We Might As Well Be Strangers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "We Might As Well Be Strangers" | ||
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| Single by Keane & DJ Shadow | ||
| from the album Hopes and Fears | ||
| Released |  February 15, 2005 February 22, 2005 |
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| Format | 10" Vinyl iTunes exclusive download |
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| Recorded | Helioscentric Studios, Rye, East Sussex |
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| Genre | Dance Power Ballad (album version) |
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| Length | 3:37 | |
| Writer(s) | Tim Rice-Oxley Tom Chaplin Richard Hughes DJ Shadow |
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| Producer(s) | DJ Shadow | |
| Chart positions | ||
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N/A |
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| Keane & DJ Shadow singles chronology | ||
 "This Is the Last Time" (November 2004) |
 "We Might As Well Be Strangers" (February 2005) |
 "Bend and Break" (July 2005) |
| Hopes and Fears CD+DVD track listing | ||
| "Bedshaped" (12) |
"We Might As Well Be Strangers DJ Shadow Remix" (13) |
"Snowed Under" (14) |
"We Might As Well Be Strangers" is a song performed and composed by English piano rock band Keane and is featured as the third track on their debut studio album, Hopes and Fears. The song was remixed and released as a special edition single by DJ Shadow, which is featured as the closing track of the special CD+DVD edition of the album.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
US 10" Vinyl 1712175
- "We Might As Well Be Strangers" (DJ Shadow Remix)
- "We Might As Well Be Strangers" (DJ Shadow Remix Instrumental)
[edit] Information about song
"We Might as Well Be Strangers" has often been considered a highlight of live gigs, a fan favourite and one of Keane's most memorable and best songs, but was never released as a proper single by the band alone. The song's title has been "borrowed" for the new users board on the official Keane forum, and is referred to in the title of Strangers.
| “ | This song is kinda about being forced to be away from someone you really love. | ” |
| “ | This is a song about not being in love with somebody anymore. | ” |
[edit] Musical structure
Quaver and acoustic piano chords introduce Chaplin vocals within the first seconds of the song. The piano riff rensembles a honky-tonk sound until the second verse. Drums enter on the 63rd second to convert the song into a power ballad. Strings fade until the chorus to let the most emotional moments of the song on 2:00. The outro gradually returns to a basis like the intro, with drums fading and leaving piano and singer alone again. The remix version shows an altered tempo and rythm and with a dance drum kit from the first verse. A synthesizer is added to symbolize the verse change while minor voice echoes start to appear. The extended verse leaves the original drumming until the reprise with a third and fourth lines, not found on the original recording. Outro remains similar, but with vox synthesizer distortioning the original.
[edit] Instrumentation
- Bass
- Drums
- Piano
- Strings synthesizer
- Vocals (by Chaplin)
- Square synthesizer (only remix)
- Vox synthesizer (only remix)
[edit] Technical information
| Song | Length | Tempo | Key | Time signature | Genre |
| "We Might As Well Be Strangers" | 3:12 | 72bpm | Dm (Re minor) | 4/4 on 8 beats | Power ballad |
| "We Might As Well Be Strangers" (DJ Shadow Remix) | 3:37 | 144bpm | Dm (Re minor) | 4/4 on 8 beats | Dance |
| Keane |
|---|
| Tim Rice-Oxley | Tom Chaplin | Richard Hughes |
| Adam Tudhope | Dominic Scott | Andy Green | Alex Lake | Ed Roe |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Hopes and Fears | Under the Iron Sea |
| Lives and EPs: Live Recordings 2004 | Keane Live 06 | Live from London |
| Singles: "Call Me What You Like" | "Wolf at the Door" | "Everybody’s Changing (Part 1)" | "This Is the Last Time (Part 1)" | "Somewhere Only We Know" | "Everybody’s Changing (Part 2)" | "Bedshaped" | "This Is the Last Time (Part 2)"| "We Might As Well Be Strangers" | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" | "Bend and Break" | "Atlantic" | "Is It Any Wonder?" | "Crystal Ball" | "Nothing in My Way" | "Try Again" | "A Bad Dream" |
| DVDs: Hopes and Fears DVD | Strangers | Under the Iron Sea DVD |
| Tours: Hopes and Fears Tour | Under the Iron Sea Tour |
| Other: List of songs by Keane |
| Related articles |
| Piano rock | Battle, East Sussex | Rye, East Sussex | War Child (charity) | Help - a Day in the Life |
