Atlas Air

Album: Heligoland (2010)
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Songfacts®:

  • Massive Attack founder member Robert "3D" del Naja (From The Independent February 12, 2010): "There are lots of mixed messages in there and this was a song that changed direction a few times. It ended up being almost about rendition, about secret flights and torture. But it's not really something that's easy to sing about. Some of it's actually sung from the point of view of those who actually empower themselves and actually are the perpetrators of these crazy situations. It's like stepping into different shoes. It's kind of ironic, like, 'let's go on a holiday to a secret prison we've got lined up for you as a package deal'.
    The track was meant to be slightly schizophrenic. I had the Middle Eastern drum part. It had the very analogue organ part which also felt it could have been seen slightly Turkish but European as well and the drums, disco but slightly Arabic. And then obviously the keys at the end just going off, electronically, in a more twisted fashion."
  • When this song was first played live it was known by its working title of "Marrakesh."

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