Moscow Underground

Album: Graffiti Soul (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Vocalist Jim Kerr returned from his Sicily home to his parents' house in Glasgow as his mother was ill. Whilst there he took the opportunity to pen some lyrics for Graffiti Soul. He found himself seated at the old kitchen table where he had once written songs while listening to ideas that guitarist Charlie Burchill had recorded on C60 cassettes. Kerr explained in publicity materials: "I tried it again and it worked. Only this time Charlie was emailing me MP3's from Rome."
  • One of the tunes that Burchill emailed had a certain train rhythm. It also painted a picture that chimed with Scots author David Greig's writings on certain inhabitants of Moscow's netherworld, which inspired Kerr's noir thriller lyrics for this song.
  • Graffiti Soul was Simple Minds 15th studio album. Kerr and Burchill are the only original members of the band left.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus Wainwright

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic Metal

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."