Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn was first introduced to Little Dragon through his partner Suzi Winstanley, who was a fan of the band's music. Yukimi Nagano had not known of Gorillaz prior to collaborating, and was initially ambivalent towards the idea of collaboration; when Nagano's manager explained that Albarn was a member of English rock band Blur, she expressed mild surprise that Albarn still made music. Nagano later explained: "I definitely wasn’t as charged as I perhaps might have been if I knew who they were. Everyone was telling me it was a big deal."
Overview
Nagano and Albarn spent multiple days at Studio 13, Albarn's personal studio in London, England; Nagano's vocal contributions to "Empire Ants" and "To Binge" were recorded during this time. Albarn played several instrumental tracks for Nagano, allowing her to choose which would be used for the collaboration. Nagano enjoyed collaborating with Albarn, praising both the diversity of the tracks and the organic nature of the recording process.
Live performances
"Empire Ants" was performed live throughout the Escape to Plastic Beach world tour. Both Nagano and Little Dragon bassist Fredrik Wallin toured alongside Gorillaz for the North American leg of the tour, with the remainder of Little Dragon joining on for the European and Oceanic legs. The song was also performed at Coachella 2010, an event which Nagano would later claim was a turning point for her as an artist.
For Humanz Tour, Nagano reunited with Gorillaz to perform "Empire Ants" at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco in 11 August 2017, her first performance of the song in nearly 7 years.
Empire Ants
Gorillaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun has come again to hold you
Sailing out the doldrums of the whole week
The polyphonic prairies here, it's all around you
It's all around you, out here
And if the whole world is crashing down
Fall through space out of mind with me
Blows all the shadows far away
The falling alcohol empire, is here to hold you
Rolling out and haunted 'til it sleeps
Little memories, marching on
Your little feet, working the machine
Will it spin, will it soar
My little dream, working the machine
Soon like a wave that pass will fall
And closing in on you they're going on
Little memories
Your little feet, working the machine
Will it spin, will it soar
My little dream, working the machine
Soon like a wave that pass will fall
And closing in on you they're going on
The lyrics of Gorillaz's "Empire Ants" describe a feeling of rebirth and hope that comes with the arrival of the sun after a long, tiring week. The verse "Oh joy's arise, the sun has come again to hold you" suggests that the person addressed in the song has been through some kind of emotional or spiritual darkness and is now relieved to see the light.
The lyrics also touch upon the idea of escapism or "falling through space out of mind again" to leave behind the emptiness of past hardships. The line "Blows all the shadows far away" reinforces this idea of leaving behind negative thoughts and memories.
The chorus, "Little memories, marching on, your little feet, working the machine, will it spin, will it soar, my little dream, working the machine" suggests the idea of moving forward despite the odds, with the use of industrial metaphors such as "working the machine." The final verse, "Soon like a wave that pass will fall and closing in on you they're going on" suggests that life is continually moving forward and brings with it new challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh joy's arise
Happiness is born anew
The sun has come again to hold you
The promising day is here, embrace it
Sailing out the doldrums of the whole week
Escaping the mundane routine of everyday life
The polyphonic prairies here, it's all around you
The world is full of diverse sound, it surrounds you
It's all around you, out here
There's beauty and life everywhere
And if the whole world is crashing down
In the face of chaos and destruction
Fall through space out of mind again
Escape reality and enter a dreamlike state
Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising
The feelings we cast away float away like warm air
Blows all the shadows far away
All darkness is banished
The falling alcohol empire, is here to hold you
Alcoholic oblivion is waiting for you
Rolling out and haunted 'til it sleeps
Drinking until numbness overcomes you
Little memories, marching on
Memories, both good and bad
Your little feet, working the machine
You are just a cog in the system
Will it spin, will it soar
Will you break free or remain stagnant?
My little dream, working the machine
Your hopes and aspirations, lost within the monotony
Soon like a wave that pass will fall
Time will swiftly pass by
And closing in on you they're going on
The mundanity of life is closing in and continues to move forward
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Damon Albarn, Little Dragon, Jamie Hewlett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shill2920
Lyrics:
Oh, joys arise, the sun has come again to hold you
Sailing out the doldrums of the week...
The polyphonic prayer is here, it's all around you
It's all around you, out here
And if the whole world is crashing down... (on you)
Fall through space out of mind with me
Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising
Blows all the shadows far away
The falling of the whole empire, is here to hold you
Rolling out and haunted till it sleeps
Little memories, marching on
Your little feet, working the machine
Say will it spin, will it soar?
My little dream, working the machine
Soon, like a wave, empires will fall
And closing in on you, they're going on
Little memories
Your little feet, working the machine
Say will it spin, will it soar?
My little dream, working the machine
Soon like a wave, empires will fall
Closing in on you, they're going on.
@johnnygallos0939
Oh joy's arise
The sun has come again to hold you
Sailing out the doldrums of the whole week
The polyphonic prairies here, it's all around you
It's all around you, out here
And if the whole world is crashing down
Fall through space out of mind again
Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising
Blows all the shadows far away
The falling of the whole empire, is here to hold you
Rolling out and haunted 'til it sleeps
Little memories, marching on
Your little feet, working the machine
Will it spin, will it soar
My little dream, working the machine
Soon like a wave that pass will fall
And closing in on you they're going on
Little memories
Your little feet, working the machine
Will it spin, will it soar
My little dream, working the machine
@sledgehammr6615
It's just mind blowing, about how a cartoonist and a guitar player meet up one day and say, let's create an imaginary band with all these different people. It's amazing about how this band came to life, and became real. It's something else. I'm just... blown away
@Bluewolf23
Thank God they met.
@casbutwehavemoresubscriber2357
Bluewolf 23 hello
@delvinwest672
murdoc's nipples lol twins 😂
@minhaj_khan
I totally feel you. I dread the possibility that what if they never met :(
@alteebclips7612
Imaginary?
@caroline-rg2hx
This is literally the most beautiful song
@stephencoe2168
no I think it's to binge
@asunayuuki5388
Both songs are beautiful now let's move on
@stephencoe2168
Ok