Folding Stars

Last updated

This song is for a loved one. [5]

It was definitely the toughest song I've ever had to record. It's the most raw and exposed I've ever felt - I'm still not sure if I want to play it live, but it was the only way for me to deal with it. It's such a cliché and usually I hate people that spout shit like this... but having the chance to sing about my mum dying was therapeutic. [3]

Personally, it's a very important song to me. It's the most straight pop ballad - I hate the word "ballad" - let's say slow song we've done. It turned out perfectly. it's a sweet song and is a balance to the craziness. [2]

She really liked the quiet songs, so I wrote the song for her. It's the kind of song she'd like and although it was really tough to record, I'm immensely proud of it. it makes me happy when people say they connect with the song but I'm not sure if we'll ever play it live. Not any time soon, anyway. [6]

The song was first performed live on 8 July 2007, at the Radio 1/NME Stage at T in the Park 2007. Mike Vennart of Oceansize, a long-time friend of the band, provided second guitar for this performance. On 26 August 2007, the band played at Leeds Festival and stated that it was the last time that Folding Stars would be played live. [7] They however reneged on this decision when the song was played live at Brixton Academy on 21 November 2007. [8] An acoustic version of this song was performed by Simon on his own at their Wembley Arena show in 2010. It was played again by the band on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on 19 August 2013, and later as part of the band's headline performances at Reading and Leeds festivals, 25 and 23 August, respectively. [9] [10] Simon Neil later played the song on 3 April 2020 as part of a Facebook live session in the coronavirus lockdown. [11]

The physical release of the single topped the UK Physical Singles Chart, while the single overall peaked at number 18 on the UK Singles Chart.

Music video

The song's official music video was directed by Howard Greenhalgh and filmed at Painshill, a landscape park in Surrey. It features the band playing at various locations in the park, including the Gothic Temple, Abbey and Crystal Grotto.

Track listing

Music and lyrics by Simon Neil.

  1. "Folding Stars" – 4:15
  2. "Asexual Meat Kitchen" - 3:29
  1. "Folding Stars" – 4:15
  2. "Coward" - 3:40
  1. "Folding Stars" – 4:15
  2. "A Headline" - 3:39
  1. "Folding Stars" – 3:56
  1. "Folding Stars (Demo)" - 4:30

Personnel

Charts

"Folding Stars"
Folding Stars CD.jpg
CD cover
Single by Biffy Clyro
from the album Puzzle
B-side
  • Asexual Meat Kitchen
  • Coward
  • A Headline
Released16 July 2007 (UK)
Recorded The Warehouse Studio
Vancouver, British Columbia

The Farm Studios
Gibsons, British Columbia
Genre Alternative rock, emo
Length
  • 4:15(Album version)
  • 3:56 (Single version)
Label 14th Floor
Songwriter(s) Simon Neil
Producer(s) Garth Richardson
Biffy Clyro
Biffy Clyro singles chronology
"Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies"
(2007)
"Folding Stars"
(2007)
"Machines"
(2007)
Puzzle track listing
  1. "Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies"
  2. "Saturday Superhouse"
  3. "Who's Got A Match?"
  4. "As Dust Dances"
    • "2/15ths"
  5. "A Whole Child Ago"
  6. "The Conversation Is..."
  7. "Now I'm Everyone"
  8. "Semi-Mental"
    • "4/15ths"
  9. "Love Has A Diameter"
  10. "Get Fucked Stud"
  11. "Folding Stars"
  12. "9/15ths"
  13. "Machines"
Chart (2007)Peak
position
Scotland (OCC) [12] 2
UK Singles (OCC) [13] 18

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biffy Clyro</span> Scottish rock band

Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil, James Johnston, and Ben Johnston. Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have released nine studio albums, six of which reached the top five in the UK Albums Chart, with their sixth studio album, Opposites claiming their first UK No. 1 album. Three consecutive studio albums peaked at number one in the UK official albums chart. After their first three albums, the band expanded their following significantly in 2007 with the release of their fourth album, Puzzle, creating more mainstream songs with simpler rhythms and distancing themselves from the more unusual dissonant style present in their previous three albums. Puzzle peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart on 16 June 2007. The album went platinum in the UK in 2012, having sold over 300,000 copies. In the early 2010’s, they built up a reputation of being one of the biggest rock bands in the UK.

Marmaduke Duke are a Scottish conceptual rock duo from Ayrshire, Scotland, comprising Simon Neil of Biffy Clyro and JP Reid of Sucioperro. Within the band, the pair perform under the pseudonyms The Atmosphere and The Dragon respectively. According to Neil, the band, and its albums, are "based on a trilogy of unreleased manuscripts that a friend of ours brought to this country a few years ago. We're really just working to soundtrack those stories."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justboy</span> 2001 single by Biffy Clyro

"Justboy" is a song by Biffy Clyro from their 2002 debut album, Blackened Sky. It was the band's second single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">27 (song)</span> 2001 single by Biffy Clyro

"27" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro from their 2002 debut album, Blackened Sky. It was the band's first single on Beggars Banquet, released on 9 April 2001 in the United Kingdom. Although the song did not reach the top 100 on the UK Singles Chart, it managed to peak at number 43 on the UK Indie Chart.

"Toys, Toys, Toys, Choke, Toys, Toys, Toys" is a song by Biffy Clyro from their second album, The Vertigo of Bliss, and was the band's fourth single. It appeared as a double A-side with "Joy.Discovery.Invention", and was released on CD and 7". The B-side to the vinyl, "All The Way Down ", originally first appeared on the band's debut independent single, "Iname", in 1999.

<i>Puzzle</i> (Biffy Clyro album) 2007 studio album by Biffy Clyro

Puzzle is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released 4 June 2007 – the album was later released in America in August. It is the band's first album since leaving Beggars Banquet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-Mental</span> 2006 single by Biffy Clyro

"Semi-Mental" is a song by Biffy Clyro and the first single from their fourth album, Puzzle, and is a download only single. It was released on 25 December 2006. The song was not UK singles chart eligible as at the time, downloads only counted towards charts sales if there was a physical release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Superhouse</span> 2007 single by Biffy Clyro

"Saturday Superhouse" is a song by Biffy Clyro and the first physical single from their fourth album, Puzzle. It was released on 5 March 2007. The band undertook a promotional tour of UK HMV stores to coincide with the release of the single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Neil</span> Scottish musician

Simon Alexander Neil is a Scottish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for his work in the bands Biffy Clyro, Marmaduke Duke, and also Empire State Bastard, with Mike Vennart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies</span> 2007 single by Biffy Clyro

"Living Is a Problem Because Everything Dies" is the opening song on Scottish band Biffy Clyro's fourth album, Puzzle. It was released on 14 May 2007, as the second physical single from the album. The song itself, without any B-sides, was released as a digital download on 7 May 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machines (Biffy Clyro song)</span> 2007 single by Biffy Clyro

"Machines" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro, from their 2007 album, Puzzle. It was due to be released as the fourth physical single from Puzzle on 1 October 2007 but was pushed back one week and released on 8 October 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountains (Biffy Clyro song)</span> 2008 single by Biffy Clyro

"Mountains" is a song by Scottish band Biffy Clyro, released as a single on 18 August 2008. Originally released as a non-album single, it would later be included on the band's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, in 2009. It was originally entitled "Teeth or Mountains" and was first played live at the Electric Festival in Getafe, Spain, on 30 May 2008.

<i>Only Revolutions</i> (album) 2009 studio album by Biffy Clyro

Only Revolutions is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, released 9 November 2009 on 14th Floor Records. As with its predecessor, Puzzle, the album was produced by Garth Richardson. Upon release, Only Revolutions was a critical and commercial success. The album entered at No. 8 on the UK Album Chart and was then certified gold by the BPI shortly afterwards. It was certified platinum by the BPI in June 2010 for shipments of 300,000 copies in the UK, making it the band's largest selling album. In September 2010, the album achieved a new peak position of No. 3. It was the 26th biggest selling album of 2010 in the UK with sales of 377,900. It was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize, which is awarded annually for the best album in the UK or Ireland, and Rock Sound declared it third in its list of the 75 best albums of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here</span> 2009 single by Lostprophets

"It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here" is the twelfth single by Welsh rock band Lostprophets, and the first from their fourth studio album The Betrayed. It was released on 11 October 2009 in the UK, the first time they had released anything since April 2007. The release also features the song "AC Ricochet". Drummer Ilan Rubin wrote the song when he was 16.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Captain (Biffy Clyro song)</span> 2009 single by Biffy Clyro

"The Captain" is the third single from Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions, released on 26 October 2009. It features a prominent brass section throughout the song. The music video was released on 23 September on NME.com. The B-side "Help Me Be Captain" is an early, more raw sounding, version of the song without brass instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubbles (song)</span> 2010 single by Biffy Clyro

"Bubbles" is the fifth single taken from Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro's fifth studio album, Only Revolutions. Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss and Them Crooked Vultures provides additional lead guitar in the song. Despite being one of the lower charting songs from the album, it has spent more weeks in the top 100 than any other Biffy Clyro song.

<i>Opposites</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Biffy Clyro

Opposites is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro, which was released on 28 January 2013. A double album, Opposites was originally announced as a pair of albums, The Land at the End of Our Toes and The Sand at the Core of Our Bones, which later became the names of the individual discs of the album. The album features 20 songs across two discs. There is also a single disc version with 14 selected tracks. As of July 2016, the album has sold 260,720 copies in the UK.

<i>Balance, Not Symmetry</i> (album) 2019 soundtrack album by Biffy Clyro

Balance, Not Symmetry is a soundtrack album by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro to the film of the same name, co-written by the band's frontman Simon Neil. Recorded at AIR Studios in England, Monnow Valley Studio in Wales and ICP Studios in Belgium with co-producer Adam Noble, it was released on 17 May 2019 by Warner Bros. Records. Initially available only for digital download and streaming, the album was also issued as a vinyl record on 26 July 2019.

<i>MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London</i> 2018 live album by Biffy Clyro

MTV Unplugged: Live at Roundhouse, London is the third live album and second video by Scottish alternative rock band Biffy Clyro. Recorded at the band's one-off acoustic show on 8 November 2017 at the Roundhouse in London as part of MTV Unplugged, it was released on 25 May 2018 by 14th Floor and Warner Bros. Records. The video was directed by Sam Wrench, produced by Sian Larkin & Executive Produced for MTV by Jeremy Davies. The show won Best Live Concert at the 2018 UK Music Video Awards. Four recordings from the release were issued as digital download singles.

<i>The Myth of the Happily Ever After</i> 2021 studio album by Biffy Clyro

The Myth of the Happily Ever After is the ninth studio album by Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro, released on 22 October 2021 through 14th Floor and Warner Records. It is said to be the 'sister album' to their 2020 album A Celebration of Endings. It entered the UK album chart at number 4.

References

  1. Biffy Clyro Article on NME
  2. 1 2 Kerrang! #1159, p. 22
  3. 1 2 Rock Sound #96, p.49
  4. IndieLondon review of Puzzle
  5. Kerrang! #1147, p.6
  6. Kerrang! #1159, p. 24
  7. Mike Sterry (26 August 2007). "Biffy Clyro". NME.com. Archived from the original on 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  8. "Biffy Clyro un-ban song at Brixton". NME.com. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-24.
  9. "Biffy Clyro Setlist at Leeds Festival 2013". setlist.fm.
  10. "Biffy Clyro Setlist at Reading Festival 2013". setlist.fm.
  11. "Biffy Clyro Live Session April 3 2020". YouTube .
  12. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 October 2018.