Telomere

Album: Curve Of The Earth (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The first single from Curve Of The Earth, this was premiered by Mystery Jets during the November 30, 2015 episode of Steve Lamacq's BBC 6Music radio show.
  • A telomere is a region of DNA at the end of a chromosome. It protects the end of the chromosome from deteriorating or fusing with other chromosomes. Mystery Jets vocalist Blaine Harrison came up with the idea for the song after reading Patti Smith's book, Just Kids. He explained to NME: "There's this great line in there where she said 'the victories and the plights of your ancestors live through you in your blood.'. I started thinking about ancestry and I wonder if, all the people who've come before you in your bloodline, if part of them does live on in your essence."

    "Telomeres are the things that keep your DNA together. I think, in essence, what [the song is] about is that there's something in your blood that will never die, that's bigger than human life. It's some way coded into your DNA strands."
  • The chorus came five years before the verse. Harrison Blaine told the BBC: "That's not unusual. These musical ideas often appear as fragments and don't find their counterparts until months, or even years, later."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Donny Osmond

Donny OsmondSongwriter Interviews

Donny Osmond talks about his biggest hits, his Vegas show, and the fan who taught him to take "Puppy Love" seriously.

Carl Sturken

Carl SturkenSongwriter Interviews

Hitmaker Carl Sturken on writing and producing for Rihanna, 'N Sync, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Donny Osmond, Shakira and Karyn White.

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.