Now You're Taken
Encyclopedia
"Now You're Taken" is a song by Scottish
post-rock
group Mogwai
, which originally appeared on the 4 Satin
EP
in 1997, then later on the compilation album
EP+6
in 2000.
on guest vocals for Mogwai; he later wrote lyrics and sang vocals on the song "R U Still in 2 It" from Mogwai Young Team
. It is one of the few early Mogwai songs to feature vocals. It was only performed live a few times in 1997 with Aidan Moffat as a live guest on vocals in Stoke-on-Trent
and at the Duchess of York pub in Leeds
(amongst other cities).
with a ride cymbal keeping the beat. After repeating the melody, a simple drumbeat enters at (0:51). The melody is repeated, until (2:21), when Aidan Moffat begins singing. A (2:41), (on the line "Will he be in the pub tonight?"), the drumbeat ends. At (3:34), the drums enter once again, and all the instruments repeat the main melody until (4:42), when the drums stop, and Moffat sings the final lines of the song ("Like a bird, a feather bed, my sister says, and we'll get wed/And I should tell you that I adore you, but I'm sure that I'd just bore you"). The bass continues to play the main melody, while the guitars play separate counter-melodies. At (6:00) the bass stops playing the melody, leaving the guitars to play the counter-melodies, until (6:51), when the song ends.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
group Mogwai
Mogwai
The word mogwai is the transliteration of the Cantonese word 魔怪 meaning "monster", "evil spirit", "devil" or "demon".-Mogwai/Mogui in Chinese culture:...
, which originally appeared on the 4 Satin
4 Satin
4 Satin is an EP by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, released in 1997 in the UK and the US through Chemikal Underground and Jetset respectively.-Overview:4 Satin is Mogwai's debut EP...
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
in 1997, then later on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
EP+6
EP+6
EP+6 is a compilation album by Scottish post-rock group Mogwai, released in Japan in 2000 through Toy's Factory, and later in the UK in 2001 through Chemikal Underground.-Overview:...
in 2000.
Overview
"Now You're Taken" is the first song to feature Aidan MoffatAidan Moffat
Aidan John Moffat is a Scottish vocalist and musician, best known for his work with Malcolm Middleton in Arab Strap.-Early life:...
on guest vocals for Mogwai; he later wrote lyrics and sang vocals on the song "R U Still in 2 It" from Mogwai Young Team
Mogwai Young Team
Mogwai Young Team is the debut studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai.-Overview:Mogwai Young Team was recorded in Summer 1997 at MCM Studios in Hamilton, Scotland, and was produced by Paul Savage and Andy Miller...
. It is one of the few early Mogwai songs to feature vocals. It was only performed live a few times in 1997 with Aidan Moffat as a live guest on vocals in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and at the Duchess of York pub in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
(amongst other cities).
Musical composition
The song begins with a guitar playing a quiet harmonic-laden melody, with an additional guitar playing a soft counter melody first audible at (0:13). At (0:27), the main melody of the song begins, being played by guitar and bass:with a ride cymbal keeping the beat. After repeating the melody, a simple drumbeat enters at (0:51). The melody is repeated, until (2:21), when Aidan Moffat begins singing. A (2:41), (on the line "Will he be in the pub tonight?"), the drumbeat ends. At (3:34), the drums enter once again, and all the instruments repeat the main melody until (4:42), when the drums stop, and Moffat sings the final lines of the song ("Like a bird, a feather bed, my sister says, and we'll get wed/And I should tell you that I adore you, but I'm sure that I'd just bore you"). The bass continues to play the main melody, while the guitars play separate counter-melodies. At (6:00) the bass stops playing the melody, leaving the guitars to play the counter-melodies, until (6:51), when the song ends.
Personnel
- Stuart Braithwaite – guitar
- Dominic Aitchison – bass guitar
- John Cummings – guitar
- Martin Bulloch – drums
- Aidan Moffat – vocals
- Jamie Harley – producer, mixer