Drumming Song

"Drumming Song"
Single by Florence + the Machine
from the album Lungs
B-side	"Falling" (Demo Version)
Released	13 September 2009 [1]
Format	Digital download, CD single, vinyl (7 inch)
Genre	Baroque pop, art rock, soul
Length	3:43
Label	Universal Island
Writer(s)	Florence Welch, James Ford, Crispin Hunt
Producer(s)	James Ford
Florence + the Machine singles chronology
"Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (2009) "Drumming Song" (2009) "You've Got the Love" (2009)
Lungs track listing "Dog Days Are Over" "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" "I'm Not Calling You a Liar" "Howl" "Kiss with a Fist" "Girl with One Eye" "Drumming Song" "Between Two Lungs" "Cosmic Love" "My Boy Builds Coffins" "Hurricane Drunk" "Blinding" "You've Got the Love" Music video "Drumming Song" on YouTube

"Drumming Song" is the fourth single released from Lungs, the 2009 debut album by Florence and the Machine. The song was released on Island Records on 13 September 2009 in the UK.^[2] The song is also the band's second consecutive single to be A-listed on BBC Radio 1.^[3] It is the band's fourth single to peak within the top 75 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #54 during its week of physical release. The B-side to the single is a demo version of "Falling" a track which appears only on the deluxe edition of Lungs.^[4] Though not as commercially successful as their other singles, Drumming Song is a favourite amongst fans at Florence + the Machine live performances.

The single was nominated for "Best Music Video" (alongside Lady Gaga and Mika) at the Q Awards, which took place on 25 October 2009.^[5]

Background

"Drumming Song" features an instrumental collaboration of drums, organ, piano, bass, violin, viola, cello and harp; of which James Ford, the track's producer, is credited for the bass, drums, organ and piano contributions. Ford also co-wrote the song with Crispin Hunt and the song features backing vocals from Ladonna Hartley-Peters and Victoria Alkinlola.^[6]

Welch elaborated on the concept of the song:

This is about when there's that electricity between you, and a boy, and it's completely unspoken. When they're standing in front of you and you can't breathe, can't think, can't do anything properly. I'm really geeky - if I like someone, I just become incapable. I remember with my first boyfriend, walking past the window of a pub, seeing he was in there and literally throwing myself on the ground and crawling on the floor because I was so scared! I feel things quite intensely, which is probably why the music is quite intense. If I really like someone, I like someone; I'm sad, I'm sad. I was listening to a lot of hip hop and I wanted to make something that had that kind of beat to it. To me it's the most forward-thinking music around. No one else is moving forward at such pace! Again, it's really Gothic imagery - fairy tales and Edgar Allen Poe [sic] stories. I'd read a lot of Gothic horror when I was a kid.^[7]

As part of the single's promotion the band performed the song on Jools Holland alongside previous single "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)". The single was also performed at numerous festivals around the UK throughout 2009. Including: Glastonbury, Brighton, T In The Park, Bestival, Reading and Electric Picnic in the Republic of Ireland, among others.

A music video for the song was shot in the interior of Christ Church, Spitalfields, featuring Florence Welch and dancers. The English Baroque church, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, interpreted the overall shapes of gothic architecture with the language of classical architecture.

The song also features on the soundtrack to the 2010 FIFA World Cup Video Game.

Critical reception

"Drumming Song" has received positive feedback from critics. Digital Spy awarded the song 4 stars out of a possible 5: "With the release of 'Drumming Song', the fourth single lifted from Lungs, her forward momentum looks set to continue. A darker and more brooding offering than 'Rabbit Heart', it's a case of drum as metaphor for love as Welch describes an unadulterated and impassioned love affair. "Louder than sirens, louder than bells, sweeter than heaven and hotter than hell," she wails with more enough power and passion to justify all the critical acclaim.NME named the song 48th best track of 2009, saying, "In 'Drumming Song', she created possibly one of the most intensely passionate and physically aching love songs we've ever heard."

Formats and track listings

UK CD Single

1. "Drumming Song" — 3:45
2. "Falling" (demo) — 3:48
3. "Dog Days Are Over" (acoustic) — 3:58

UK 7" Vinyl Single

1. "Drumming Song" - 3:45
2. "My Boy Builds Coffins" (acoustic)

Digital Download

1. "Drumming Song" – 3:43
2. "Drumming Song" (acoustic) — 3:51
3. "Drumming Song" (Boy 8-Bit Remix) — 6:31
4. "Drumming Song" (Jack Beats Remix) — 5:04
5. "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)" (acoustic) — 3:52

Chart performance(s)

"Drumming Song" was the fourth single released by Florence and the Machine, and following the success of "Kiss with a Fist" and "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)", the single managed to enter the UK Singles Chart, charting at a current peak of #54.

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics