Space & Time

Album: Visions of a Life (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This track came late during the recording sessions for Visions of a Life in late 2016. Guitarist Joff Oddie recalled the story of the song to Consequence of Sound:

    "We were in our rehearsal studio sometime late November getting to the end of our writing sessions before we had to pack up and leave for the States when during a quiet moment Ellie picked up her guitar and starting singing 'Space & Time'. Joel picked up his sticks and began to play that straight down the line 'Moe Tucker' beat. Theo followed suit and I sat there in awe as seemingly a Wolf Alice song had been written in the same time as it took to play it.

    The only way I felt I could capture the rawness and naivety of the song with my own contribution was to stamp on all of my distortion pedals, wave my guitar around and scream into the pickups making noise. Very shortly after that first run through we recorded a live take of the song that we felt captured the emotion and that was the demo done."
  • Vocalist Ellie Rowsell explained the track's meaning during an appearance on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show on September 28, 2017:

    "This song I suppose is kind of about feeling anxious and trying not to feel anxious… Sometimes when I feel a bit low/weirdo I try to imagine my future self looking back on my past self and it kind of makes me feel better. So it’s a song about that really."
  • The song's music video sees Ellie Rowsell running through the woods and streets of Portland, Maine, while wearing a wedding dress. She explained the clip is "about a girl who's made a big decision," but didn't clarify further. Asked by NME why a wedding was the best way of representing a "big decision", Rowsell replied:

    "Mainly just because you know what the dress is – you know what it means when you see the dress, but you don't necessarily know the back story. You know there was gonna be a wedding, or there was one. You can build your own story around it. You've suggested something, but you haven't told them everything."

    She added that it also "just looks nice, doesn't it?"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Sarah Brightman

Sarah BrightmanSongwriter Interviews

One of the most popular classical vocalists in the land is lining up a trip to space, which is the inspiration for many of her songs.

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Trucking Songs That Were #1 Hits

Trucking Songs That Were #1 HitsSong Writing

The stories behind the biggest hit songs about trucking.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," Kiss

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."