Songfacts®:

• Those whimsical fellows, MGMT, returned after a three-year hiatus with "Mother Nature." They released it on October 31, 2023, as the first single from their fifth album Loss of Life.
• "Loss of Life" sounds like a real cheery title, doesn't it? Perfect for these dark and uncertain times. But fear not, dear reader, for MGMT assures us "Mother Nature" is all about "one hero attempting to get the other hero to come on the journey that they 'must' go on."
• Did you pick up the Oasis influence? "We just wanted to pull the Oasis herbs out of the cabinet and sprinkle them on little bit," MGMT's Andrew VanWyngarden told UK newspaper, The Sun.
  
  He and his bandmate Benjamin Goldwasser aren't especially hooked on the British group, but their engineer is a huge Oasis fan. Apparently, he's so enamored with Liam Gallagher he spends his days arguing about B-sides on Reddit and wears a parka similar to the Oasis singer. "Part of our thinking was to tickle him," VanWyngarden said.
• There are some intriguing guest collaborators on this track. There's experimental electronic music producer, Oneohtrix Point Never, musician and producer Brian Burton (Danger Mouse), and Wilco guitar maestro Nels Cline.
  
  "When we were first working out the piano riff at the beginning, I always felt like there was a Supertramp feeling to it," VanWyngarden told Billboard. "It all really came together very naturally and organically on that song. We had known Brian Burton for a really long time and we were we were working in his studio. He was there giving us advice and his opinion and helping work through sections.
  
  Then once we developed the song out and invited Oneohtrix Point Never on, he and Ben did a session where they just went hog wild with guitars and made this sort of shoegaze-y bridge.
  
  Then we got the song closer to where it ended up when we were working at Sean Lennon's studio in September 2022. It was in upstate New York and Nels and Yuka [Honda] live close by, and then Oneohtrix Point Never was up there. There was this smorgasbord of amazing musicians. We had Nels go in and just fool around on the guitar and we were like, 'Wow, this is incredible.'"
• The accompanying video, directed by MGMT's longtime visual collaborator Jordan Fish, is a heartwarming tale of two animal friends, Dog and Turtle, taking down an evil pet collector. The visual combines animation and live action. "I hope the story makes people happy and feel connected to family, friends and the animal kingdom as well," said Fish.
• "Mother Nature" peaked at #28 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart, becoming MGMT's first hit on the tally since their 2007 smashes "Time To Pretend" and "Kids."
• "Mother Nature" feels like a bittersweet sequel to MGMT's early hit "Time to Pretend." Back then, they were young dreamers yearning for fame and fortune. Now, in their 40s, "Mother Nature" paints a picture of MGMT grappling with the realities of adulthood.
  
  The carefree optimism of "Time to Pretend" is replaced by a struggle for balance ("keep our balance over zero") and a reminder of fleeting time ("holding onto love like a stone"). It's a subtle shift, but one that reflects the passage of time and the inevitable changes it brings.
  
  "That is telling the story of us," VanWyngarden admitted to The Independent. "I'm always at some point trying to pull Ben back in and get him back on our journey because I know that we both believe in the music, but sometimes Ben really wants to drift off… Sometimes I feel guilt about bringing Ben into this world."