The band was formed in 2005 by Philippakis and Bevan, both former members of math rock band The Edmund Fitzgerald, and Andrew Mears of Youthmovies. Mears left the band after their first single to focus on Youthmovies. In January 2018, it was announced that Walter Gervers was also leaving the band.
In early 2007, the band released the limited edition 7" singles Hummer and Mathletics, both produced by Gareth Parton. In the summer of 2007 Foals began working on their debut album in New York. It was produced by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, however, the band decided to mix the album themselves, stating that Sitek made the first master copy of the album sound like "it was recorded in the Grand Canyon". Yannis has stated multiple times during various interviews that Foals and Dave Sitek are on good terms, even though the copy by Sitek was rejected by the band.
Foals released their debut album, entitled Antidotes, on 24 March 2008 in the UK and 8 April 2008 in the US. The album was a commercial success in the United Kingdom, debuting at No. 3 in the UK Albums Charts. The album was a minor success in other countries, charting in Japan, France and the Netherlands. Non-UK versions of the album include the early Parton produced singles.
In August 2009, Foals started recording their second album at Svenska Grammofon Studion in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album, Total Life Forever, has been described by the band members as sounding like "tropical prog" and "like the dream of an eagle dying". The band have described the album as being "a lot less funk" than they had originally planned. The album was produced by Luke Smith, formerly of Clor, and its title is named after an element of Ray Kurzweil's theory of singularity. The band's frontman Yannis Philippakis has professed a long time interest in futurology, with it informing numerous songs on Total Life Forever.
On 1 March 2010, the promotional single "Spanish Sahara" was first played on Zane Lowe's show Radio 1. Foals' new website was updated that night with the release of a video for the track directed by longtime collaborator Dave Ma. On 6 March, the Total Life Forever site was officially launched. Puzzles revealed images, lyrics and sound clips of songs from the album. The last clip appeared on 12 March, and resulted with a password entry for the Foals' new website. The site was opened on 13 March and presented the whole new art concept and media including samples of songs, photos and videos. Lead single "This Orient" was released on 3 May 2010. The album was finally released on 10 May 2010. "Spanish Sahara" was later released as a full physical single in September 2010, featuring an edited remix starring the strings of London Contemporary Orchestra. The album was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize.
http://foals.co.uk
Big Big Love
Foals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fill all the towers we fill
Crash down fury red
Cracks in our hearts and heads
See how the skulls we build
Fill all the towers we fill
Crash down fury red
See how the skulls we build
Fill all the towers we fill
Crash down fury red
There's cracks in our hearts and heads
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
And all could be well
See how the skulls we build
Fill all the towers we fill
Crash down fury red
Cracks in our hearts and heads
A place we can hide
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
See how the skulls we build
Fill all the towers we fill
Crash down fury red
There's cracks in our hearts and heads
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
That could stop it
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
And all could be well
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
Oh, electric shocks, no
The lyrics of “Big Big Love” by Foals seem to convey a sense of destruction and the overwhelming power of love. The reference to “skulls we build” could refer to the towers of expectations, goals, or ambitions we set up for ourselves, which can sometimes become so high and daunting that they ultimately collapse and crush us under their weight. The line “cracks in our hearts and heads” further emphasizes the idea that we are vulnerable to the consequences of our own choices and actions.
The repeated chorus of “your smile sticks a kiss that could stop it” suggests that love has the potential to halt the destruction and chaos, to bridge the gaps between individuals and to heal the wounds that life can inflict. However, the final lines of the song, “Oh, electric shocks, no,” leave an eerie ambiguity, as if to suggest that perhaps, even love cannot shield us from the shocks and surprises life has in store.
Overall, “Big Big Love” seems to suggest that while love can be a powerful force, it is not necessarily a protective one, and that we must be mindful of the risks we take when we build our “towers” too high.
Line by Line Meaning
See how the skulls we build
Notice how the structures we create resemble skulls
Fill all the towers we fill
The towers we construct are filled with these skull-like structures
Crash down fury red
These structures violently collapse into a red fury
There's cracks in our hearts and heads
This destruction causes emotional and mental damage
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile is impactful, almost like a kiss
That could stop it
It can stop the destruction or damage
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile has such an impact that it sticks with us, almost like a kiss
Your smile sticks a kiss
Your smile has this same affecting quality time and time again
And all could be well
Things could be better with this impact on us
A place we can hide
We need a safe space to retreat to when destruction occurs
Oh, electric shocks, no
Electric shocks are unwelcome and further destructive elements in this scenario
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWIN THOMAS CONGREAVE, JACK WILLIAM BEVAN, JAMES SMITH, WALTER JAMES MORRISON GERVERS, YANNIS BARNABAS EMANUEL PHILIPPAKIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ShaDita Vanbot KSKM
See how the skulls we built
Fill, all the towers we fill.
Crush down fury red
It cracks in our hearts and heads.
Smile Sticks a kiss
That could stop it.
Smile Sticks a kiss
That could stop it.
Smile Sticks a kiss
That could stop it.
Smile Sticks a kiss
Smile Sticks a kiss
Smile Sticks a kiss
That could stop it.
Smile Sticks a kiss
Smile Sticks a kiss
All could be well
Place we can hide.
Ow, Electric shocks, no! [Repeat x8]
Place we can hide.
Place we can hide.
Place we can hide.
Smile sticks a kiss That could stop [Repeat x2]
Smile sticks a kiss
Smile mile sticks a kiss [Repeat x2]
All could be well
Ow, Electric shocks, no! [Repeat x4]
WhiteNoise
I see this song as being about two people who both felt it but waited too long to move on it... to the point where their chance to make it work had passed, definitely rings true with me.
James McMeeking
My 2 cents would be,......you were 2 pussy to decide and you lost your opportunity......due to lack of decisions........(...make....a fucken call and go with it......?....)
AsiaPersuasia
WhiteNoise ....I can't take this comment seriously because of Putin Pouting 😂.
Yuni Anggreini
I like both version. But this one makes me feel like an old wooden metronome standing on a piano, ticking alone unnoticed. Suddenly everything else starts to produce its own sound, one by one, until ours all blend together beautifully. We can tell no more where we are now, can't even tell what we are.
MrJuckreitz
I love this Album...so much :-)
nowolf canknow
I blind bought this album on vinyl a week or so ago and now I’m hooked. I can’t get into the follow up albums at all but Antidotes is something else!
treble winners 2024 #artetain #trusttheprocess
@Alejandra its my top 3 favourite ever
Alejandra
It's my favorite from them.
River Trash 2099
This song kicks me in the heart everytime
ijolechales
Marshall Bomar I have been listening this song for 7 years and now hits even harder