Junk of the Heart (Happy)

Album: Junk of the Heart (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kooks vocalist Luke Pritchard found himself writing lyrics containing a lot of emotional drama for their third album and the phrase "junk of the heart" kept coming back to him. He told Spin magazine: "Even before we went to record, I wanted to name the album that. It made sense. The songs lyrically are about baggage, my 'Junk of the Heart.' I got very obsessed with the relationship between pain and love, and how you can't have one without the other. 'Junk of the Heart' represents that for me in one phrase."
  • This song is the album's title track and second single. During the writing of Junk of the Heart (Happy) Pritchard became "obsessed" with the French electronic duo Air and they were a significant influence on this song's sound. He told Spin: "The synthesizers on 'Junk of the Heart' all came from that desire for the eerie and nostalgic feel you get on Air's record. When I was writing the last two Kooks records I was inspired by music from the '60s and '70s. But for this album, the whole idea was to rethink it and make it really modern."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Bob Daisley

Bob DaisleySongwriter Interviews

Bob was the bass player and lyricist for the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. Here's how he wrote songs like "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley" with Ozzy and Randy Rhoads.

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Al Jourgensen of Ministry

Al Jourgensen of MinistrySongwriter Interviews

In the name of song explanation, Al talks about scoring heroin for William Burroughs, and that's not even the most shocking story in this one.

Linda Perry

Linda PerrySongwriter Interviews

Songwriting Hall of Famer Linda Perry talks about her songs "What's Up" and "Beautiful," her songwriting process, and her move into film music.

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock Photography

Danny Clinch: The Art of Rock PhotographySong Writing

One of rock's top photographers talks about artistry in photography, raising funds for a documentary, and enjoying a County Fair with Tom Waits.

Boy Bands

Boy BandsFact or Fiction

From NKOTB to 1D, how well do you know your boy bands?