Here Lies Love

Here Lies Love
Soundtrack album by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim
Released	April 6, 2010
Recorded	2008–2009 at South Hell Studios, New York City, New York, United States
Genre	Alternative dance, disco, big beat, art rock
Length	90:06
Language	English
Label	Todomundo/Nonesuch
Producer	David Byrne, Fatboy Slim, Cagedbaby, Patrick Dillett and Los Amigos Invisibles
David Byrne chronology
Big Love: Hymnal (2008) Here Lies Love (2010)
Fatboy Slim chronology
Palookaville (2004) Here Lies Love (2010)
Singles from Here Lies Love
"Please Don't" Released: January 19, 2010

Here Lies Love is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas—and follows Marcos until she and her family were forced to leave the Philippines. The album features 22 guest vocalists and was released on April 6, 2010, under Nonesuch Records and Todomundo in several formats, including a deluxe double-Compact Disc set with a DVD of music videos from the album and a 120-page book. The title is taken from a comment made by Imelda Marcos during a visit to her husband Ferdinand Marcos's embalmed body. Imelda Marcos expressed that she would like the phrase "Here Lies Love" to be inscribed on her tombstone.

David Byrne released the following statement regarding this album:

“The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a ‘story’ and a kind of theater to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn’t that be amazing!”

Recording and release

The album features mostly guest female singers, including Florence Welch, Allison Moorer, Nellie McKay, Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, Martha Wainwright, Natalie Merchant, Sia Furler, Santigold, Charmaine Clamor, Nicole Atkins, and Kate Pierson among many others, alternately playing the roles of Imelda Marcos and Estrella Cumpas.

Byrne described Cyndi Lauper's performance on the album as "amazingly fine-tuned" and "very impressive." The only male vocalists are Steve Earle on "A Perfect Hand", and Byrne himself on "American Troglodyte" and "Seven Years", the latter being a duet with Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond.

The first promotional single from Here Lies Love is "Please Don't" featuring Santigold on vocals. The single became available on Byrne's website as a free high-quality MP3 download on January 19, 2010. Additionally, 30 second segments of each track from the album are currently available for streaming.

Live performances

Here Lies Love
A promotional poster of the performers from the album, illustrated by Scott Menchin
Music	David Byrne with Norman Cook
Lyrics	David Byrne
Productions	Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts (2006), Carnegie Hall Perspectives Series (2007)

Here Lies Love has been performed live four times. It debuted at the Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts in Adelaide, Australia on March 10, 2006 with additional dates on March 13 and March 14, and was also performed live at the Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 3, 2007, as part of the Carnegie Hall Perspectives Series.

Scene structure

Prologue

1. "Here Lies Love"

Act I

Flashback – Early Days

2. "Every Drop of Rain"
3. "You'll Be Taken Care Of"
4. "The Rose of Tacloban"
5. "How Are You?"
6. "A Perfect Hand"
7. "Eleven Days"

Act II

The Climb to Power

8. "Walk Like a Woman"
9. "Don't You Agree?"
10. "Ladies in Blue"
11. "When She Passed By"
12. "A Pretty Face"
13. "A Whole Man"
14. "American Troglodyte"
15. "Dancing Together"

Act III

The Turning Point

16. "Men Will Do Anything"
17. "Never So Big"
18. "Please Don't"

Act IV

The Fall

19. "Solano Avenue"
20. "Seven Years"
21. "Order 1081"
22. "Why Don't You Love Me?"
23. "Here Lies Love" (Reprise)

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The A.V. Club	(B+)
BBC	(mixed)
Mojo
NME
One Thirty BPM	(53%)
Pitchfork Media	(5.0/10)
Q
Rolling Stone
Daily Telegraph
The Times

The album has received mixed and positive reviews.

Track listing

Disc one

1. "Here Lies Love" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 5:52
2. "Every Drop Of Rain" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 5:34
3. "You'll Be Taken Care Of" (David Byrne) – 3:20
4. "The Rose of Tacloban" (David Byrne) – 2:33
5. "How Are You?" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 2:43
6. "A Perfect Hand" (David Byrne) – 4:58
7. "Eleven Days" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 2:44
8. "When She Passed By" (David Byrne and Tom Gandey) – 3:50
9. "Walk Like a Woman" (David Byrne) – 3:59
10. "Don't You Agree?" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 3:20
11. "Pretty Face" (David Byrne) – 3:23
12. "Ladies in Blue" (David Byrne) – 4:21

Disc two

13. "Dancing Together" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 3:53
14. "Men Will Do Anything" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 4:06
15. "The Whole Man" (David Byrne) – 4:15
16. "Never So Big" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 4:00
17. "Please Don't" (David Byrne) – 3:59
18. "American Troglodyte" (David Byrne, Norman Cook, and José Luis "Cheo" Pardo) – 4:07
19. "Solano Avenue" (David Byrne and Norman Cook) – 3:56
20. "Order 1081" (David Byrne) – 5:47
21. "Seven Years" (David Byrne) – 5:40
22. "Why Don't You Love Me?" (David Byrne and Tom Gandey) – 3:58

DVD videos

1. "Eleven Days" – 2:20
2. "When She Passed By" – 3:30
3. "Don't You Agree?" – 2:51
4. "Dancing Together" – 3:24
5. "Please Don't" – 4:00
6. "Order 1081" – 4:28

Personnel

• Tori Amos – vocals on "You'll Be Taken Care Of" (as Imelda Marcos' mother Remedios Trinidad y de Guzman Romualdez) and "Why Don't You Love Me?" (as Estrella Cumpas)
• Theresa Andersson – vocals on "Ladies in Blue"
• Nicole Atkins – vocals on "Solano Avenue" (as Estrella Cumpas)
• David Byrne – composition, instrumentation, and vocals on "American Troglodyte" and "Seven Years" (the latter song as Benigno Aquino, Jr.)
• Camille – vocals on "Pretty Face" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Charmaine Clamor – vocals on "Walk Like a Woman" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Steve Earle – vocals on "A Perfect Hand" (as Ferdinand Marcos)
• Fatboy Slim – composition and instrumentation
• Sia – vocals on "Never So Big" (as Estrella Cumpas)
• Cyndi Lauper – vocals on "Eleven Days" and "Why Don't You Love Me?" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Nellie McKay – vocals on "How Are You?" (as Estrella Cumpas)
• Allison Moorer – vocals on "When She Passed By" (as Estrella Cumpas)
• Sharon Jones – vocals on "Dancing Together" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Natalie Merchant – vocals on "Order 1081" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Róisín Murphy – vocals on "Don't You Agree?" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Candie Payne – vocals on "Every Drop of Rain"(as Estrella Cumpas)
• Kate Pierson – vocals on "The Whole Man" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Alice Russell – vocals on "Men Will Do Anything" (as Imelda Marcos)
• St. Vincent – vocals on "Every Drop of Rain" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Santigold – vocals on "Please Don't" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Martha Wainwright – vocals on "The Rose of Tacloban" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Florence Welch – vocals on "Here Lies Love" (as Imelda Marcos)
• Shara Worden – vocals on "Seven Years" (as Imelda Marcos)

External links

• David Byrne's homepage on Here Lies Love
• Here Lies Love at Allmusic
• Here Lies Love at Discogs (list of releases)
• Here Lies Love at Metacritic
• Here Lies Love at MusicBrainz