My Mistake

Album: Father of the Bride (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "My Mistake" is a mournful piano ballad that describes a person attempting to cross the United States southern border in order to achieve a better life. The refugee gets caught and describes his "hoping for kindness" as his/her "greatest mistake."
  • Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig describes the immigrant's innocent youthful days in the first verse.

    Unaware of the fall
    Unaware of my fate
    There was peace in the valley
    'Til I made my mistake


    Ezra Koenig's family were Jewish refugees who came to America from Europe (including Romania and Hungary). Here, he might referencing Elvis Presley singing the gospel staple "Peace in the Valley" on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1957. The King dedicated the song to the victims of that year's Hungarian refugee crisis, who had fled their country after the October 1956 invasion by the Soviet Union.
  • Ezra Koenig wrote the song with regular Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) collaborator Ludwig Göransson. He co-produced the track with Father of the Bride executive producer Ariel Rechtshaid and Kendrick Lamar collaborator DJ Dahl. Koenig told Q Magazine:

    "I wrote My Mistake, which is a quiet favorite, with Ludwig who I met years ago through Donald Glover. We worked on a chord progression together then he forgot about it and I worked on it with DJ Dahi and Ariel."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Boz Scaggs

Boz ScaggsSongwriter Interviews

The "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" singer makes a habit of playing with the best in the business.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

Richie McDonald of Lonestar

Richie McDonald of LonestarSongwriter Interviews

Richie talks about the impact of "Amazed," and how his 4-year-old son inspired another Lonestar hit.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

History Of Rock

History Of RockSong Writing

An interview with Dr. John Covach, music professor at the University of Rochester whose free online courses have become wildly popular.

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.