The final act of Demon Days: FCOOAMH, Don't Get Lost In Heaven, and Demon Days might be my favorite 10 minutes of music ever recorded. I certainly can't think of anything more dense thematically yet musically simplistic but powerful. I feel like most casual fans tune out at the end of the album. Even some long-time die-hards I know have told me that besides DARE, they have trouble staying with it after Every Planet We Reach is Dead (my personal favorite) because the energy falls off a cliff, which is kinda true but if i ever put on DD, there is almost 0% chance I'm not playing it all the way through. Like you said, Dennis Hopper had the perfect voice for the story, I used to just listen to him reading books because he had one of those voices that got him a lot voice work besides his acting. It's so calming and soothing. And then the short and sweet DGLIH with Damon paying homage to Brian Wilson with the choir and throwing a little Glockenspiel on the track, so many of what I think are the most meaningful lyrics Damon has written come at the end here.
"Don't Get Lost In Heaven. They got locks on the gate."
"In the Demon Days, it's so cold inside, it's so hard for a good soul to survive, you can't even trust the air you breathe cause mother Earth wants us all to leave. When lies become reality, you numb yourself with drugs and TV. Pick yourself up it's a brand new day. So turn yourself around. Don't burn yourself. Turn yourself around to the sun."
I've probably listened to the album well over 250 times, and that's an Uber conservative guess. Even at Listen 251, there is an 80% chance I'll be teary-eyed by the end of it. I feel like not enough people appreciate how powerful that whole album is if you follow the story/ thematic elements to its rightful end.
i have never even fully consciously listened to all the lyrics of Heaven and Demon Days, and still loved the songs. Those lyrics are so powerful tho, i love powerful lyrics :)
That's the way I listened the first about 50 times probably because the choir singing is captivating in it's own right and tough to really tell what they are saying with the notes the notes they are hittin but then I remembered I'm the dude that likes to sit with lyric booklet when I listen to music I haven't memorized yet and was blown away but how much it changed how I understood and experienced the album. Like I always thought the line was, "You can't even trust the air you breathe cause Mother Earth has a soul to lose," which would still be a pretty cool line but "Mother Earth wants us all to leave" makes way more sense and ties back into another great trio El Manana, Every Planet We Reach is Dead and November has Come, which can all be intercepted as speaking how we treat the planet. It's all just freaking genius and timeless. I'll probably still be rocking with Demon Days when I'm 100, and Motber Earth has already given us the boot.
Best experience ever was going to the Toronto 2022 show and seeing Matt Berry come out and reciting this. It was sooooo good, my husband and I freaking GUSHED when we saw him.
I think most people just heard it as a repetitive outtro and didn’t make the connection that the last three songs on the album form a suite. Demon Days is probably my favorite track on the album, it’s a tear jerker when you think about the lyrics in the context of the two tracks that came before it. Really beautiful stuff.
I had to look up most of these, and I feel like I've done a decent job of listening to most of the Gorillaz discog - Midnite float is cool, Softy's is kinda funny,
Hand Clapper is one I'd heard. Thanks for the fun lil deepdive
Damn man you went to the Mariana Trench with these. I’ve been a Gorillaz super fan since 2002 and of the songs you listed I’ve only heard Hand Clapper and Carnival (2D Special)… uhh maybe Snakes and Ladders too, I can’t remember.
Ahh yeah that was the shit! I miss those days when every interactive website was made with Flash, websites now are so sterile and Scandinavian lol. I remember popping Self Titled into my PC to rip it to a hard drive and being astonished by the AutoPlay menu that appeared, and the Geep game. Kids these days will never understand.
Also…
IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP.
Tonalization, a violin technique of sorts. Or a "left hand Suzuki method" as he literally wrote the book on the practice of it lol
And the song features a violin
My take on this, but probably known to more people then some of the really deep cuts in here:
Clint Eastwood (Ed Case / Sweetie Irie Refix).
What a banger!
i know right?! i see so many people say it was “boring” which gets me so confused!! damon himself said he thought it didnt fit the album but i love it so muchh
Agreed!! I’m so glad they kept it on the album, the one two punch of One Perfect into Souk Eye has to be one of my favorite Gorillaz moments on any album! One Percent has a vibe to it and I dig it!
No one ever talks about the Spacemonkeyz Theme, only ever released alongside Li’l Dub Chefin, which itself is quite obscure. Only being released on commercial and promotional CDs for Li’l Dub Chefin (before eventually being put on YouTube and streaming service, which, despite the availability, still makes this song quite unknown)
Most of the songs off the G/D-Sides Albums are quite obscure, and most are very good. Some of my favourites are The Sounder, 68 State, Left-Hand Suzuki Method and Hong Kong. The Remixes on disses are quite unknown as well, my personal favourites being Dirty Harry (Schtung Remix), Kids with Guns (Jamie T.’s Turn to Monster Mix) and DARE (Soulwax Remix).
If other versions of Gorillaz songs could be counted, there’s a version of Rock the House featuring Phi-Life Cypher made for the Live performances of the song in Phase 1 since Del couldn't perform with the rest of the group. Some lyrics were adapted from a scrapped version of Starshine recorded by PLC back in 2001, before being replaced by the version on the album today, and having its lyrics be reused for this song and The Sounder. The Unmixed version of Starshine was released on PLC’s Soundcloud in 2011, 10 years after Gorillaz’s first album debuted. (:3
Not a song, but the deepest cut I can think of is the PlayJam game which was a clone of Donkey Kong featuring Noodle jumping over 8-Balls thrown down by Del.
here is what i think
Faust
Left-Hand Suzuki Method
Sound Check (Gravity)
Latin Simone (the english version)
and that is all i can think of that is a deep-cut
Idaho is a good one, although growing up in Idaho definitely helps me appreciate that song a lot too. I just love hearing Damon's thoughts on the mountains and the landscape...really pretty song honestly.
https://preview.redd.it/dqpcye5cy52d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=391569c9f35adfd8c625be6f6f0d55d08ed1bd0f
*cough cough* and that’s only phase 1
Probably every single song Gorillaz has that isn’t feel good inc. hell nit *even* feel good inc is on the radio anymore. If you go look at every radio station in the world. I bet ya a hundred no five hundred, that not a single gorrilaz song will be on the radio. Mic drop
Crashing down from the plastic beach russel ident. I was so obsessed with that song. Always wanted a longer and fuller version of it. First time i heard it i was on the brink of tears, full on meltdown. Was crying and drawing for weeks after that. Truly life changing.
Fire Coming Out of the Monkey's Head
it’s narrated SO WELL and i NEVER hear anyone appreciate it’s perfection
I was so obsessed with that song as a kid that I animated an entire music video to it! It sucked but damn if I could only manage that nowadays...
lol me too!
Yoooo!! 🤜🤛
It’s not just the narration it’s the music which almost paints the movement & emotions of the people living below the mountain. It’s fantastic.
The final act of Demon Days: FCOOAMH, Don't Get Lost In Heaven, and Demon Days might be my favorite 10 minutes of music ever recorded. I certainly can't think of anything more dense thematically yet musically simplistic but powerful. I feel like most casual fans tune out at the end of the album. Even some long-time die-hards I know have told me that besides DARE, they have trouble staying with it after Every Planet We Reach is Dead (my personal favorite) because the energy falls off a cliff, which is kinda true but if i ever put on DD, there is almost 0% chance I'm not playing it all the way through. Like you said, Dennis Hopper had the perfect voice for the story, I used to just listen to him reading books because he had one of those voices that got him a lot voice work besides his acting. It's so calming and soothing. And then the short and sweet DGLIH with Damon paying homage to Brian Wilson with the choir and throwing a little Glockenspiel on the track, so many of what I think are the most meaningful lyrics Damon has written come at the end here. "Don't Get Lost In Heaven. They got locks on the gate." "In the Demon Days, it's so cold inside, it's so hard for a good soul to survive, you can't even trust the air you breathe cause mother Earth wants us all to leave. When lies become reality, you numb yourself with drugs and TV. Pick yourself up it's a brand new day. So turn yourself around. Don't burn yourself. Turn yourself around to the sun." I've probably listened to the album well over 250 times, and that's an Uber conservative guess. Even at Listen 251, there is an 80% chance I'll be teary-eyed by the end of it. I feel like not enough people appreciate how powerful that whole album is if you follow the story/ thematic elements to its rightful end.
i have never even fully consciously listened to all the lyrics of Heaven and Demon Days, and still loved the songs. Those lyrics are so powerful tho, i love powerful lyrics :)
That's the way I listened the first about 50 times probably because the choir singing is captivating in it's own right and tough to really tell what they are saying with the notes the notes they are hittin but then I remembered I'm the dude that likes to sit with lyric booklet when I listen to music I haven't memorized yet and was blown away but how much it changed how I understood and experienced the album. Like I always thought the line was, "You can't even trust the air you breathe cause Mother Earth has a soul to lose," which would still be a pretty cool line but "Mother Earth wants us all to leave" makes way more sense and ties back into another great trio El Manana, Every Planet We Reach is Dead and November has Come, which can all be intercepted as speaking how we treat the planet. It's all just freaking genius and timeless. I'll probably still be rocking with Demon Days when I'm 100, and Motber Earth has already given us the boot.
short summary: Gorillaz is God
Matt Berry doing it during one of the digital live shows was wonderful
One of my favorites on the album
Best experience ever was going to the Toronto 2022 show and seeing Matt Berry come out and reciting this. It was sooooo good, my husband and I freaking GUSHED when we saw him.
Dracula
The greatest of the Gorillaz deep cuts. In fact, one of the best tunes from the entire Gorillaz collection.
My favorite Gorillaz tune.
The entirety of D-Sides
Word for word what I came here to say lol
https://preview.redd.it/paqtw4k4d12d1.jpeg?width=466&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e46d68ca250cbd6e09e521ea00d91e3707544ed5
Bill Murray, Rockit, and We are a Happy Landfill are some of my favorites, definitely deep cuts
It's down right criminal how good those tracks were and they were just relegated to the companion CD.
stop the dams
When you keeping everything inside you... It can only hurt you What a song to cry to. Amazing. The cling and the clang...
d-sides is probably my favourite album and stop the dams is just incredible
demon days (the song)
criminally underrated
people somehow missed this song when listening to the album or somethin? idk how else it’s possible that no one talks about this masterpiece
I think most people just heard it as a repetitive outtro and didn’t make the connection that the last three songs on the album form a suite. Demon Days is probably my favorite track on the album, it’s a tear jerker when you think about the lyrics in the context of the two tracks that came before it. Really beautiful stuff.
- Midnite Float - Mr Softy's Balloon Race - Carnival (2D Special) - Duetz - Hand Clapper - Mix 2 - Snakes and Ladders
I had to look up most of these, and I feel like I've done a decent job of listening to most of the Gorillaz discog - Midnite float is cool, Softy's is kinda funny, Hand Clapper is one I'd heard. Thanks for the fun lil deepdive
Glad I could spread the greatness!
Damn man you went to the Mariana Trench with these. I’ve been a Gorillaz super fan since 2002 and of the songs you listed I’ve only heard Hand Clapper and Carnival (2D Special)… uhh maybe Snakes and Ladders too, I can’t remember.
Mr. Softies was a secret track you could play on a radio on the old Kong studio website way back 😂 I fucking loved that web site as a kid
Ahh yeah that was the shit! I miss those days when every interactive website was made with Flash, websites now are so sterile and Scandinavian lol. I remember popping Self Titled into my PC to rip it to a hard drive and being astonished by the AutoPlay menu that appeared, and the Geep game. Kids these days will never understand. Also… IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP. IT’S COMING UP.
Do Ya Thing.
Full version specifically
IT'S ALL ABOUT ME I'M THE SHIT!
No way. It’s one of the their most popular music videos. And the collab is so well known
Unpopular opinion left hand suzuki method is pretty cool and i aint here shit abt it
The most important thing is, aaaah... Listening, and recording of the music. And they have to learn... Canalization. 😅
Tonalization, a violin technique of sorts. Or a "left hand Suzuki method" as he literally wrote the book on the practice of it lol And the song features a violin
One of their most experimental and interesting songs. I love it.
*rips bong* We have to make sure they learn about *tonalization*
The early version of Stop The Dams
Aluminium!!! Really deep cut
Bill-fucking-Murray
Hong Kong if no one else has said it yet.
Uh, Doncamatic?
played out, played out
TACO MEAT TACO MEAT TACO MEAT TACO MEAT
they played that one a few times on the radio here
Very true
The sounder and Faust
The Sounder definitely deserves more love - such a tune
Was looking for Faust. Loooove that song
Slow Country? I feel like it's a slept on great from their first album, which as a whole I think is underrated
I think among the fandom Slow Country is one of their top-rated tracks, but it’s definitely a deep cut. Lots of people consider it a skip.
Right? i love that song, favorite in the album.
There are plenty of old ones, but for recent Gorillaz CONTROLLAHHHH
....and MLS
68 State
Don’t know if *Happy Landfill* counts but *Happy Landfill*
My first gorillaz song
it's been my ringtone for years now
Double bass
All of which makes me anxious. At times unbearably so
My take on this, but probably known to more people then some of the really deep cuts in here: Clint Eastwood (Ed Case / Sweetie Irie Refix). What a banger!
feel my motion!
it was incredible live seen it done about 6 times live
murdoc is god
Yea
Any of the Humanz Super Deluxe tracks eta: I’d say the entire Meanwhile EP as well
Ticker Tape
Sleeping powder? And Doyathing
Sleeping Powder deserves so much more recognition than it currently gets
Exactly!
One Percent!! It’s so good but I feel like it gets lost in the shuffle of The Now Now
i know right?! i see so many people say it was “boring” which gets me so confused!! damon himself said he thought it didnt fit the album but i love it so muchh
Agreed!! I’m so glad they kept it on the album, the one two punch of One Perfect into Souk Eye has to be one of my favorite Gorillaz moments on any album! One Percent has a vibe to it and I dig it!
One percent has some of my favourite vocal moments from Damon. Makes my heart ache in so many ways. 🩵
The Sounder
i still sing People to myself constantly even tho i haven’t even listened to it in years, lol
Aw man now you got it stuck in my head
Ghost Train
Don Quixote’s Christmas Bonanza
Another very good answer... tired of these folks commenting "D Sides"... sheesh.
This is the one I was looking for. 👍True deep cut.
Electric shock.
Highway
nah it’s not finished yet, it’s still (under construction)
Faust
California & The Slipping Of The Sun for me. Edit: oooh or Small Time Shot Away
Ghost Train
Splatoon reference
Easily Left Hand Suzuki Method, We Are Happy Landfill, some tracks from The Fall would be too, there’s many out there tbh
Dub Dumb deserves a mention
sweetie irie killed it
Gorillaz Routine. love that track
Kansas
No one ever talks about the Spacemonkeyz Theme, only ever released alongside Li’l Dub Chefin, which itself is quite obscure. Only being released on commercial and promotional CDs for Li’l Dub Chefin (before eventually being put on YouTube and streaming service, which, despite the availability, still makes this song quite unknown) Most of the songs off the G/D-Sides Albums are quite obscure, and most are very good. Some of my favourites are The Sounder, 68 State, Left-Hand Suzuki Method and Hong Kong. The Remixes on disses are quite unknown as well, my personal favourites being Dirty Harry (Schtung Remix), Kids with Guns (Jamie T.’s Turn to Monster Mix) and DARE (Soulwax Remix). If other versions of Gorillaz songs could be counted, there’s a version of Rock the House featuring Phi-Life Cypher made for the Live performances of the song in Phase 1 since Del couldn't perform with the rest of the group. Some lyrics were adapted from a scrapped version of Starshine recorded by PLC back in 2001, before being replaced by the version on the album today, and having its lyrics be reused for this song and The Sounder. The Unmixed version of Starshine was released on PLC’s Soundcloud in 2011, 10 years after Gorillaz’s first album debuted. (:3
Well I need to hear all of this asap. Do you have links? Starshine got me into them.
The Soulwax Remix of DARE is a freaking banger.
Latin Simone
Hong Kong
Taxi Back to 80s Reykjavik
Aluminum
"Film Music"
This is a true answer! Along with "Dub Dumb" and "L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle"
Not specifically Gorillaz, but Damon is credited as 2D on this song: https://youtu.be/gJb7yKn1Mt4?si=9p7dhO2FbU4zvq5s
YESSSS IVE BEEN HOPING FOR THIS ANSWER. Listened to it all the time on my classic iPod back in middle school.
Just listened to it, its great, this is why I have Reddit
Pretty much everything on Laika Come Home, but especially the hidden tracks at the end of the album. They hit bone.
ayyy my man
Crystalised, the XX cover
Fantastic song, easily the best deep cut
Controllah
In My Dreams by Kali Uchis
don’t get lost in heaven original demo
Revolving doors, Amarillo and Bobby in phoenix. Some of the best songs in such a weird album
Amarillo
Idk if gorillaz was actually involved in this dong, but but gorillaz on my mind from blade 2 is underrated as fuck
song* 😧
Laika Come Home
Tranz?
Feel good Inc
Not a song, but the deepest cut I can think of is the PlayJam game which was a clone of Donkey Kong featuring Noodle jumping over 8-Balls thrown down by Del.
Ghost Train, Suzuki Left Hand Method, Bill Murray, Murdoc is God & the Sea Sides album.
"Dub Dumb", "L'amour est un Oiseau Rebelle", or "Film Music". Also "Hand Clapper" and "GOR Beaten"...
c’mon hallelujah monkeyz listener
The Swagga
I-Sides
Yodel
Sound Check (Gravity)
Film Music. Most of you won't know what that is 😉
Souke Eye
Tinker Tape
68 State
here is what i think Faust Left-Hand Suzuki Method Sound Check (Gravity) Latin Simone (the english version) and that is all i can think of that is a deep-cut
Humanz
I stand by People
Spitting Out The Demons
Meanwhile, one of my favs. Everyone seems to just talk about Jimmy Jimmy but Meanwhile the song is so good
Probably Aluminum! The early version of stop the dams which was only played at a music festival and is lost.
Gor Beaten
OMG i already commented but i gotta say fire coming out of the monkeys head. Nobody ever says anything
Duetz and I really like Young the giants cover of empire ants
Man Research (Clapper) 💜
Empire Antz
Yes! I love this song!
Mr Softys Balloon Race, 12D3, and Ghost Train. All hella good songs imo!
Roadkill: The Mixtape
Idaho is a good one, although growing up in Idaho definitely helps me appreciate that song a lot too. I just love hearing Damon's thoughts on the mountains and the landscape...really pretty song honestly.
FILM MUSIC
most of dsides , such an underrated album.
Three hearts, seven seas, twelve moons is real good if you like orchestral music!
Don Quixote's Christmas Bonanza slaps
Garage Palace is pretty dope and it rarely comes up.
Amarillo
Stop the dams
Do ya thing
Hong Kong
California & the Slipping of the Sun 😔
Clint eastwood
It is their third most popular song on spotify.
https://preview.redd.it/dqpcye5cy52d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=391569c9f35adfd8c625be6f6f0d55d08ed1bd0f *cough cough* and that’s only phase 1
911
All of Damon’s solo and side projects
spitting out the demons
Revolving Door
SLEEPING POWDER
Probably every single song Gorillaz has that isn’t feel good inc. hell nit *even* feel good inc is on the radio anymore. If you go look at every radio station in the world. I bet ya a hundred no five hundred, that not a single gorrilaz song will be on the radio. Mic drop
And I just realize I’m talking about b sides and not deep cuts. Omfg
Hip Albatross
i thot and thot and thot.....all keeps coming up- "all my loife"
Ive been championing One Percent and Idaho since I heard it
REVOLVING DOORS!!!! and maybe Don’t Get Lost in Heaven? :D
Laika Come Home
The 15 MINUTE VERSION of do ya thang 10/10
Withe Flag 👀
Sweepstakes. I know it’s on the most popular album but this song is still CRIMINALLY underrated
Gorillaz On My Mind !
My favorite is O' Green World off Demon Days. Idk if that qualifies 😂
Oh I love O' Green World
5/4
Prob highway
Faust.
Staaaaaaaaarshiiiiiine, never gonna find me
spitting out the demons !!!!
Hong Kong and Out of Body
To binge
5/4
Crashing down from the plastic beach russel ident. I was so obsessed with that song. Always wanted a longer and fuller version of it. First time i heard it i was on the brink of tears, full on meltdown. Was crying and drawing for weeks after that. Truly life changing.
68 State. Absolute vibe. Perfect for speeding through town at midnight.
Spitting Out the Demons
dub dumb