As you may remember, Talking Heads‘ David Byrne and Fatboy Slim have teamed up with almost every brilliant female vocalist ever to concoct a musical concept piece based on Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines.
The song embedded above (“Here Lies Love”) is the prologue to the Imelda tale, as sung by Florence Welch. Byrne posted an excerpt from the album’s accompanying book which better explains the song’s meaning:
This song acts as a prologue and is sung from Imelda’s point of view in a style reminiscent of mid-to-late-’70s club music. She’s whooping it up at a disco, and at the same time she’s looking back on her life, her achievements, her sacrifices and her childhood. She’s also thinking ahead, imagining her legacy, what it might be.
“Here Lies Love” is nothing like Welch has recorded thus far; a kind of swelling, closing credits theme song mashed in between modern disco beats and timeless, romantic strings.
It’s nothing short of lovely (and no, the name of the song provides no bias in my analysis).
The album will be released on February 23. For more, check out the official release information on Byrne’s website. I’ve officially pre-ordered!