Distant Doubloon

Album: Which Bitch? (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • On this song, sea-shanty harmonies are underpinned by an orchestra. Kyle Falconer (vocals/guitar) told The View Are On Fire that he and producer Owen Morris were inspired by the work of 19th century Austrian composer Gustav Mahler. He explained: "Me and Owen were listening to this composer, Mahler. It's meant to sound like death. So we became obsessed with that in the studio, we used to listen to him all the time. That was the inspiration for the start of that. It's sort of comparing Dundonians to these classic characters in Treasure Island. Just these stereotypes, chasing the doubloon. Everyone went to see their girlfriends and I was sitting with Owen just listening to the tracks. We had nothing else to do so we just kept putting the album on over and over. And then I just started writing bits down about Jim Hawkins and everything. Owen said, 'Well give it a bash' and he started playing this piano which brought the tune into itself. We did 18 takes, recorded it live, picked the best one and then sent it to Olly [Kraus] for strings."
  • The chorus mingles the Treasure Island era and modern times and includes lines about bassist Kieren Webster getting his bike stolen in [Dundee estate] Kirkton.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Nash

Graham NashSongwriter Interviews

Graham Nash tells the stories behind some of his famous songs and photos, and is asked about "yacht rock" for the first time.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."