Gothic Rock band hailing from Brighton, England, comprising Rachel Davies, Daniel Copeman and Thomas Fisher. They make doom-laden arty rock, led by Davies' haunted vocals. The trio named themselves after a Danish fairytale.
• This apocalyptic swirl of love and bereavement was inspired by the story of maverick scientist Nikola Tesla, who loved nothing more than feeding pigeons from his hotel windowsill. "He developed a close relationship with this one pigeon," explained Fisher to NME. "But one day it didn't come back, and he said he would never work again," adds Dan. "It was the deepest relationship he ever had."
• The eccentric Tesla's life and work has fascinated a number of other musicians. Other songs inspired by the Serbian scientist include OMD's "Tesla Girls" and "Astro" by The White Stripes. Also the American hard rock band Tesla took their name from the electromagnetism pioneer.