Megalopolis
Liner Notes
Tfish sez: Last December, after Binky introduced me to the absolute unclassifiable insanity that is (formerly) acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis," I knew we would end up writing a song about it. And a week later, I started writing, thus making this one part of my #CheatersDozen.
I believe this is our third song together (so far) about a midnight movie, and for a movie this big, we had to go big, too. That means heavy guitars, screaming vocals, and gratuitous use of the same sample over and over again. Which, in a way, feels very Megalopolis.
Binky of course provided amazing guitar and bass, drum programming, and production chops. I contributed vocals and a couple synth lines. We collaborated on the lyrics.
And of course we had to sell off a couple wineries to finance the production of this song, but what artist hasn't gone down that road?
Binky sez: Seriously, have you seen Megalopolis yet? It is soooo everything. Like, every adjective ever. It's that. I was fortunate enough to see it in a theater, with 5 other bearded men. I immediately wanted to stay for another screening. It is incredible, in the literal sense of the word; it stretches any sense of credulity.
So, this is a meta song about a meta movie. Like the movie, the guitar solo is a rambling, manic burst with no respect for timing or key. The rhythm guitars are, in spots, intentionally out of tune and are time-shifted about 50ms from each other in post. The vocals play panned in different channels with completely different sets of effects. Everything about this should make you mildly uneasy, just like the movie itself.
To be clear, I love this movie. I've now seen it four times, and I might watch it again after I post this. It is everything so right and so wrong about the art of filmmaking. It's always fun to make dumb sounds with Jordan, one of my main musical collaborators since 1992. Happy to continue our tradition of whatever the hell it is that we do.
#rawk
Lyrics
[V1]
a power broker in a broken world
he's got superpowers and a platinum girl
this kind of man he don't care about time
he's got too much going on in his mind
[chorus]
cuz he's living in a
megalopolis
where things don't make much sense
megalopolis
where the present is always tense
[V2]
This guy’s a genius with a Nobel Prize
He sees a future you won’t recognize
A world with no war, anger, pain, or strife
Motivated by his hella-dead wife
[chorus]
oh yeah he's living in a
megalopolis
where things don't make much sense
megalopolis
where the present is always tense
[bridge]
oh yeah, he's got enemies
trying to bring him to his knees
they're all standing in his way
but time is on his side they say
cicero and crassus too
clodio he's comin for you
vesta girl, you'd better believe
he'll drop you like a winery
[solo]
[chorus]
megalopolis
yeah the story don't make much sense
megalopolis
where subplots are irrelevant
megalopolis
you won't believe how much it cost
megalopolis
where the audience is always lost
Comments
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But now that you've made this song, maybe I dont need to? Right?
This tune rocks more any anything has any right to rock. Congrats, gents, on another fantastic collab 👍🤩👍
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And what @spikedirection said: Francis's entire career trajectory consists of making a masterpiece that earns him a fortune only to blow it all on an insanely hyperbolic production that nearly kills his career, and then somehow reinventing himself and persuading his backers to let him go through the whole process again.
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The word Megalopolis is God’s gift for a catchy chorus apparently. I’ll likely be singing it to myself today.
![[avatar]](https://avatars.fawm.org/fawm2025/d71d09f8-cbed-4154-a8eb-9375ca3b8889.png)