Us

Album: Hot Thoughts (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was a result of a happy accident when a saxophonist misunderstood what part of the song Britt Daniel wanted him to play. Daniel recalled to NME:

    "There was a song I was working on that was fairly long, and I thought maybe it would be cool to put a saxophone intro on the song, as a way to change the mood. So I had a guy come over and I set up the microphone in front of him and I played him the song, he listened to it just once and said 'OK, I got it' and played through the entire track instead of just the beginning. Then he said, 'Give me another track' and he played through the whole song again, this time harmonising and playing in time and in rhythm with it all. It was pretty remarkable; the guy is clearly talented.

    Once he left, I listened to just the saxophones and I was like, 'This is incredible, this is so much better than the thing I was working on before.' So I mostly just threw out the original song, and figured if we can make a song just from these saxophones, that would be something we have never done before. I feel like we pulled it off."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.