A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun

Album: Postcards From A Young Man (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • The song title is taken from a passage in writer J.G. Ballard's 1996 novel, Cocaine Nights. Ballard wrote: "A billion balconies facing the sun; still, it means a final goodbye to wars and ideologies. But how do you energize people, give them some sense of community? A world lying on it's back is vulnerable to any cunning predator."
  • As befits a song title referencing JG Ballard, this pulsing rock assault blames technology and lambasts today's laptop generation.
  • Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan guests on this track. Bassist Nicky Wire told Q magazine: "We were derided for wearing Guns T-shirts when we first moved to London, but they were such an important group for us growing up."
  • "A Billion Balconies Facing the Sun" was previously used in 2008 by American rock band God Fires Man as the title of their debut album.

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