Cicadas And Gulls

Album: Metals (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • After an exhausting year touring the world and plugging her successful The Reminder album, Feist arrived home in November 2008 ready to flake out. That winter she penned at home the beginnings of this track in which she compares nature to existential questioning. It proved to be a watershed moment for her follow up record, Metals. "I had just come off the road. I remember being in my bedroom, where I have a fireplace, and it was one of those freezing cold winter nights so I started a fire," she recalled to Spin magazine. "All the lights were off and I was alone. I thought, 'Maybe I'll never tour again. But maybe I'll try to play guitar, because I used to like doing it.' I remember thinking, 'I'm going to try and write something I've never written before.' That's a good mindset to get into. A little stretching assignment to help think about music differently."
  • The song's music video features Feist performing the song, accompanied by some interpretive dancing from the Oakland dance crew Turf Feinz.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Melanie

MelanieSongwriter Interviews

The singer-songwriter Melanie talks about her spiritual awakening at Woodstock, "Brand New Key," and why songwriting is an art, not a craft.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.