My Name is Dark is a single by Grimes. It is the third single and seventh track on her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene.
My Name is Dark is the Demon of Political Apathy.[1]
Background[]
On June 15, 2018, a demo of the song first appeared in Apple's "Behind the Mac" commercial.[2][3]
An early version of the song was leaked alongside other unfinished tracks of the album on October 25, 2019.[4] On November 24, 2019 the final version leaked as part of the full album leak.[5]
Composition[]
The drums were inspired by Now, Now and used with permission from the original song SGL.[6]
Meaning[]
Grimes told Apple Music:[7]
❝ It’s sort of written in character, but I was just in a really cranky mood. Like it’s just sort of me being a whiny little brat in a lot of ways. But it’s about political apathy—it’s so easy to be like, ‘Everything sucks. I don’t care.’ But I think that’s a very dangerous attitude, a very contagious one. You know, democracy is a gift, and it’s a thing not many people have. It’s quite a luxury. It seems like such a modern affliction to take that luxury for granted. ❞
Grimes has stated that certain lyrics in the song have their own themes, such as lyrics about insomnia, her experiences with record labels, and the city she recorded the song in.[citation needed]
According to a Grimes interview for Cultured magazine, My Name Is Dark ''is about all the people she knows who didn’t vote in the U.S. (2016) presidential election.''[8]
Grimes first described the song as "(..) a very not pg13 ethereal shadow of colossus demon nu metal song abt insomnia (..)"[9]
Media[]
Video[]
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | MY NAME IS DARK (LYRIC_VIDEO) (NOT thee OFFICIAL VIDEOOO, just a cute vibe) Xxo | |
| Premiere | 02 Dec 2019 | |
| Length | 4:27 | |
| Director | Grimes | |
| SFX | Paige Piskin, Allen Berger | |
| Notes | This video was unlisted on her YouTube channel for some time, most likely cause the video uses copyrighted clips. It is now publicly accessible again, however the copyrighted clips are censored. | |
Behind the Scenes
_001.jpg "Instagram Story (11 Dec 2019) 001.jpg (95 KB)")
Background
Grimes said about the lyric video in a deleted tweet:[10]
❝ It’s just a vibe collage I made in my hotel room over thanksgiving haha - DEF not super serious or I think the best representation of the song, haha I was definitely in too good of a mood to make a tortured video- but was very fun to make ❞
In a follow-up tweet she said:[11]
Grimes has stated that there is an official music video[11] and that it would be released in 2020[12] however it never got released. She did not say whether the video had been filmed or if there were plans to film a video but it never happened, so it is possible that the video does not exist.❝ I was mad about the genius lyrics [being wrong] and had some free time ❞
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Title | My Name is Dark (Russian Lyric Video) | |
| Premiere | 22 May 2020 | |
| Length | 5:49 | |
| Director | Grimes | |
| SFX | Fid Jey | |
| Video | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Grimes "My Name Is Dark" Official Lyrics & Meaning | |
| Premiere | 13 Jan 2020 | |
| Length | 5:19 | |
| Production company | Genius | |
| Notes | Grimes‘ “My Name Is Dark” is her latest hit, and it’s already racked up more than 2 million Spotify streams to date. The single is produced by Grimes herself. On today’s episode, Grimes talks about her production process and how she wishes she could have given the song a different title. | |
Background
Transcript
The day I created the song, I think I was just in a super bummer mood and I was kind of doing this thing where just like chasing my worst impulses. People do kind of relate to just, like, the worst version of themselves, I think. The song was originally titled "That's What the Drugs are For" and then I was informed that I could not keep that title. I really wish the song was titled what the song should be titled because that's its true title.
[Intro]
I mean, when I finished this I really just felt like a powerful demon, kind of, like, I was just, like: "Yeah!".
I mean, this track took like a hundred hours just in terms of the actual engineering of this track, like, making it not sound like a pile of mush but also still enough mush, 'cuz I wanted to sound like roaring beasts kind of like Leviathan and the mist kind of just like scary just like giant behemoth kind of thing. It's just being: [mouth sounds], and so it's like there's a lot of reverb but it also kind of needs to slap on the drums and stuff.
The demo was made in like twelve minutes and then it was like a nightmare of retroactive, kind of just like painting it together like bit by bit but then I just felt fucking great when it was done, I just, I like, I knew it was done, I was just like, yeah.
[Verse 1:
So we party
when the sun
goes low
Imminent annihilation
sounds so dope]
The song is kind of just about like sort of when you don't care if you live or die when you're just kind of like so depressed that you're just like: "Whatever, fuck it." That opening sentence, kind of sums up the thesis of the song which is, like, truly not giving a fuck, you know, but how that gets kind of fun too, you know, like when you get so dark that it's sort of like turns in on itself and it's sort of, like, you know, the Joker.
[I'm not shy
but I refuse to speak
because I don't
trust you to
understand me]
I think I'd probably had like a bad press cycle or something like the day before, I forget exactly what happened but it sucks to be misunderstood especially when they're trying to talk about something nuanced or something that you really care about that it's like a complex issue or something, although I still stupidly keep talking, so I do not follow my own advice here [laughs].
[You know me as
the girl who plays
with fire [Aaaah]
but this is the song
I wrote you
in the dark]
Actually, I was one up from like playing with fire just like going like actually going just going dark; being an asshole and just willful ignorance almost, like, sort of political apathy or something.
[I hear they're
calling my name]
The calling my name lyric just kind of came out but I think it's sort of like, you know, like when you're like crazy and you can, yeah, like friends or family or people are like, being, like: "Ey-y" and but you're just, it's like a distant echo.
[Chorus:
I'm not gonna
sleep anymore
I'm not gonna
sleep anymore]
I think I was just sort of like imagining like a crazy bender, like back in the in the day when I would like be in Montreal and just, like, fucking hole up and, like, break into some building and hole up with friends and just, like, grafitti on the walls and just be there for, like, 24 hours or something and just have a, some crazy one or two day, like, thing.
You know, when you're just, like: "Fuck the world, fuck reality, fuck the things that need to happen, just gonna, like, be destructive."
[The boys are
such a bore
The girls are
such a bore
I never trust
the government
and pray to God
for sure
(Yeah)]
Why don't I trust the government? I actually can't, as a non-citizen, I mean, I'm just trying to get my green card and I, just, you know, bless everyone [laughs].
[I don't need to
sleep anymore,
that's what the
drugs are for]
[Verse 2:
Every city has a
place like this,
underneath the bridges
where the tainted kiss]
You know, like, in Montreal I used to always just go, like, and just, like, you know, just like, break into some building, get to the roof and just sit on the roof and, like, stare at the city. You know, there's just, like, this solitude and just kinda, like, being in the belly of the city kind of thing and it's harder to do that in LA.
[Put on bullet
with butterfly wings
so that I can
sing along while
I break things]
Yeah, um, I mean this song has a real Smashing Pumpkins vibe to me just cuz it's sort of ethereal, metal-ish? It's sort of about a similar kind of, like, raging helplessness.
[Bridge:
Paradise on my right
and hell on
my left
and the angel
of death
right behind me
Paradise on my right
and hell on
my left
and the angel
of death]
I mean, I think that's, like, a Nietzsche quote, actually, that I stole. The line was just very evocative to me, like, making the decision to be good or bad, and the specter of death always haunting you [laughs].
[She said to God
"Unfuck the world,
unfuck the world
You stupid girl,
you stupid girl"]
A big sort of, like, theme on my album is, like, this idea of 'new gods', like, modern, post-technological gods. You know, like, Miss Anthropocene is for, like, the goddess of climate change or whatever. So that was just kind of, like, summing up the song, like, pulling the song back to the album thesis.
[Outro]
Darkseid is my PS4, PlayStation, whatever, username, and [laughs] that's where I go kill people and stuff [laughs].Artwork[]
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
So, we party when the sun goes low
Imminent annihilation sounds so dope
I'm not shy but I refuse to speak
Because I don't trust you to understand me
[Pre-Chorus]
You know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark
[Chorus]
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
I don't need to sleep anymore
That's what the drugs are for
[Verse 2]
Every city has a place like this
Underneath the bridges where the tainted kiss
Put on "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
So that I can sing along while I break things
[Pre-Chorus]
You know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark
Ooh, you know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark
[Chorus]
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
I don't need to sleep anymore
That's what the drugs are for
[Bridge]
Paradise on my right, and h-h-hell on my left
The a-a-angel of death, right behind me
Paradise on my right, and h-h-hell on my left
The a-a-angel of death, right behind me
Paradise on my right, h-h-h-hell on my left
And the angel of death, she said to God
"Un-fuck the world, un-fuck the world
You stupid girl, you stupid girl"
You might also like
[Refrain]
Oh, oh
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
[Chorus]
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
I don't need to sleep anymore
That's what the drugs are for
That's what the drugs are for
(Anymore, that's what the drugs are for)
[Outro]
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
[Intro]
(I did it)
[Verse 1]
So, we party when the sun goes low
Imminent annihilation sounds so dope
Oh, I'm not shy but I refuse to speak
Because I don't trust you to understand me
[Pre-Chorus]
You know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark
[Chorus]
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
I don't need to sleep anymore
That's what the drugs are for
[Verse 2]
Every city has a place like this
Underneath the bridges where the tainted kiss
Put on "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
So that I can sing along while I break things
[Pre-Chorus]
You know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark (Ooh)
You know me as the girl who plays with fire
But this is the song I wrote you in the dark
[Chorus]
(I hear they're calling my name)
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
I don't need to sleep anymore
That's what the drugs are for
[Bridge]
Paradise on my right, and h-h-hell on my left
The a-a-angel of death, right behind me
Paradise on my right, and h-h-hell on my left
The a-a-angel of death, right behind me
Paradise on my right, h-h-hell on my left
And the angel of death, she said to God
"Un-fuck the world, un-fuck the world
You stupid girl, you stupid girl"
[Interlude]
Oh
Oh
[Chorus]
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
I'm not gonna sleep anymore
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
[Outro]
The boys are such a bore, the girls are such a bore
I never trust the government and pray to God for sure, yeah
The lyric "Put on "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" " refers to a song by The Smashing Pumpkins of the same name.[13]
The bridge of the song features Grimes overhearing a conversation between God and the Angel of Death, each protecting Hell and Heaven respectively; the Angel of Death pleads with God to fix the world, while God does nothing. This may be a metaphor for the album's theme of climate change going unnoticed. The line describing the encounter, "Paradise on my right, and h-h-hell on my left, the a-a-angel of death, right behind me" is also a reference to a line in Frank Herbert's novel Dune.[14]
Trivia[]
- The song was originally titled "thats what the drugs r 4",[15] and registered as "that's what the drugs r for".[16] Grimes wanted this to be the final title but was unable to keep it.[17]
- My Name is Dark and 4ÆM were, according to Grimes, the hardest songs to make for Miss Anthropocene.[18]
- The title of the song is a direct quote of the antagonist Mr. Dark in Ray Bradbury's 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes.[19]
- On April 30, 2023, Grimes released the acapella and instrumental to the Art Mix version of My Name is Dark, called "That's What The Drugs Are For".[20] There were no stems accompanying it, which is unlike every other song in the transfer package.[20]
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200228203815/https://www.grimesmusic.com/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/5rRQVd7aiWU?si=TotrMAtzJhmNtEGA
- ↑ https://hypebeast.com/2018/6/apple-behind-the-mac-ads-grimes
- ↑ https://youtu.be/IdWSTpcVV8I?t=675
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/comments/e173zn/leak_grimes_miss_anthropocene/
- ↑ Miss Anthropocene#Credits
- ↑ https://music.apple.com/us/album/miss-anthropocene/1496782284
- ↑ https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2019/04/04/grimes-claire-boucher-c
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/995412306635837440
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/e5774o/comment/f9i4jy8/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1201639228448235520
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/Grimes/comments/e3nvxb/mnid_music_video_confirmed_for_next_year/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/xCmA1uC0r9A?si=ZsyV5dLuLTOmVvnz
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Dark
- ↑ https://grimes.fandom.com/wiki/File:43ece5a5-276d-4df7-b80b-9cc6d3cfac46-610x1220.jpg
- ↑ Note: GEMA capitalises all songs, so it's not known what the capitalising was meant to be.
GEMA Code: 21106525-001
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Grimezsz/status/1200328807950893057
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/fb38tj/comment/fj29359/?context=3
- ↑ http://chuckrosenbergart.net/a-visit-from-mr-dark.html
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 https://grimes.wetransfer.com/downloads/1b4883ec82ff19258a4ade94ce9cc80520230430024331/39493d