Zombie (Jamie T song) explained

Zombie
Type:single
Artist:Jamie T
Album:Carry On the Grudge
Genre:Indie rock
Label:Virgin
Prev Title:Don't You Find
Prev Year:2014
Next Title:Tinfoil Boy
Next Year:2014

"Zombie" is a song by English singer-songwriter Jamie T. It was released as the second single from his third studio album Carry On the Grudge (2014). It peaked at 36 of the charts and was there for eleven weeks.

At the 2015 NME Awards, "Zombie" won two awards: Best Track and Best Video.[1]

Background

"Zombie" is an indie rock song about being unproductive. In an interview with Time Out, Jamie said, "[I]t can be frustrating when you don’t feel you’re writing anything new. There’s lots of different tricks you can use to get yourself writing again. The best one’s probably to read a book. Just seeing someone else say something in a different way immediately sparks you out of your own shit. On this record, I was reading a lot of Ted Hughes. Lots of Plath and Alvarez."[2]

Critical reception

Ed Potton of The Times called the song "a cocktail of self-loathing and muscular poetry with a chorus that weirdly but brilliantly recalls Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire."[3]

Music video

The music video, directed by James Slater,[4] was inspired by the film Shaun of the Dead (2005).[5] It features Jamie and his band performing in a near-empty pub. As the song goes on, they begin turning into zombies. Limbs fall off, but no one else in the pub pays any attention.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: Florence Welch presents Jamie T with one of three awards at NME Awards 2015 with Austin, Texas. 18 February 2015. NME. 26 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Jamie T interview – See Jamie T live in London. Time Out London. en. 2019-10-03.
  3. News: Jamie T: Carry on the Grudge. Potton. Ed. 27 September 2014. The Times. 3 October 2019. en. 0140-0460.
  4. Web site: Jamie T 'Zombie' by James Slater. Brown. Jimmy. 21 August 2014. Promonews. 26 October 2021. en.
  5. Web site: Dead cool: 11 times pop stars became zombies - BBC Music. Richards. Sam. 30 August 2017. www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. News: Jamie T becomes a zombie in video for new single as UK tour is announced. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/jamie-t-becomes-zombie-video-new-single-uk-tour-announced-9664335.html . 2022-05-07 . subscription . live. Culzac. Natasha. 12 August 2014. The Independent. 26 October 2021.