Why Are You Looking Grave?
by Mew

Album: And the Glass Handed Kites (2005)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song by the Danish band Mew asks a lot of questions:

    Are you thinking of something to say?
    Why are you sitting there?
    Are you hoping that someone will stare?


    Their frontman Jonas Bjerre didn't proffer any answers in his 2017 Songfacts interview, but he did explain how the song was written.

    "That was written on an acoustic guitar," he said. "We had a tuning we used a lot on that album, that I think was EAEG#C#E, and we used it on a lot of songs. So, it had this kind of drone-y, strum-y feeling to it, and we turned it into an electrical song.
  • J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. sang on this track. Mew was recording the album in Los Angeles, and went to one of his shows. Afterward, they asked him to perform on the song, and he agreed.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Pam Tillis

Pam TillisSongwriter Interviews

The country sweetheart opines about the demands of touring and talks about writing songs with her famous father.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Artis the Spoonman

Artis the SpoonmanSong Writing

Even before Soundgarden wrote a song about him, Artis was the most famous spoon player of all time. So why has he always been broke?

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.