Smooth Sailing

Album: ...Like Clockwork (2013)
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Songfacts®:

  • Josh Homme's Them Crooked Vultures bandmate Dave Grohl plays drums on this song as well as on "My God Is The Sun," "If I Had A Tail," "Fairweather Friends" and "I Appear Missing." Homme told NME: "Our relationship is based as much on telling each other to shut up as making each other laugh, which means its honest. So he'll play something ridiculous, then do it for 45 seconds, then a minute and just see how long he can get away with doing that s--t."
  • Homme told The Quietus that this was an "early demo that looked so promising but just never came together until the very end." He added that the band got sick of saying "aah this is a bummer." Eventually it became the defining moment of the record where he sings about hitting back - "a direct face punch in the mirror."
  • The song was used to soundtrack a commercial for the soda drink Mountain Dew. The 30-second "This Is How We Dew" ad also featured pro snowboarder Danny Davis.
  • The song's music video was directed by Hiro Murai (Usher's "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love," David Guetta's "She Wolf" and Earl Sweatshirt's "Hive"). It finds Josh Homme spending a debaunched evening with some businessmen that spins out of control. The band called the clip their, "drinkingest, druggiest, deathiest mini-movie to date."

Comments: 2

  • AnonymousAbsolutely, I thought the same thing when I heard it. I hear a little of David Byrne from talking heads, I think is his name.
  • Huddo from Bundaberg QldDoes anyone else this he sounds like Bowie
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