The Day is My Enemy

Album: The Day Is My Enemy (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of The Prodigy's sixth album, the song was inspired by Ella Fitzgerald's version of the Cole Porter tune "All Through the Night," in particular its lyrics "the day is my enemy, the night my friend."
  • Like The Prodigy's previous albums, The Day Is My Enemy is imbued with a sense of aggression. "I can't tell you why this record came out so angry, I think its just inbuilt in me," explained keyboardist/producer Liam Howlett. "It's more about what I like music to do."

    "I've always seen music I like as a form of attack," he added. "That's what I use music for, it's an attack. I didn't plan this album to sound violent, it's just the sound that came out of the studio, a kind of build up over the last four years."

    "'Anger is an energy', that's a lyric which always resonated with me," Howlett concluded. "The tension is buried deep in the music right from the first drop. It's all about the sound having that sense of danger. That's what The Prodigy sound is about."
  • The song features vocals by Martina Topley-Bird, who is known for her work with Tricky and Massive Attack. Her singing was actually done for a completely different track that Howlett had done. He loved her contribution, but just didn't like the song. Howlett told Spin: "I tucked it away for the right moment, and so I pulled it back out without the track. It was really perfect for the concept of this album."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright IIISongwriter Interviews

"Dead Skunk" became a stinker for Loudon when he felt pressure to make another hit - his latest songs deal with mortality, his son Rufus, and picking up poop.

Keith Reid of Procol Harum

Keith Reid of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

As Procol Harum's lyricist, Keith wrote the words to "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." We delve into that song and find out how you can form a band when you don't sing or play an instrument.

Eagles Lyrics Quiz

Eagles Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Lots of life lessons in these Eagles lyrics - can you match them to the correct song?

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)

Chad Channing (Nirvana, Before Cars)Songwriter Interviews

Chad tells tales from his time as drummer for Nirvana, and talks about his group Before Cars.

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"

Dean Friedman - "Ariel"They're Playing My Song

Dean's saga began with "Ariel," a song about falling in love with a Jewish girl from New Jersey.