๐ข๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง: The Prodigal is a red herring on the record, really. Many years ago, I was asked to write a song, the theme song to a movie, to a French film about a rock band. This film has never got made, but there's a death that occurs on stage during this film that never got made and I was asked to write the song. So I decided to write a kind of Buddhist influenced song about death. So it kind of had to be a happy song about dying and so I set out to do that for this film, and when I originally wrote it, it sounded exactly like ‘Where is my mind’ by the Pixies, you know, which is cool, but I mean it was almost a carbon copy. And then when we got into the studio, our producer, Adam Noble, suggested that we approach it from a completely different angle. And he suggested that we approach it from a kind of an Eleanor Rigby kind of angle which just fed straight into mine and Stef's Beatles obsession. You know, that got us extremely excited. So we rewrote the whole music sort of based around these kind of propelling strings. It’s a song that doesn't sound like any other song on the record because it's just completely string led, but we'd never done that before. So that's what interested us.
(๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐โ 25๐กโ, 2022)
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| Photo credit: Jon Stone; screenshots from the video by David Kinsler / edit by Olga |
‘๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐๐๐’ - ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐โ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐.
๐ข๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง: The Prodigal is an exception on the album, it was written for a film that was never made. And it sounded exactly like Where Is My Mind by Pixies. Then, when in the studio, we tried to give it an Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles sound. The title simply refers to some kind of return. Is it about reincarnation? Maybe, even though I’m not sure I believe.
(๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐.362, ๐๐๐๐โ 2022)
๐ฌThat’s a shame, really, that French film has never been made! It sounds like a great script and with the soundtrack by Brian, it could’ve been a perfect piece of movie art.
Oh, I’d say film directors should appreciate Brian’s composing talent more!๐
What do you think?
Not surprising, Stefan’s comment is on the technical side of the song.
"๐ป๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐" ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐ง: Strings have been an essential instrument in our work since our fifth album. Adam Noble (who has worked with Paul McCartney, Liam Gallagher, etc.), who produced the song, and I finished it while talking about The Beatles. I can't speak to the world of this song, but the strings definitely add to its beauty.
(๐ต๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐, ๐ด๐๐๐๐ 2022)
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| Photo credit: Jon Stone |
"๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฅ" ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ - ๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ
➡ https://bit.ly/3a3Zxun
As it often happens in Placebo community, it all started for him with a personal story and following the band for decades now.
๐ข๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ซ: With more than 48 film contributors from around the world, the following fan-film is set to visually support the song, "The Prodigal," by Placebo. The video is personally dedicated to a former music business mentor, friend, and the guy who gave me my first shot at music publicity with this band's album Without You I'm Nothing," in 1999, Mr. Eric Ferris. May he rest in peace, power, and may all the "Soulmates" around the world who spend a few minutes watching this video feel the existential power, grief, and the positive conclusions that "I Am Alive."
Brilliant job, in my opinion!๐
Please enjoy the video, dear soulmates, and let us know your thoughts on it and on the song itself, of course!
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| Photo credit: Jon Stone |
I leave this world
With a glint in my eye
I've untold all of my lies
And all the joy
I leave behind
I'll miss you too
Love of mine
Today no tombstone
No goodbyes
My soul is full
Watch it fly
When I return
Prodigal son
This wounded world
Will be as one
Be as one
I leave this world
A hopeful song
Without a tear
I will prolong
My bruises healed
My scars are gone
And every beating
Made me strong
So please don’t cry
Don’t think it's wrong
My soul is pure
It sings along
When I return
A better me
You'll see that sorrow can set you free
Set you free
Set you free
(I’ll set you free)
Set you free
(I’ll set you free)
I leave this world to you all
The constellations will never fall
And if you’re fearful
Bare no mind
The sun will rise
Heed your call
No open casket
No sullen wake
Your will heart will mend
If you break
So without greed
Without pride
Shout I'm alive
I am alive
(I’ll set you free)
I am alive
(I’ll set you free)
I am alive
(I’ll set you free)
I am alive
(I’ll set you free)
I am alive
(I’ll set you free)
(I’ll see you free)
Post by Olga
