When We Die

Album: Ununiform (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The closing track of Ununiform, "When We Die" finds Tricky reuniting with his frequent 1990s collaborator Martina Topley Bird for the first time in nearly two decades. The vocalist is also mother to his daughter Mazy. He explained to Mojo:

    "We're always in touch because we have a kid together. She wanted me to do an album with her. I was recording Ununiform and she called, asking if I'd decided yet. So I sent her a track, the instrumental of When We Die, to see what the vibe was like, she didn't have my vocal track to hear. And it worked out well."

    Topley Bird is the featured female vocalist on Tricky's debut album, Maxinquaye (1995). She also worked with him on his subsequent sets Nearly God (1996), Pre-Millennium Tension (1996) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1998).
  • Tricky told Q Magazine this song was a spiritual eureka moment. He explained "It's a conversation between me now, and a younger me. The young kids are like, 'What the f--k do I do now? My mum's dead? Where do I go? I Don't Die Young, not like (uncle) Michael?' So I'm saying back, 'Nah, it's going to be alright. You end up going on tour, travelling around. It's all going to be good."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."