Albatross

Album: Metal Box (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • John Lydon told Mojo magazine July 2008 that the lines "getting rid of the albatross, sowing the seeds of discontent" were a reference to the Sex Pistol's former manager Malcolm McClaren, and "his bragging and pontificating that he took part in the riots outside the American Embassy."

    Lydon felt that McClaren was a pontificator, who wanted to be a activist but never actually contributed anything essential to anything. He wanted, for instance, to take credit for the 1968 Grosvenor Riots in London, when thousands of anti-Vietnam War protesters rallied outside the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square.
  • The Metal Box album was named after its original packaging of three vinyl discs in a metal film canister. It was ranked #469 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

Ian Gillan of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan explains the "few red lights" in "Smoke On The Water" and talks about songs from their 2020 album Whoosh!

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.