Give Life Back to Music

"Give Life Back to Music" is a song written and recorded by French electronic music duo Daft Punk for their fourth studio album, Random Access Memories. It is the opening track on the album. The song features lyrics performed by Daft Punk using vocoders.[1] "Give Life Back to Music" also includes guitar work by Nile Rodgers and Paul Jackson, Jr., drums by John "J.R." Robinson and keyboards by Chilly Gonzales. The song was distributed to radio stations on 31 January 2014 as the album's fifth overall single and the final single from the album in 2014. Prior to this, it charted in France, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom.

"Give Life Back to Music"
Single by Daft Punk
from the album Random Access Memories
Released31 January 2014
Recorded2011–12
GenreDisco
Length4:34
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Daft Punk
Daft Punk singles chronology
"Instant Crush"
(2013)		 "Give Life Back to Music"
(2014)		 "Starboy"
(2016)

Background

Rodgers commented that a collaboration was "something we've [Daft Punk and Rodgers] talked about for a long time. We've respected each other endlessly."[2] He had first met with the duo at a "Daft-Punk-listening party" in New York City several years ago and noted that a series of near misses and scheduling conflicts had delayed their chance of collaborating ever since then. Daft Punk later visited Rodgers' home for an informal jam session, which led to an official collaboration.[3] The duo eventually invited Rodgers to the Random Access Memories sessions at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, which, coincidentally, was the studio where the first Chic single had been recorded, and also, was the neighborhood in which Rodgers grew up. He expressed that working with Daft Punk "[felt] like [...] working with contemporaries" and that they motivated each other to excel when collaborating on the album. He remarked that the duo's style has evolved whilst simultaneously exploring music's past, expressing that "they went back to go forward."[4][5]

Most of the vocal sessions for the album took place in Paris, whereas the rhythm sections were recorded in the United States.[6] Sound effects were newly recorded with the help of film experts from Warner Bros.[7] When asked which of the two Daft Punk members performed the robotic vocals on the album, Bangalter expressed that it did not matter.[8] The duo produced most of the vocoder tracks in their own private studio in Paris, with later processing done by Mick Guzauski at Capitol Studios.[9] Giorgio Moroder elaborated that Daft Punk would take "a week or so" to find an adequate vocoder sound, and an additional few days to record the lyrics.[10]

Gonzales, who played keyboards for "Give Life Back to Music", stated in an interview that his contribution to the album was recorded in a one-day session: "I played for hours and they’re gonna grab what they grab and turn it into whatever."[11] He explained that Daft Punk prompted him at the piano in the same manner that a film director coaches an actor, and Gonzales left the Los Angeles studio without knowledge of what the final product would sound like.[12] He later elaborated on the filmmaking analogy by saying that his presence on the album was the equivalent of a cameo appearance rather than a lead role, and that "it requires a great film director such as Daft Punk to use the person properly."[13][14] Gonzales previously recorded a cover version of Daft Punk's song "Too Long" that appeared on the 2003 album Daft Club.

In June 2013, an unofficial remix of "Give Life Back to Music" was released by producer Nicolas Jaar and musician Dave Harrington of the band Darkside, as part of their remix album Daftside.[15] Jaar had previously released remixes of tracks by Grizzly Bear and Brian Eno.[16]

Composition

"Give Life Back to Music" features guitar work by Nile Rodgers and Paul Jackson, Jr., drums by John "J.R." Robinson, and lyrics performed by Daft Punk using vocoders.[1] The song reflects the duo's goal to create a light yet polished and elegant record.[17] Pedal steel guitar work on the record was performed by Greg Leisz. Daft Punk sought to use the instrument in a way that bordered between electronic and acoustic.[7] As stated by NME, the album begins with "a stupendously vast rock intro that obliterates any trace of Human After All's brittle techno".[18] Regarding the lyrical content, Thomas Bangalter felt that the song's message is open to interpretation and that "The way it’s sung [...] it’s an optimistic statement. And it’s got a certain innocence that the ‘70s were filled with. No cynicism of any kind." Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo nevertheless acknowledged that listeners could interpret the lyrics as being pretentious, and that he personally felt that mainstream music has lost depth in recent years.[19]

Personnel

Charts

Weekly
Chart (2013–14) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[20] 2
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 16
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[22] 12
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Wallonia)[23] 26
Denmark Bit Track (Tracklisten)[24] 12
France (SNEP)[25] 23
Italy (FIMI)[26] 77
Japan (Japan Hot 100)[27] 77
Japan (Hot Overseas)[28] 15
South Korea (Gaon International Chart)[29] 2
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[30] 26
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[31] 58
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[32] 13
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[33] 18
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[34] 9

Year-end
Chart (2013) Position
South Korea (Gaon International Chart)[35] 151
US Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[36] 51

Release history
Country Date Radio format Label
Italy[37] 31 January 2014 Contemporary hit radio Sony
United States[38] 4 February 2014 Columbia
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References
  1. Harrison, Andrew (June 2013). "Total Recall". Q Magazine (323): 88–89.
  2. Tregoning, Jack (March 23, 2013). "Exclusive: Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories is 'smoking'". In The Mix. InTheMix.com. Retrieved March 30, 2013. [Nile] Rodgers has one word for the final product: 'It’s smoking.'
  3. Mann, Tom (March 3, 2012). "Chic: Interview with Nile Rodgers". Faster Louder. FasterLouder.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  4. Lachman, Ed (April 11, 2013). "Daft Punk | Random Access Memories | The Collaborators, Episode 3: Nile Rodgers". The Creators Project. YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2013. [...] I feel like I'm working with contemporaries [...] with people who grew up with me and feel it the same way we felt the vibe when we were creating this stuff. It's like they went back to go forward (10:24 min). External link in |work= (help)
  5. Blistein, Jon (April 11, 2013). "Nile Rodgers: New Daft Punk Album 'Went Back to Go Forward'" (YouTube video). Rolling Stone. RollingStone.com. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  6. Billboard Staff (April 14, 2013). "Daft Punk Tease New Album at Coachella, During 'Saturday Night Live', Reveal Guests". Billboard. Billboard.com. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  7. Perron, Erwan, and Gancel, Alice (April 7, 2013). "Daft Punk, interview-fleuve pour la sortie de Random Access Memories". Telerama (in French). telerama.fr. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  8. Baron, Zach (May 2013). "Daft Punk Is (Finally!) Playing at Our House". GQ. 83 (5): 76–82.
  9. Tingen, Paul (July 2013). "SOS Interview: Recording Random Access Memories". Sound on Sound (USA). 28 (9).
  10. Lachman, Ed (April 3, 2013). "Daft Punk | Random Access Memories | The Collaborators, Episode 1: Giorgio Moroder". The Creators Project. YouTube. Retrieved April 3, 2013. External link in |work= (help)
  11. "Field Day Radio Episode 10". Field Day Festival. 2 June 2012. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  12. Courveille, Guillaume (27 March 2013). "Gaillac. Chilly Gonzales: "Je suis un homme de mon temps"". La Depeche (in French). LaDepeche.fr. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  13. Lachman, Ed (30 April 2013). "Daft Punk | Random Access Memories | The Collaborators, Episode 6: Chilly Gonzales". The Creators Project. YouTube. Retrieved 30 April 2013. (07:15) - I was playing quite blindly in the end and was more like a cameo actor than a lead actor of any kind. And it requires a great film director such as Daft Punk to use the person properly. External link in |work= (help)
  14. Cubarrubia, RJ (30 April 2013). "Chilly Gonzales Explains Daft Punk Harmonies" (YouTube video). Rolling Stone. RollingStone.com. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  15. Forrest Wickman (21 June 2013). "Random Access Memories Gets Remixed". Slate. The Slate Group, LLC. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  16. Kyle McGovern (11 March 2013). "Nicolas Jaar's Grizzly Bear, Brian Eno Remixes Pressed as Record Store Day Exclusive". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  17. Ghosn, Joseph, and Wicker, Olivier (April 18, 2013). "Daft Punk Revient Avec Random Access Memories". Obsession (in French). Retrieved April 18, 2013. Exclu: Les morceaux de Random Access Memories commentés par Daft Punk.
  18. Horton, Matthew (April 30, 2013). "First Listen – Daft Punk, Random Access Memories". NME. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  19. Torres, Andre (April 2013). "Quantum Leap". Wax Poetics (55).
  20. "Ultratop.be – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  21. "Ultratop.be – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  22. "Ultratop.be – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  23. "Ultratop.be – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music" (in French). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  24. Bit Track Top-20 – Uge 21 - 2013 Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine. hitlisterne.dk. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  25. "Lescharts.com – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music" (in French). Les classement single.
  26. "Tutti i successi del 2013" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  27. "Daft Punk Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  28. "Hot Overseas" (in Japanese). Billboard-japan.com. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  29. "GAON DIGITAL CHART : 2013년 6월 1주차" (in Korean). gaonchart.co.kr. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  30. "Swedishcharts.com – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music". Singles Top 100.
  31. "Swisscharts.com – Daft Punk – Give Life Back to Music". Swiss Singles Chart.
  32. "Daft Punk Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  33. "Daft Punk Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  34. "Daft Punk Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  35. "GAON DIGITAL CHART : 2013" (in Korean). gaonchart.co.kr. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  36. "Dance/Electronic Songs: 2013 Year-end". Billboard.com. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  37. Corradini, Paola. "Daft Punk – Give life back to music (Sony)" (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  38. "Top 40/Mainstream Adds (January 29, 2014)". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
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