| "Tracy" | ||
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| Song by Mogwai | ||
| Album | Mogwai Young Team | |
| Released | 21 October 1997 | |
| Recorded | MCM Studios Hamilton, Scotland |
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| Genre | Post-rock, Instrumental rock, Ambient music | |
| Length | 7:18 | |
| Label | Chemikal Underground, Jetset | |
| Writer | Dominic Aitchison, Stuart Braithwaite, John Cummings | |
| Producer | Paul Savage | |
| Mogwai Young Team track listing | ||
| Music sample | ||
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"Tracy" is a song by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai from their 1997 debut studio album, Mogwai Young Team.
Contents |
Overview
"Tracy" is a seven minute long instrumental, in the key of E minor, predominantly featuring glockenspiel and bass guitar, with soft drum kit and guitar accompaniment. The song was named after Tracy Chapman, whose song, "Fast Car" reminded the band of "Tracy" in its early stages.[1] The song also includes recordings of two phone conversations; one between Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite and an employee of American record label, Jet Set, and one between Mogwai drummer Martin Bulloch and Mogwai's then-manager Colin Hardie, which details a studio disagreement between Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison. It later turned out to be a practical joke played by the band during the final week of recording Mogwai Young Team.[2]
Musical composition
The song begins with a bass guitar riff, and ambient guitar noise, which is joined at (0:06) by the sound of the first of two phone conversations heard in the song, between Stuart Braithwaite and Will Simon, an American whom was an employee of American record label, Jet Set:[3]
Jet Set Employee: We've gotta do something about this.
Stuart: When d'you think you can make it over here? How long?
Jet Set Employee: I can try and get there in... twenty five minutes, maybe.
Stuart: Right.
Jet Set Employee: I'll try.
Stuart: Okay.
Jet Set Employee: We've got to sort this out.
Stuart: Okay, I'm just gonna go, I'm gonna head off and just... Try... Try to speak to some people...
Jet Set Employee: We've gotta do something!
Stuart: Yeah.
Jet Set Employee: If we don't take care of this then... I don't... I don't even want to think about it.
At (0:53), a drumbeat enters, along with the quiet guitars in the background which slowly become more predominant. At (1:18), the song's main melody is introduced, played by a guitar and a glockenspiel, and based around the chords of E minor, C major seventh, G major, and D major:
This is repeated until (1:42), when the bass riff again becomes predominant, albeit with variations, continuing until (2:18), when the main melody is repeated once again. At (3:05), the bass riff is once again introduced, with extensive ambient guitar noise in the background, until (3:28), when the guitars fade once again into the background, and the drumbeat ends, leaving only the ride cymbal, (which keeps the beat), and main melody, which is repeated again, until it gradually fades out, leaving ambient guitar noise. At (4:30), the second of two phone conversations begins, between Martin Bulloch and Colin Hardie:
Martin: Hello, Hi Colin?
Colin: Hiya.
Martin: It's Martin.
Colin: Hi Martin.
Martin: A'm sorry tae bother you...
Colin: S'alright.
Martin: ...But we've got a bit of a sketch going on here.
Colin: What?
Martin: Well... It's pretty hard to explain, but...
Colin: Tell us then!
Martin: Right... we were doing a mix and... Stuart and Dominic got intae a bit of a row.
Colin: Mmmhmm?
Martin: And... Stuart was getting a bit stroppy with Dominic, and it ended up that... Dominic punched Stuart, and walked out.
Colin: Mmmhmm?
Martin: And said he's no coming back. And Stuart's saying that he's out, or something like that.
Colin: Right.
Martin: ...Stuart's away as well, me and Paul are just sitting here.
Colin: Where's Stuart away to?
Martin: He just phoned his dad and left.
Colin: Aye, and is John still there?
Martin: No, he went away with Stuart for some reason... Try tae calm him down or something. Another bloody sketch man, I don't know what to do, after this thing on Tuesday.
Colin: Right... kinda limited to what I can do, right?
Martin: Yeah, but me and Paul are here totally, we don't know what to do, man. Me and Paul are sitting here and we don't know what to do.
Colin: Carry on mixing.
Martin: Yeah?
Colin: This sort of stuff happened before, you know whit ah mean?
Martin: It's pretty bad.
Colin: It's a bit eh a fucking sketch.
Martin: It's pretty bad.
Colin: Well, right. If you could give Stuart a phone... we can sort something out, we'll just work around it.
Martin: I think Dominic's just gone to get wasted.
Colin: Uh-huh.
Martin: Yeah, but I don't know where he went, he just left, just got in the car and went.
Colin: Okay, well, I'll speak to Stuart, but then I'll get him to phone Dominic.
Martin: Right, okay, fine. Right, Colin. Well, sorry you got down with this tonight.
Colin: Fine, I'll soon phone you back.
Martin: Okay, no problem.
Colin: See you's.
Martin: Right.
Colin: Bye, later.
Martin: Bye.
This ends at (7:04), leaving the sound of ambient guitar noise to fade out and close the song.
Media usage
- In 1999, "Tracy" was featured on the Channel 4 television series, The Trip, and later on the soundtrack, which was also released in 1999.
- In 2003, "Tracy" was featured in "Hurricane Anthony", an episode of the American Police procedural programme CSI: Miami.
Kid Loco remix
French musician Kid Loco has remixed the song, calling it "Kid Loco's Playing with the Young Team Remix". It can be found on the 1999 compilation album, Kicking a Dead Pig, as well as Kid Loco's 1999 album, Jesus Life for Children Under 12 Inches.
Personnel
- Stuart Braithwaite – guitar, glockenspiel, monologue
- Dominic Aitchison – bass guitar
- John Cummings – guitar
- Martin Bulloch – drums, monologue
- Colin Hardie – monologue
- Paul Savage – producer, mixer
Notes
- ^ Braithwaite, Stuart. Question #103 of 193. Old Questions and Answers. mogwai.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ Mogwai Young Team. Discography. brightlight.youngteam.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
- ^ Braithwaite, Stuart. Question #101 of 292. April 2004 Questions and Answers. mogwai.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-12-15.
External links
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| Stuart Braithwaite · Dominic Aitchison · Martin Bulloch · John Cummings · Barry Burns | |
| Studio albums | Mogwai Young Team · Come on Die Young · Rock Action · Happy Songs for Happy People · Mr. Beast |
| EPs | 4 Satin · No Education = No Future (Fuck the Curfew) · EP · Travels in Constants, Vol. 12 · US Tour EP · UK/European Tour EP · Travel Is Dangerous |
| Compilations | Ten Rapid (Collected Recordings 1996–1997) · EP+6 · Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996–2003 |
| Remix albums | Kicking a Dead Pig: Mogwai Songs Remixed |
| Film scores | Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait · The Fountain |
| Singles | "Tuner"/"Lower" · "Angels vs Aliens" · "Ithica 27ø9"/"Summer" · "New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 1"/"New Paths to Helicon, Pt. 2" · Club Beatroot - Part 4 · Do The Rock Boogaloo · "My Father My King" · "Friend of the Night" · "Black Spider" |
| Related articles | Discography · Albums · Songs · Rock Action Records · The Recording of Mr. Beast · Castle of Doom Studios |
