Kill V. Maim

Album: Art Angels (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Grimes immersed herself in gangster movies while penning the Art Angels album. She told Q magazine this song, "is written from the perspective of Al Pacino in The Godfather Pt 2. Except he's a vampire who can switch gender and travel through space."
  • Grimes told NME this is her favorite song on Art Angels. She explained: "It's my strongest work as a producer and it probably reflects my personality more than most of my music. It's the song I've always wanted to make, and I finally made it."
  • According to an interview on the Song Exploder podcast, Grimes' vocals for this song were inspired by comics villain Harley Quinn. "When you're making a record and you're never talking to anybody you just start [thinking], 'Oh, I'm gonna try to write in the voice of…something.' Like with [this song, it has] a Harley Quinn kind of vibe — like just sort of this Joker-y, scary demon chorus," she said

    "I hate singing. It's just not something I identify with at all," Grimes added. "I'm pretty much always pretending to be someone else when I'm singing."

    Harley Quinn is an adversary of the superhero Batman and commonly appears as the Joker's accomplice and lover.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Art Alexakis of Everclear

Art Alexakis of EverclearSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer of Everclear, Art is also their primary songwriter.

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?

Did They Really Sing In That Movie?Fact or Fiction

Bradley Cooper, Michael J. Fox, Rami Malek, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Clooney: Which actors really sang in their movies?

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard

Joe Elliott of Def LeppardSongwriter Interviews

The Def Leppard frontman talks about their "lamentable" hit he never thought of as a single, and why he's juiced by his Mott The Hoople cover band.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.