Fanfare for the Conscious Man

Album: Common Dreads (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Singer Rou Reynolds told Kerrang! May 2, 2009 that "this song has my favourite line, 'Our gracious Queen should grasp her crown and take a good f--king swing at Blair and Brown!'." He added: "Lyrically, it was our last chance to have a massive outpouring of frustration."
  • Reynolds plays the trumpet on this track and his brother the trombone. The vocalist explained to Kerrang!: "We wanted to have an outro with a massive brass section with gang vocals." He added "The trumpet was the first instrument I ever learned. I started when I was eight years old. I stopped because it wasn't cool and I didn't want cheeks like Dizzy Gillespie. I picked it up again last year."
  • The song title is a play on words of American composer Aaron Copland's 1942 classical piece "Fanfare For The Common Man." In 1977 a rocked-up version became a hit single for the British rock trio Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Christopher Cross

Christopher CrossSongwriter Interviews

The man who created Yacht Rock with "Sailing" wrote one of his biggest hits while on acid.

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Who Did It First?

Who Did It First?Music Quiz

Do you know who recorded the original versions of these ten hit songs?

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.