Deeply Ordered Chaos

Album: Hidden City (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Written soon after the Charlie Hebdo Paris shooting in January 2015, the song alludes to a quote from the British figurative artist Francis Bacon (1909-1992). "The title came from one our greatest painters and visionaries, Francis Bacon, who stated, 'I believe in deeply ordered chaos.' His work and philosophy have had a profound effect on my life," Cult frontman Ian Astbury explained to Billboard magazine.
  • The lyric video was conceived as a response to both the shootings at French satirical magaziner Charlie Hebdo and the November 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. Ian Astbury, who directed the clip with Juan Azualy said. "We chose to depict scenes of wild life and outer space to provide a counterpoint to the wave of violent images we are constantly bombarded with and acknowledge the profoundness of being."
  • Ian Astbury expanded on the song title to Uncut magazine: "I thought it was a perfect encapsulation of where we're at today. The fabric of society is just ripping, and we're watching it."

    He added: "The first line Is,' I'm a European…' , And I was thinking of Iggy Pop's 'The Passenger.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

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.