Tibi Puiu
Quite the pleasant surprise to wind up in our inbox today, when a press release surfaced detailing the release of David Byrne/Fatboy Slim’s upcoming concept album, “Here Lies Love“, about the life of about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos and her relationship with a servant from her childhood (Estrella Cumpas). It’s a massive album, one long in the making, primarily fueled by the forming Talking Head’s “passion for music and night clubs.” Wait till you hear the guest list though: Santigold, Tori Amos, Cyndi Lauper, Sharon Jones, Steve Earle, Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Róisín Murphy, Nellie McKay, Kate Pierson of the B-52s and many, many more. The 24 track album will be released as a box set, featuring wo CDs, a 100-page book, and a DVD, by Nonesuch Records/Todomundo on February 23 of the upcoming year.
“The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a ‘story’ and a kind of theater to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn’t that be amazing!” (DB, from the introduction)
Here Lies Love tracklist:
Prologue:
- “Here Lies Love”
Act I: “Flashback — Early Days”:
- “Every Drop of Rain”
- “You’ll Be Taken Care Of”
- “The Rose of Tacloban”
- “How Are You?”
- “A Perfect Hand”
- “Eleven Days”
Act II: “The Climb to Power”:
- “Walk Like a Woman”
- “Don’t You Agree?”
- “Ladies in Blue”
- “When She Passed By”
- “A Pretty Face”
- “A Whole Man”
- “American Troglodyte”
- “Dancing Together”
Act III: “The Turning Point”:
- “Men Will Do Anything”
- “Never So Big”
- “Please Don’t”
Act IV: “The Fall”:
- “Solano Avenue”
- “Seven Years”
- “Order 1081”
- “Why Don’t You Love Me?”
- “Here Lies Love” (Reprise)
