End Of A Friendship

Album: Pre Pleasure (2022)
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Songfacts®:

  • Julia Jacklin closes her Pre Pleasure album with this heart-rending finale where she delves into the heartbreaking end of a friendship. Jacklin recounts the last conversation she had with a former friend, remembering:

    She listed the things about me she didn't like
    I sat there in silence, accepted our fate
    We always found it hard to relate
  • Originally titled "Las Vegas," Jacklin always intended this song as the album's stormy finale, full of cinematic strings and a big, classic rock guitar. "I really didn't want to end the record with a sad folk number," she told Uncut magazine, "which is what I've done on my first two records. I wanted to send it off, like the end credits of a movie."
  • Co-producer Marcus Paquin recruited Owen Pallett to arrange the strings. A Canadian musician, Pallett has also worked with Arcade Fire, Ed Sheeran and The Pet Shop Boys. The Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra performed his arrangements.

    "That song is an ode to how dramatic and devastating a friendship breakdown can be," said Jacklin. "I said to Marcus, 'I feel like I want strings.' This was the first time I've been in a situation where that's been possible. I sent Owen Pallet the melody that I wanted to base it around, and then that day, he sent back a MIDI draft. The next day, the orchestra was recorded in Prague. It was like, 'Is that it? OK, cool.'"

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