Future Islands' "King of Sweden" came together "in ten minutes in the studio while [Samuel T.] Herring was plugged in over Zoom from Sweden, singing eerily in-time without any lag (source: loudandquite.com)".
The track, the opener from their new album "People Who Aren't There Anymore", was first unveiled on February 15th, 2022 on Colbert.
You have to watch the video to fully appreciate the energetic performance by Herring, who starts the song hooded in a duffle coat. He then takes it off, along with the top of the suit he is wearing.
Herring’s performance seemed so impassioned and unaffected – in a world of carefully posed cool, here was someone on stage who gave the impression they had no filter, Instagram or otherwise, who seemed to be dancing like no one was watching, beating his chest so hard you could hear it over the music and reaching imploringly towards the audience as he sang (source: theguardian.com).
The live song is pure Future Islands / Herring engaging dance moves. I am very happy I managed to see them live when they came to Dublin in 2012.
The big question the band from North Carolina asks, in general but mostly to themselves, is: "are you still capable of making interesting music at 40?"
The general theme of the album is about people falling out of your life as you get older.
A little bit more than half of the album was written while Herring was still in a relationship. The second part of the record happened while he was going through a divorce.
At the time of writing the song, Herring was in the happy stage of his relationship with Swedish actress Julia Ragnarsson, hence the reference to the "King of Sweden" in the title.
Although set in New York, ‘King Of Sweden’ refers to Herring’s time spent living in Sweden, trapped in a broken relationship which he is determined to fix (source: loudandquite.com).
"King of Sweden" is Future Islands at their best, with its mix of self-reflecting lyrics and psychedelic, woozy synthesizer pop sounds.
In the song (as well as in real life), Herring is so lovestruck that he goes back to his teenage years: (“feeling like I’m 15/ wandering with the Misfits”), accompanied by the "insistent keyboard riff from [William] Cashion (source: live4ever.uk.com)."
You WILL love the song, if you've also liked past trademark songs by the band like "Seasons (Waiting on You)" or "Light House".
Lyrics
I was on the F train Thinking 'bout a holiday I was on the M1 Dreaming 'bout my getaway
Rest right, reset In-flight headset Feeling like I'm fifteen Wandering with the misfits And all went silent Purples, violets The kind of cursive quiet One with the starry eyelids A sweet unsweetened An eve uneven The lights trailed like incense To the figure in the distance
You are all I need Nothing said could change a thing Where you go, I go, just say, I'll be 'Cause you are all I need
I met the King of Sweden When I was walking in the headlights Drowning in a bender Frozen in a red light I'm always flying So I'm always crying Losing my emotion On a desert island Looked just like heaven Seven alligator seven Spoke to the reverend Still filled me with depression Slept right in tents The moon was low and incensed Was it the sun on the horizon? It lit the figure in the distance
You are all I need Nothing said could change a thing Where you go, I go, just say, I'll be 'Cause you are all I need And you are all I need Oh, you are all I need
So much more That means so much more
Selected Lyrics with Explanation
Then it’s last down, seven alligator seven
At the gates of heaven, knocking - no answer
A clever dual reference, to 1. touch football and 2. Sesame Street
1. In touch football there is no blocking, so to “rush” the quarterback, a player typically has to count up to a certain number (usually 3, 5, or 7) out loud, and to ensure that they are counting full seconds they say a word like “alligator” or “Mississippi” out loud in between each number.
2. DOOM, a world-class expert in 1970s television, is also referencing a famous cartoon that ran on Sesame Street—“The Alligator King”, a comic allegory about filial piety. Notably, the Alligator King in question has seven sons, and the educational purpose of the song is to teach kids about the number “7”.
Future Islands: “What happens when you’re turning 40 and you’re still in a band? Are you capable of still making interesting music?” - Loud And Quiet. (2024, January 17). Loud and Quiet.
Petridis, A. (2024, January 26). Future Islands: People Who Aren’t There Anymore review – a brutal, beautiful breakup album. The Guardian.
Future islands – people who aren’t there anymore - loud and quiet. (2024, January 21). Loud and Quiet.
Live4ever. (2024, January 11). Review: Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore | Live4ever Media. Live4ever Media.
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