Fez – Being Born
Encyclopedia
"Fez – Being Born" is a song by Irish
rock
band U2
and the eighth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was planned for the track to open the album, but "No Line on the Horizon
" was chosen instead. The song had several different titles during the recording sessions, including "Chromium Chords" and "Tripoli", and was the result of a fusion of two different songs during the recording sessions.
in 2006. The symphonic guitar sound from the experimental "Fez" piece, the opening minute of the song, was created by guitarist The Edge
during the recording of "The Saints Are Coming
" with Green Day
. When the band decided to work with producers Brian Eno
and Daniel Lanois
, most of the material from the Rick Rubin sessions was shelved. Lanois found the part and edited it into a tempo, adding in one of the beats developed by Eno before playing it for the band. After hearing the piece, Bono noted that "it was almost something coming to life. Like a flower opening or coming into the world."
Another song, "Being Born", was being worked on concurrently. The guitar in this was developed through a Death by Audio distortion box; the idea to use it was suggested to The Edge
by Ben Curtis
of the Secret Machines. Lanois suspected that the slow-tempo "Fez" would work well alongside the more energetic "Being Born". He edited "Being Born" so that it would be in the same key as "Fez" and placed the two together, creating the one song. At this time it was provisionally titled "Chromium Chords", and it was later renamed "Tripoli" before the band changed the name again to "Fez – Being Born". The "let me in the sound" chant from the song "Get on Your Boots
" was edited into the "Fez" section at a low volume, serving as the song's opening lyric. By June 2008, the song was almost finished.
"Fez – Being Born" was originally planned to open the album, but the band eventually decided that the higher-energy "No Line on the Horizon" was a better selection.
called the song No Line on the Horizons "most jarringly experimental moment".
film Linear
, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Paris
ian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea
to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli
. During the sequence, the officer (Saïd Taghmaoui
) is partway through his journey when he reaches a town. He stops for lunch and enters a small café which, with the exception of the waitress (Lizzie Brocheré
), is devoid of people. He has meal and turns his attention to the room's television, where the next track, "Magnificent
", begins.
called it the "least linear song on the album", describing it as "a highway ride in flashback images dotted with Bono's wordless yelps and the descending ring of the Edge's guitar." Reviewer David Fricke felt that the closing verse was a metaphor for the band's songwriting process. Q
thought that its location in the final third of the tracklist alongside "Breathe
" helped to give the album "its twist in the tail." Blender
enjoyed the song, stating it "rolls along on the melodic pointillism of minimalist composer Steve Reich
."
Allmusic was disappointed with the song, believing that the band had overworked the track to the point where "the ideas collapse like a pyramid of cards." NME
disliked the song, stating it "isn’t nearly as daring as it thinks it is, merely a meandering slice of ambient doodling before kicking into gear as yet another mid-paced rocker." Spin
felt that Bono's presence on the track was "mostly phonetic", noting that it seemed like he was "unsure of how to express himself in a musical context." Uncut
felt that some of the song's elements were overwhelmed by the band's playing.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and the eighth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. It was planned for the track to open the album, but "No Line on the Horizon
No Line on the Horizon (song)
"No Line on the Horizon" is a song by rock band U2; it is the opening and title track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. An alternate version, "No Line on the Horizon 2", was included as a bonus track on some versions of the album. The song was developed during the band's earliest sessions...
" was chosen instead. The song had several different titles during the recording sessions, including "Chromium Chords" and "Tripoli", and was the result of a fusion of two different songs during the recording sessions.
Writing and recording
"Fez – Being Born" was first developed in the No Line on the Horizon recording sessions with producer Rick RubinRick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
in 2006. The symphonic guitar sound from the experimental "Fez" piece, the opening minute of the song, was created by guitarist The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
during the recording of "The Saints Are Coming
The Saints Are Coming
"The Saints Are Coming" was the third single by the Scottish punk rock band Skids, featured on their 1979 debut album, Scared to Dance. The song became an international #1 hit when it was covered in 2006 by Green Day and U2...
" with Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
. When the band decided to work with producers Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
, most of the material from the Rick Rubin sessions was shelved. Lanois found the part and edited it into a tempo, adding in one of the beats developed by Eno before playing it for the band. After hearing the piece, Bono noted that "it was almost something coming to life. Like a flower opening or coming into the world."
Another song, "Being Born", was being worked on concurrently. The guitar in this was developed through a Death by Audio distortion box; the idea to use it was suggested to The Edge
The Edge
David Howell Evans , more widely known by his stage name The Edge , is a musician best known as the guitarist, backing vocalist, and keyboardist of the Irish rock band U2. A member of the group since its inception, he has recorded 12 studio albums with the band and has released one solo record...
by Ben Curtis
Benjamin Curtis (musician)
Benjamin Curtis is an American guitarist. He is a member of School of Seven Bells, in which he sings and plays instruments in addition to guitar. Benjamin was the guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band The Secret Machines until March 2007, when, according to the band's website, he left to...
of the Secret Machines. Lanois suspected that the slow-tempo "Fez" would work well alongside the more energetic "Being Born". He edited "Being Born" so that it would be in the same key as "Fez" and placed the two together, creating the one song. At this time it was provisionally titled "Chromium Chords", and it was later renamed "Tripoli" before the band changed the name again to "Fez – Being Born". The "let me in the sound" chant from the song "Get on Your Boots
Get on Your Boots
"Get On Your Boots" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the sixth track from their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. The song was released as the album's first single on 23 January 2009. The physical format was released on 16 February...
" was edited into the "Fez" section at a low volume, serving as the song's opening lyric. By June 2008, the song was almost finished.
"Fez – Being Born" was originally planned to open the album, but the band eventually decided that the higher-energy "No Line on the Horizon" was a better selection.
Composition
The sounds of a Moroccan marketplace were layered into the "Fez" section of the song. The New York Times described it as being composed of "ricocheting patterns". The Irish IndependentIrish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
called the song No Line on the Horizons "most jarringly experimental moment".
Appearances in other media
"Fez – Being Born" is the sixth track in the Anton CorbijnAnton Corbijn
Anton Corbijn is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade...
film Linear
Linear (film)
Linear is a 2009 film directed by Anton Corbijn. The film includes music from U2's 2009 studio album, No Line on the Horizon, and was included on both digital and DVD formats with several editions of the album.-Development:...
, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
. During the sequence, the officer (Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui is a French actor and screenwriter. One of his defining screen roles was that of Saïd in the award winning 1995 French film La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz...
) is partway through his journey when he reaches a town. He stops for lunch and enters a small café which, with the exception of the waitress (Lizzie Brocheré
Lizzie Brocheré
Lizzie Brocheré is a French film, television and theater actress known for her sensuous screen presence in French art house cinema.-Life and career:Lizzie Brocheré was born in Paris, France...
), is devoid of people. He has meal and turns his attention to the room's television, where the next track, "Magnificent
Magnificent (U2 song)
"Magnificent" is a song by U2. It is the second track on the band's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon and was released as the album's second single. The song was originally titled "French Disco", but was renamed later in the recording sessions...
", begins.
Reception
"Fez – Being Born" received mixed reviews from critics. Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
called it the "least linear song on the album", describing it as "a highway ride in flashback images dotted with Bono's wordless yelps and the descending ring of the Edge's guitar." Reviewer David Fricke felt that the closing verse was a metaphor for the band's songwriting process. Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
thought that its location in the final third of the tracklist alongside "Breathe
Breathe (U2 song)
"Breathe" is a song by Irish rock band U2 and the tenth track on their 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. The lyrics detail an outburst from the song's narrator. The song was developed primarily by guitarist The Edge, with musical influences from Jimmy Page and Jack White...
" helped to give the album "its twist in the tail." Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
enjoyed the song, stating it "rolls along on the melodic pointillism of minimalist composer Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
."
Allmusic was disappointed with the song, believing that the band had overworked the track to the point where "the ideas collapse like a pyramid of cards." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
disliked the song, stating it "isn’t nearly as daring as it thinks it is, merely a meandering slice of ambient doodling before kicking into gear as yet another mid-paced rocker." Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
felt that Bono's presence on the track was "mostly phonetic", noting that it seemed like he was "unsure of how to express himself in a musical context." Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
felt that some of the song's elements were overwhelmed by the band's playing.