Here Lies Love: The Imelda Marcos Song Cycle

Daniel Rothschild
May 25th, 2010
Random

This morning I learned that David Byrne and Fatboy Slim had teamed up to write and produce a concept album entitled Here Lies Love, a two-disc song cycle based on the life of Imelda Marcos.

It’s true. And even more odd, it’s good. I’ve only gotten through the first disc, but I’m hooked. Think the Talking Heads do Evita on rollerskates. With glowsticks.

I’m not a music critic so I won’t attempt to describe the tracks. But suffice it to say, the more skeptical you are that this would work (it’s an experimental song cycle about Imelda Marcos, for crying out loud!), the more you’re likely to be impressed.

Here’s Byrne from the liner notes:

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!

It’s available from Amazon or directly from David Byrne’s web site in a variety of formats. If the Byrne and Slim names aren’t enough to get you interested, some of the leading lights of current indie, alt-country, and rock music are involved, including Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Tori Amos, Martha Wainwright (on a track Byrne rightly calls “Disney-esque”“quasi-Disney”), Sharon Jones, Kate Pierson, Natalie Merchant, and Alice Russell.

Update: Here’s one of the tracks from the album, “Never So Big,” featuring Sia.

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