Oxford Comma (song) explained

Oxford Comma
Cover:Oxford Comma (Vampire Weekend single) coverart.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Vampire Weekend
Album:Vampire Weekend
Released:May 26, 2008
Recorded:2007
Genre:Indie pop
Length:3:15
Label:XL
Composer:Vampire Weekend
Lyricist:Ezra Koenig
Producer:Rostam Batmanglij
Prev Title:A-Punk
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Next Year:2008

"Oxford Comma" is the third single by Vampire Weekend released May 26, 2008 from their debut album Vampire Weekend.

Song title and meaning

On January 28, 2008, Michael Hogan of Vanity Fair interviewed Ezra Koenig regarding the title of the song and its relevance to the song's meaning. Koenig said he first encountered the Oxford comma, a comma used before the conjunction at the end of a list, on Facebook and learned of a Columbia University Facebook group called Students for the Preservation of the Oxford Comma. Several months later, while sitting at a piano in his parents' house, he began to write the song and later said, "the first thing that came out was 'Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma?'" He stated that the song "is more about not giving a fuck than about Oxford commas."[1]

The song's lyrics contain multiple references to rapper Lil Jon (claiming that "he always tells the truth"). Lil Jon sent Vampire Weekend a case of crunk juice as thanks for the name check,[2] and a friendship formed between Vampire Weekend and Lil Jon that would pan out into Lil Jon's cameo in the music video for "Giving Up the Gun". Also mentioned is the city of Dharamsala, the city in exile home of the 14th Dalai Lama ("the highest lama"), the current Dalai Lama.

Music video

The video, directed by comedian Richard Ayoade, premiered June 20, 2008 on FNMTV. The concept behind the video was for it to be filmed in one long take — similar to the band's video for previous single "A-Punk" — with unified visual and musical aspects. The video drew heavily on impressions of the works of American filmmaker Wes Anderson.[3] According to Koenig, "It's nice that now we're at a point where we have more resources and we can talk to the director."[4]

Critical reception

Pitchfork Media writer Mark Richardson praised "Oxford Comma" as "damn catchy", while Andrew Grillo of Click Music described it as having a "woozy organ and a half arsed guitar solo that masterfully straddles the line between inept and charmingly unstudied." He elaborated that the afro-beat influence was less evident and finished his review by saying that the song was an "extremely enjoyable ditty that goes some way to justifying the attention they've received over the past year."[5]

In 2010, musician Robert Forster described "Oxford Comma" as the "best song of the last five years".[6]

The song is seen as a provocative challenge to pretence, priorities, and punctuation.[1] [7]

Track listing

  1. "Oxford Comma"
  2. "Walcott" (Insane Mix)

Personnel

Vampire Weekend

Additional musicians

Chart performance

Released in May 2008, "Oxford Comma" began to climb the UK Singles Chart. To date, the single's peak is at #38, which is Vampire Weekend's highest-charting single.[8]

In other media

External links

Notes and References

  1. Vampire Weekend's 'Oxford Comma,' Explained . Michael . Hogan . Michael Hogan (writer) . January 28, 2008 . July 20, 2021. Vanity Fair.
  2. Web site: Oxford Comma, Vampire Weekend . . Video.
  3. Web site: Vampire Weekend's 'Cousins' Video: Right On Track. https://web.archive.org/web/20200411192609/http://www.mtv.com/news/1626665/vampire-weekends-cousins-video-right-on-track/. dead. April 11, 2020. MTV. Montgomery. James. 2009-11-19. 2020-04-11.
  4. Web site: Vampire Weekend Encounter Cowboys, Farmers, Revolutionaries And More For 'Oxford Comma' Video. https://web.archive.org/web/20080928123324/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589732/20080620/vampire_weekend.jhtml. dead. September 28, 2008. MTV. Beavers. Danielle. 2008-06-20. 2008-07-13.
  5. Web site: Richardson. Mark. New Music: Vampire Weekend: "Bryn" / "I Stand Corrected" / "M 79" / "Oxford Comma" (Daytrotter Session). Pitchfork Media. 2008-07-15. 2007-10-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20080717123728/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/46531-new-music-vampire-weekend-bryn-i-stand-corrected-m-79-oxford-comma-daytrotter-session-mp3s-streams. 2008-07-17. dead.
  6. Forster. Robert. Out on the Weekend, Vampire Weekend at Brisbane's Tivoli . The Monthly. 2010-12-06. 2010-06-01.
  7. Song of the Day: "Oxford Comma". Paul . Taylor . February 5, 2019 . Lemon Wire . July 20, 2021.
  8. Web site: Oxford Comma - UK chart position . The Official Charts. 2009-01-18.
  9. Introducing the How I Met You Mother Shame Index. Swansburg. John. 2009-09-22. Slate. 2009-09-23.
  10. Web site: BBC Three - Pramface, Series 1, Like Narnia But Sexy.
  11. Web site: Netflix's 'The Chair' Soundtrack Is Full Of Academic Bangers. 2021-08-24. Elite Daily. en.