• 1996-

  Thomas MarsVocals

  Deck D'ArcyBass

  Christian MazzalaiGuitar

  Laurent BrancowitzGuitar
• Phoenix don't have a permanent drummer or keyboard player. They use session and touring musicians to fill those roles, although members of the group often play keyboards on their recordings.
• Phoenix formed in Paris but sing in English and have a very American sound, which owes to their influences: singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and innovators like Michael Jackson and Prince. They had no interest in traditional French music.
• All four members, along with their manager, lived together in Paris for three years leading up to their debut album, United, in 2000. Friends since childhood, they agreed that if they hadn't succeeded in music by the time they were 35, they'd pack it in and get proper jobs. Luckily, they didn't have to: The album got some attention in France, and their next two expanded their reach. When they put out their fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009, they went international with the hits "1901" and "Lisztomania."
• The have a connection to another famous French outfit: Daft Punk. When his first band split, Laurent Brancowitz joined his younger brother, Christian Mazzalai, in Phoenix. The remaining members of that first band, Darlin' - Thomas Bangalter and Guy Manuel de Honem-Christo - went on to form the massively popular electronica duo. The members of Phoenix and Daft Punk remain good friends.
• Phoenix provided the song "Too Young" for the 2003 Sofia Coppola film Lost in Translation, and also appeared as a lute-playing band in the Coppola's next film, Marie Antoinette (2006), which stars Kirsten Dunst and Fantastic Planet drummer Jason Swartzman.
  
  Along the way, Coppola and Thomas Mars started dating; their daughter Romy was born in 2006 and daughter Cosima in 2010. They got married in 2011.
• Phoenix cut their teeth on the tour circuit in France playing Hank Williams and Prince covers to drunken French bar audiences. They also had a gig backing the atmospheric French duo Air on their live dates.
• In 2006, while traveling to play the V Festival in Canada, the band had a harrowing experience. As they were traveling to the small island where the festival is held, their boat, which was carrying the band and their equipment, started to take on water. They addressed the situation by discussing which way to swim and whether or not they should take off their clothes so they wouldn't be weighed down. Help eventually came in the form of another boat.
• Phoenix employed family and friends on their 2000 debut album, United. It features contributions by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, Phillips Zdar or Cassius and even Deck D'Arcy's mother. She and her chorale society provided backing vocals on the track, "Funky Squaredance."
• Their first three albums were on major labels but they went indie for their breakthrough Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, releasing it in Europe on their own label, Loyaute, and in America on the small independent label Glassnote. Being free from a major label allowed them complete creative freedom.
• Phoenix played a raucous set at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Before the performance, Tom Cruise rappelled into the stadium to receive the Olympic flag on behalf of Los Angeles, host of the 2028 games. This was a thrill for Phoenix, who are big fans of Cruise's movie Risky Business.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Cheeseburger in ParadiseJimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett's "Cheeseburger In Paradise" has muenster (cheese), not mustard, as commonly misheard in the line "medium rare with muenster'd be nice."

Stay With MeSam Smith

A gospel choir appears in Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" video, but the vocals on the song are all Smith - about 20 tracks of his voice were used to make him sound like a chorus.

I Kissed a GirlKaty Perry

Katy Perry's breakout hit, "I Kissed A Girl," was surprising to those familiar with her past: Her parents were pastors and she started off singing Christian music.

Everything Your Heart DesiresHall & Oates

The Hall & Oates hit "Everything Your Heart Desires" has no rhymes.

Human NatureMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" was written by the keyboard player from Toto, who was working on the Thriller album.

Freedom Of ChoiceDevo

The Devo song "Freedom Of Choice" is about mindless consumerism - how people like to make frivolous choices, but otherwise want to be told what to do.

Editor's Picks

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?