"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" | ||||
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Single by Tame Impala | ||||
from the album Lonerism | ||||
Released | 1 October 2012 | |||
Genre | Psychedelic rock, [1] psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia | |||
Length | 3:12 | |||
Label | Modular | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kevin Parker | |||
Producer(s) | Kevin Parker | |||
Tame Impala singles chronology | ||||
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"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" is a song by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It is the seventh track on their 2012 album Lonerism , and was released as its second single on 1 October 2012. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for their first album, Innerspeaker . In an interview with Rick Rubin on the podcast Broken Record, Kevin Parker said he wrote "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" after being inspired by "Walk in the Park" by Beach House. [2]
At the 2013 West Australian Music Industry Awards, the song won Single of the Year. [3] [4]
The music video was directed by Joseph Pelling and Becky Sloan, [5] [6] best known as creators of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared web series. The music video consists of psychedelic clay animation.
The song was voted on many year end best of lists in 2012. Pitchfork named it the 7th best song of 2012, and said of the track; "it will blow your brain back to its most purely joyous and least cynical recesses." [7] The same website also ranked it #192 on their list of the 200 best songs of the 2010s. [8] It placed ninth on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2012. [9]
"Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" was used in the promotion of Via X's Chilean TV program Moov. [10]
The Irish sports podcast Second Captains used the song as the theme music for its 2014 FIFA World Cup coverage.
The collaboration version of the song (with Kendrick Lamar) was featured in the movie Divergent .
The song was used in the Netflix show The Imperfects.
The song plays over the credits of the film Shimmer Lake, which features a narrative told in reverse.
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders) [11] | 67 |
US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [12] | 37 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [13] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [14] | Platinum | 60,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [15] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [16] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"Let It Happen" is a song by the Australian rock artist Tame Impala. It was released as the lead single from their third studio album, Currents (2015), on 10 March 2015. The song centers on accepting personal transition, and was worked on in various locations around the world. The song runs at nearly eight minutes long, and its second half contains a section of the song repeating akin to a scratched Compact Disc, and stripped-down lyrics consisting of gibberish. It also has vocoded-like vocals in the second half, which were actually manipulated with a keyboard sampler.
Tame Impala is the psychedelic music project of Australian multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker. In the recording studio, Parker writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. As a touring act, Tame Impala consists of Parker, Dominic Simper, Jay Watson, Cam Avery, and Julien Barbagallo. The group has a close affiliation with fellow Australian psychedelic rock band Pond, sharing members and collaborators, including Nick Allbrook, formerly a live member of Tame Impala. Originally signed to Modular Recordings, Tame Impala is now signed to Interscope Records in the United States and Fiction Records in the United Kingdom.
Pablo Maximiliano Miguel Coronel Vidoz, also known as Pablito Ruiz and Pablo Ruiz, born on in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a singer, actor, and dancer. In 1989, when just 14 years old, he came to prominence with songs like "Proud Girl", "Lady Lady", "Linda", and his cover of Oh Mama.
Innerspeaker is the debut studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 21 May 2010 by Modular Recordings. The album was recorded and produced by musician Kevin Parker at a remote beach shack in Western Australia during the summer of 2009, who also wrote every track on it except for the interlude after "The Bold Arrow of Time".
Pond is an Australian psychedelic rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 2008. Initially featuring a revolving line-up, since 2016 the band has consisted of Nick Allbrook, Jay Watson, Shiny Joe Ryan, Jamie Terry, and James Ireland.
Lonerism is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker, with live member Jay Watson contributing on two tracks. Recorded mostly in Perth, Australia, and Paris, France, Lonerism builds on the psychedelic sound of its predecessor and features fewer guitars and more synthesisers and samples. Parker attempted to incorporate his love for pop music into his songwriting for the record through catchier melodies. Many tracks feature ambient sounds recorded by Parker with a dictaphone. The album's theme of isolation is reflected in the album cover, featuring an image of a fenced-off Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.
Kevin Richard Parker is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and DJ, best known for his musical project Tame Impala, for which he writes, performs, records, and produces the music. Parker has released four Tame Impala albums: Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism (2012), Currents (2015), and The Slow Rush (2020). He has won 13 ARIA Music Awards, two APRA Awards, and a Brit Award, and has received four Grammy Award nominations.
"Solitude is Bliss" is a song by Tame Impala, released as a single in April 2010. It was recorded during the sessions for the Innerspeaker album in 2009, and released as the first single from that album. The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism. "Solitude Is Bliss" came in at number 33 in the Triple J Hottest 100 in 2010.
"Elephant" is a song by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 26 July 2012 as the lead single from their second album Lonerism (2012). The single features artwork from Australian artist Leif Podhajsky, who also created the artwork for Innerspeaker and the follow-up Lonerism.
Jay Watson is an Australian multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He is best known as a touring member of the psychedelic rock band Tame Impala and as a co-founder of the psychedelic rock/pop band Pond, with whom he's recorded nine albums. Watson also records solo material under the name GUM and, as of 2023, has released six studio albums under this name. In addition, he sometimes collaborates with fellow Pond member James Ireland as the duo GUM & Ginoli, remixing songs originally recorded by a variety of different artists, and occasionally contributes production and mixing to the solo projects of fellow Pond members as well as other local Perth musicians.
"Mind Mischief" is a song by Australian psychedelic rock band Tame Impala. It is the fourth track on their 2012 album Lonerism, and was released as its third and final single on 26 January 2013. Kevin Parker wrote the song, and he also performed all the vocals and instruments on it by himself. A live performance of the song was also released on the album Live Versions.
The discography of Tame Impala, a psychedelic rock project by the Australian musician Kevin Parker, consists of four studio albums, two live albums, four extended plays, twenty two singles and several collaborations and compilation appearances.
Currents is the third studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 17 July 2015 by Modular Recordings. It was released by Interscope Records in the United States and by Fiction Records in the United Kingdom, while Caroline International released it in other regions. Like the project's previous two albums, Currents was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker. For the first time, Parker mixed the music and recorded all instruments by himself; the album featured no other collaborators.
"The Less I Know the Better" is a song released by the Australian music project Tame Impala on 29 November 2015 as the fourth and final single from their third studio album, Currents. The song's accompanying music video mixes hand-drawn animation with live action and takes place in a high school, especially the gym and locker room, where a male basketball player suffers a broken heart.
"Eventually" is a song by Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It is the fifth track on the 2015 album Currents, and was originally released as a promotional single on 8 May 2015, alongside the announcement of the album. A radio edit was serviced radio in June 2015 as the third single from the album. "Eventually" was certified gold in Australia in 2020.
"Patience" is a song by Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It was released as a single on 22 March 2019 through Modular Recordings. It was written and produced by Kevin Parker, and was his first single since "The Less I Know the Better" in 2015.
"Borderline" is a song by the Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It is the third track on the 2020 studio album The Slow Rush, and was released as a single on 12 April 2019 through Modular Recordings. The song was written by Kevin Parker, who performed all instruments and vocals. The song was influenced by yacht rock and disco, and the lyrics explore nihilism and insecurity. It was debuted during the band's performance on Saturday Night Live on 30 March; Parker ad-libbed much of the initial lyrics since he had not yet finalised them.
The Slow Rush is the fourth studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 14 February 2020. It follows the 2015 album Currents and the 2019 singles "Patience" and "Borderline", with the latter serving as the first single from the album. Rooted in psychedelic disco music, the album was positively received by critics and reached the top 10 on many record charts around the world, debuting atop the charts in three countries and as well as on the US Alternative and Rock charts.
"Posthumous Forgiveness" is a song by the Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It is the fourth track on the 2020 album The Slow Rush and was released as a promotional single on 3 December 2019. The song was written by Kevin Parker, who also performed all instruments and vocals.
"Lost in Yesterday" is a song by Australian psychedelic music project Tame Impala. It is the eighth track on the 2020 album The Slow Rush, and was released as its fourth single on 8 January 2020. The song was written by Kevin Parker, who performed all instruments and vocals.