Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology

Album: To The Sea (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is based on Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. Johnson told Billboard magazine: "There's a line in the book where [Huxley] says how much better things are and how much happier they are because of the soma - there's no need for headaches or mythology." (In the novel the soma is a popular dream-inducing drug, which provides an easy escape from the hassles of daily life).
  • Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an English writer of novels, essays, and verse. His most popular work was his 1932 science fiction novel Brave New World set in the year 632 AF, or After Ford. The book provides a frightening vision of the future whereby humans are mass-produced in laboratories and personal freedom is prevented by indoctrination and drugs.
  • A song in a different genre, which was also inspired by the Huxley novel is heavy metal act Iron Maiden's "Brave New World." Other Huxley connections with rock music include Tool's 1994 track, "T.B.D.," which was based on the English writer's life and his painful heroin-filled death, and the band The Doors, who took name from Huxley's book about his experiments with the hallucinogenic drug mescalin, The Doors of Perception.

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.