Undertow

Album: The Fool (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is a single from The Fool, the full-length debut by Los Angeles-based female quartet Warpaint. The song originally began life as a cover of Nirvana's "Polly," but mutated into their own song with the only similarity being that the words "hurt yourself" appear in both tunes.

    Bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg told BBC 6music: "[Guitarist] Theresa [Wayman] and I were just working and I had a bassline. She just started singing the lyrics to 'Polly' over that song. But instead of making that a cover - even though it sounded really cool - we said: 'Well, write your own words to the song.'"

    She continued: "There's definitely an homage to ['Polly'] in the chorus, the first line - [but] you listen to the songs back-to-back they sound nothing alike. Yeah, it is a bit of an homage to Kurt [Cobain] and Nirvana."
  • Vocalist Emily Kokal told Mojo magazine about the band's song writing process: "We write from beginning to end, in a linear fashion. We don't say, OK, here's a verse, here's a chorus, another verse. We usually start jamming on an idea, then it feels like it's time to change, so we'll write the next part, and then the third part might be completely different, and the fourth. We might never repeat any of them again, but it feels like it's a natural progression from beginning to end."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"

Susanna Hoffs - "Eternal Flame"They're Playing My Song

The Prince-penned "Manic Monday" was the first song The Bangles heard coming from a car radio, but "Eternal Flame" is closest to Susanna's heart, perhaps because she sang it in "various states of undress."

Tom Waits Lyrics Quiz

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?