Down by the Water (The Decemberists song)
| "Down by the Water" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
Single by The Decemberists | ||||
| from the album The King is Dead | ||||
| Released | November 2010 | |||
| Format | digital download 7" Vinyl(UK) 12" vinyl(US) | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Decemberists Colin Meloy | |||
The Decemberists singles chronology | ||||
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Down by the Water is a song on the American indie rock band The Decemberists' sixth album, The King is Dead. It was released as a single in 2010.
Contents
1 Lyrics and music
2 Release and reception
3 Chart performance
4 References
5 External links
Lyrics and music
"Down By the Water" includes Peter Buck and singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, who contribute 12-string guitar and vocal harmonies, respectively.[1] It also features accordion riffs and heavy harmonica reminiscent of Neil Young;[2] particularly the song "Heart of Gold".[3] "Down By the Water" has been compared to the music of Bruce Springsteen.[4][5] It was featured for free download on November 2, 2010 on their official website. Meloy has said that The King Is Dead is more straightforward and heavily influenced by R.E.M.,[6] and "Down By the Water" is a prime example.[7] Meloy himself has said that the song "started out as more of a paean to R.E.M. than I think any of us really wanted it to be".[8]
Lyrically, "Down By the Water" is vaguely mournful.[9] It has been described as "folksy", "uptempo",[10] and "country-esque", and the chorus as "booming".[4] Though "Down By the Water" has been called "catchy" and radio-friendly, it is also said to lack the quality of prose found on earlier Decemberists' work.[2]
Release and reception
The song reached number 33 on the U.S. Rock songs chart.[11] It was favorably reviewed by critics. National Public Radio considered it one of the top 100 songs of 2011.[12] It was ranked the 97th best song of the year by Pazz and Jop.[13] The song was nominated for both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song at the 54th Grammy Awards.[14]
Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Adult album alternative[15] | 2 |
| U.S. Rock songs[11] | 33 |
Japan Hot 100[16] | 35 |
References
^ "The Decemberists | News 11.2.10". The Decemberists Official site. November 2, 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2010..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab Brickner, Sara (November 2, 2010). "The Decemberists Share New Song From Upcoming Album, Attempt to Be As Much Like R.E.M. As Possible". Seattle Weekly. Seattle Weekly, LLC. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
^ Weiner, Juli (November 3, 2010). "Blog That Tune! "Down By the Water," by the Decemberists". Vanity Fair. Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^ ab Jones, Colin (November 8, 2010). "Free Music Monday: The Decemberists, Stereolab and Michael Jackson". Death & Taxes magazine. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^ Alvarez, Daniel (November 5, 2010). "The Week in Singles: New Music From Quincy Jones and Amy Winehouse, Bruce Springsteen, the Decemberists, and more". Crawdaddy!. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^ Jessica (November 2, 2010). "The Decemberists –". Stereogum. BUZZMEDIA Music. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
^ Zeidses des Plantes, Erik (November 3, 2010). "Down by the water". Prefix magazine. prefixmag.com. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
^ Wolk, Douglas (November 4, 2010). "Colin Meloy Reveals Details of New Decemberists Album". Rolling Stone. Jann S. Wenner. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
^ Vestal, Shannon (November 3, 2010). "Buzz Sugar". Buzz Sugar. Entertainment Hourly. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
^ Warner, Brett (November 3, 2010). "Listen To This: New Music From The Decemberists". ...ology. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
^ ab "The Decemberists Chart History: Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^ "NPR Music's 100 Favorite Songs Of 2011". National Public Radio. December 14, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^ Pazz & Jop: Top 48 Singles of 2011
^ White, Ryan (November 30, 2011). "The Decemberists score two Grammy nominations for 'Down By The Water'". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^ "The Decemberists Chart History: Triple A". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
^ "The Decemberists – Chart History: Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
External links
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
