Mountain At My Gates

Album: What Went Down (2015)
Charted: 87
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis told NME the story of this song: "I'd recorded the beginning riff on my phone ages ago," he said. "At the beginning it had a baggy feel, but became less so with more work."

    "The central image - 'I see a mountain at my gates' was from me getting more interested in seeing what would come out lyrically where there wasn't a pre-conceived idea," Philippakis added. "Normally I write voraciously in books and journals, then harvest a lot of that for the record. This, though, came out instantaneously in the room."
  • The video sees Foals perform their song live in a sidewalk alley between mountains while interacting with the viewer. The clip was directed by Nabil (Frank Ocean, Kanye West, Alt-J) with whom the band worked with on previous visuals for "Bad Habit" and "Late Night." It was filmed using GoPro cameras, using their spherical Virtual Reality technology. This enables viewers using Chrome or the YouTube app to interact with the visual.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

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.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"

Jonathan Edwards - "Sunshine"They're Playing My Song

"How much does it cost? I'll buy it?" Another songwriter told Jonathan to change these lyrics. Good thing he ignored this advice.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.