"The Veldt" was inspired by the 1950 short story of the same name by Ray Bradbury. The song was initially created during a 22-hour live streaming session in March 2012. The following day, Zimmerman (deadmau5) found Chris James, who created his own vocal rendition of the song, via Twitter. Zimmerman was impressed with James' vocals, particularly with the lyrical references to the Ray Bradbury story, and confirmed that the official release of the song would include James' vocals. The song's production was captured on a live streaming session via his official website. "The Veldt" is a progressive house song with a tempo of 128 beats per minute and is written in the key of A major.
On April 20, 2012, Zimmerman and Ultra Records uploaded the eight minute-plus version of the song onto their YouTube channels, with the radio edit being uploaded onto Ultra Records' channel on May 7, 2012. Both versions of the song were released the following day. The Veldt EP was released on June 24, 2012, and includes the eleven minute-plus original mix of the song, remixes by Freeform Five and Tommy Trash and an original song called "Failbait" featuring American hip hop group Cypress Hill. The original mix of "The Veldt" features a tribal drum intro. The song was included on the album Album Title Goes Here released late September 2012, in an again slightly differently mixed eight-minute version. The tribal drum intro of the original mix has been left out in this version. The track "Failbait" from The Veldt EP was included on the album as well.
"The Veldt" was also used during rallies for Justin Trudeau's campaign to become the Canadian Liberal Party Leader, and eventually Prime Minister of Canada. The title of the song served as inspiration for the name of VELD, an annual musical festival in Toronto that inaugurated in 2012 a few months after the song's release.
An official music video was posted to Zimmerman's official YouTube page on June 25, 2012. It was produced by Qudos Animations. As with the song, the video is based on the short story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury. It shows two children entering "The Nursery", and running through a savannah landscape with lions and vultures eating bloody dead remains. They stop, and the boy begins to climb up a small mountain. He then suddenly finds his sister standing on the edge of a precipice. He then approaches her and, after pushing her off the edge, jumps off. They slide down the ledge and meet at the ground. The video ends with the two children holding hands as a lion walks off in the distance, leaving behind broken glasses and a trail of blood, presumably of their parents. The video is dedicated to Bradbury, who died weeks before the video was published. The video's art style, which makes heavy use of dark silhouettes and puppet-like animation, bears a strong resemblance to the indie video game LIMBO.
The song ranked number 48 on Rolling Stone's list of the 50 best songs of 2012
The Veldt
deadmau5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look what they made, they made it for me happy, technology
Outside the lions roam, feeding on remains
We'll never leave, look at us now
So in love with the way we are, here
The world that the children made
The world that the children made
Every night they rock us to sleep, digital family
Is it real or is it a dream, can you believe the machines
Outside, the beating sun, can you hear the screams
We'll never leave, look at us now
So in love with the way we are, here
The world that the children made
The world that the children made, here
The world that the children made, here
The world that the children made
Here
The world that the children made
Here
The world that the children made, here
The world that the children made
The opening line of the song "Happy life with the machines scattered around the room" sets the tone for the entire song, which is an exploration of the relationship between humans and technology. The machines provide comfort and happiness to the singer, who seems to be living in a digitally constructed world. The line "Look what they made, they made it for me happy, technology" highlights the idea that the machines are not just a product of human inventiveness, but are designed specifically to make people happy.
The contrast between the digital world and the outside world is also highlighted in the song. While the singer is happy and content in the world that the machines have created, outside there are lions roaming and feeding on remains. This could be a metaphor for the decay and destruction that can occur in the real world, while the digital world remains a source of comfort and safety.
The repeated phrase "The world that the children made" suggests that the digital world is not just for adults, but has been created by children. The line "Every night they rock us to sleep, digital family" reinforces the idea that the digital world is like a family - something that provides comfort and a sense of belonging.
Overall, "The Veldt" is a thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between humans and technology. It suggests that while technology can provide comfort and happiness, there may be a danger in becoming too reliant on it.
Line by Line Meaning
Happy life with the machines scattered around the room
A joyful existence with artificial beings everywhere
Look what they made, they made it for me happy, technology
Expressing satisfaction with the creations of machines
Outside the lions roam, feeding on remains
Wild creatures wander around seeking prey
We'll never leave, look at us now
Refusal to leave the current comfortable situation
So in love with the way we are, here
Deep affection for the current state of being
The world that the children made
Describing the world created by youthful imagination
Every night they rock us to sleep, digital family
Artificial beings provide comfort every night
Is it real or is it a dream, can you believe the machines
Questioning the nature of reality and artificial beings
Outside, the beating sun, can you hear the screams
The bright sun and surrounding chaos
Here
Emphasizing the present experience
The world that the children made, here
The imaginative world created by the next generation
The world that the children made, here
The imaginative world created by the next generation
The world that the children made
The imaginative world created by the next generation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Joel Thomas Zimmerman, Christopher James Gutierrez
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stoolposter5768
This song encapsulates an entire era of my life and gives me the goosebumps til this day reflecting on how different things have become in 10 years.
@ObiHaikuNura1720
Likewise for me, and for another 10 😃
@kevinconnolly759
Does the same for me though for very different reasons . When I pick my 6 year old up from his mothers he always wants this and the look he gives me is proper special when it plays
@stalag14
Dude, I'm so glad I stumbled across your name on iTunes.
I'm 50 years old and listen to your work everyday.
My kids think you're awesome as well.
Keep it up.
Francis Dunphy, Toronto.
@seankang3166
I'm 21 years old, and I listen to Deadmau5 and Skrillex. :D, maybe I can be your son, hehe lol jk :P
@ballsmmm5
stalag14 that's one of the coolest comments
@egodeathrow1786
stalag14 tell that to deadmau5 not *****
@seankang3166
U must b an awesome dad to have, I wish I have a father like you. 😀
@seankang3166
eh not really =/ lol
@dolan_7647
The transition @ 4:38 always gives me the chills. I love this song in such an indescribable way