Saturnine
by Justice (featuring Miguel)

Album: Hyperdrama (2024)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The French electro duo Justice, comprising Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, cooked up something entirely unexpected with "Saturnine." Forget the usual robo-funk assaults – this time they roped in the smooth-as-silk American R&B singer Miguel. The song is a slow burner comprising waves of synthesized guitar, crashes of percussion and a rogue bell for a touch of barmy brilliance.

    Justice themselves seem tickled pink with this tune. "We don't think we've ever made anything that sounds remotely like this track before," they declared.
  • The song started with Augé noodling with an E-mu synthesizer guitar, when he stumbled upon the main riff, and the rest, as they say, is history. The Justice duo were particularly chuffed to snag Miguel, and wanted his vocals to be "outrageously frontal" – no fancy studio trickery, just pure, raw Miguel. "We wanted him to sound outrageously frontal, with no space around his voice," Justice said.
  • Miguel's lyrics are a cosmic trip. He sings of dancing in flames and relishing danger, but then craves safety and warmth. The lyrics are cryptic but catchy, capturing Justice's signature weirdness.

    According to the Songfacts dictionary, "Saturnine" means "gloomy, phlegmatic," the kind of mood that would make even Eeyore look chipper. Justice describe the lyrics as, "this sort of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas sweaty, hallucinatory flow. Feeling well in feeling bad."
  • "Saturnine" is a track from Justice's 2024 album Hyperdrama. The French electronic pair describe their usual style as a disco-funk and electronic music free-for-all, but this time around, it's getting downright contentious.

    "Disco/funk and electronic music at large have always been core elements of the music we make," they said. "In Hyperdrama, we make them coexist, but not in a peaceful way. We like this idea of making them fight a bit for attention."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & FireSongwriter Interviews

The longtime bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire discusses how his band came to do a holiday album, and offers insight into some of the greatest dance/soul tunes of all-time.

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

The Real Nick Drake

The Real Nick DrakeSong Writing

The head of Drake's estate shares his insights on the late folk singer's life and music.

Francesca Battistelli

Francesca BattistelliSongwriter Interviews

The 2011 Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards isn't your typical gospel diva, and she thinks that's a good thing.