Favourite (song) explained

Favourite
Cover:Favourite Fontaines.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:Fontaines D.C.
Album:Romance
Genre:Jangle pop
Label:XL
Producer:James Ford
Prev Title:Starburster
Prev Year:2024
Next Title:Here's the Thing
Next Year:2024

"Favourite" is a song by the Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. It was released on 18 June 2024 as the second single from the band's fourth studio album Romance.

Background

The closing song on Romance, frontman Grian Chatten described the song as having "this never-ending sound to it, a continuous cycle from euphoria to sadness, two worlds spinning forever."[1] Chatten said the song was inspired by "There She Goes" by The La's and "Another Girl, Another Planet" by The Only Ones.[2]

It was placed at the end of the album because it served a "cyclical" nature of both ending the album and beginning it anew, with Chatten comparing it to how James Joyce's Finnegans Wake both begins and ends with the same sentence.[2]

"Favourite" was debuted live on 8 May 2024 at a surprise show in New York City's Warsaw club, marking the first show of the Romance era in a sold-out crowd of 1,000 people that included Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys.[3] The band also performed the song during their June set at Glastonbury Festival 2024.[4]

Composition

The track originated from a chord progression that guitarist Carlos O'Connell played to Chatten in 2022 while the band was recording their previous album, Skinty Fia.[5] Chatten originally wrote 12 verses for the song. Guitarist Conor Curley said, "I think Grian was on a spark once he had the 'Favourite' motif that he had so many different angles to write so many verses. It'd be cool to do the long version live sometime."[6]

The song was frequently described as jangle pop[7] [8] [9] and compared to The Smiths.[10] [11] Curley said about the comparisons, "Shredding is obviously such an amazing thing to be able to do on a guitar, but when you can really write a feeling with a melody, like Johnny Marr did so well – that’s the goal."[12]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at No. 69 on the UK singles chart.[13]

Reception

Year-end lists

PublicationAccoladeRank
Exclaim!20 Best Songs of 202411[14]
NPR124 Best Songs of 2024[15]

Music video

The video for the song was filmed in Madrid, where the band's guitarist Carlos O'Connell was born and raised. Bassist Conor Deegan said about the video, "This video is a reminiscing of the past; of each other’s childhoods we didn’t know. To see people we know on an intimate level as adults in the tender ages of childhood, we explore where we came from, and who on some level, still are." The video was directed by the band and also features footage of all five band members as children from their families' home videos.[16]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rigotti . Alex . 2024-06-19 . Fontaines D.C. release wistful new single 'Favourite' . 2024-11-15 . NME . en-GB.
  2. Web site: Trendell . Andrew . 2024-08-16 . At home with Fontaines D.C.'s Grian Chatten: "Our personality is bigger than the sound that we make" . 2024-11-15 . NME . en-GB.
  3. Web site: Duran . Anagricel . 2024-05-09 . Watch Fontaines D.C. debut new songs 'Romance' and 'Favourite' at intimate Brooklyn gig . 2024-11-15 . NME . en-GB.
  4. Zemler . Emily . 2024-07-04 . Watch Fontaines D.C. Perform Recent Single 'Favourite' at Glastonbury 2024 . 2024-11-15 . Rolling Stone . en-US.
  5. Web site: Ovenden . Olivia . 2024-10-16 . Can Fontaines DC Make Rock Bands Cool Again? . 2024-11-15 . GQ . en-US.
  6. Web site: Varvaris . Mary . How Hip-Hop, Metal & Anime Established The World Of Fontaines D.C.'s 'Romance' . 2024-11-15 . The Music . en.
  7. Web site: Polyak . Emma Zoe . Fontaines D.C. share wistful new single 'Favourite' ahead of upcoming album . 2024-11-15 . WXPN Vinyl At Heart . en.
  8. Web site: Farrell . Margaret . Fontaines D.C.: Romance . 2024-11-15 . Pitchfork . en-US.
  9. Web site: Fontaines D.C. Pen an Unreliable Encyclopedia of 'Romance' │ Exclaim! . 2024-11-15 . Fontaines D.C. Pen an Unreliable Encyclopedia of 'Romance' . en.
  10. Web site: 2024-08-23 . Fontaines D.C.'s 'Romance': One of 2024's most impressive records . 2024-11-15 . euronews . en.
  11. Web site: Beaumont . Mark . Fontaines DC review, Romance: Leaves post-punk in its dust and roars off into broad new horizons . The Independent.
  12. Web site: Bull . Stan . 2024-10-22 . Conor Curley of Fontaines D.C. on his love of Deftones and why he's writing riffs like a beginner . 2024-11-15 . guitarworld . en.
  13. Web site: 2024-07-04 . FAVOURITE . 2024-11-15 . Official Charts . en.
  14. News: 28 November 2024 . Exclaim!'s 20 Best Songs of 2024 . 29 November 2024 . Exclaim!.
  15. News: 124 Best Songs of 2024 . 4 December 2024 . NPR.
  16. Web site: 2024-06-18 . Fontaines D.C. Take a Trip to Madrid in 'Favourite' Music Video . 2024-11-15 . Rolling Stone Australia . en-AU.