Graveyard Girl
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| "Graveyard Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by M83 | ||||
| from the album Saturdays = Youth | ||||
| Released | 28 April 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2007; Rockfield Studios, Wales | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| M83 singles chronology | ||||
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"Graveyard Girl" is a song by French electronic act M83. Written by Anthony Gonzalez with his brother Yann, it was released in April 2008 as the second single from M83's fifth studio album, Saturdays = Youth.
Background and composition[edit]
Anthony Gonzalez cited English band Tears for Fears and Scottish band Cocteau Twins, as well as John Hughes teen films The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, as inspirations for Saturdays = Youth.[4][5] A girl resembling Molly Ringwald appears on the album cover, and the lyrics and music video for "Graveyard Girl" further highlight these influences.[6] "I wanted to have the feeling of a teenager mixed with this period of the Eighties," Gonzalez said.[4] The song tells the story of a goth girl Gonzalez once knew who "worships Satan" but "dreams of a sister like Molly Ringwald."[7]
Critical reception[edit]
Spin's Mosi Reeves called "Graveyard Girl" one of the album's "few compelling songs."[8] Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine said the song is "certainly the most typically, successfully pop moment this difficult, often transcendent act has ever produced."[6] Pitchfork's Amy Phillips wrote that "Anthony Gonzalez makes the teen years seem idyllic, a time in life when all emotion is pure and beautiful," and that the song is "melodramatic, overblown, and even a little bit silly. But then again, so is high school."[9] Jer Fairall of PopMatters suggested that on "Graveyard Girl", M83 found "pure pop perfection by dipping into the pool of mid-'80s synth-pop."[1] Treble's Tyler Parks noted: "It is quite possible that no one has ever sung quite so sweetly of someone worshipping Satan."[10]
Accolades[edit]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitchfork | US | Top 100 Tracks of 2008[9] | 2008 | 46 |
| PopMatters | US | Best 50 Singles of 2008[1] | 2008 | 17 |
| Rockdelux | Spain | Lo Mejor de 2008[11] | 2009 | 40 |
| Treble | US | Top 50 Songs of 2008[10] | 2008 | 1 |
| The Village Voice | US | 2008 Pazz & Jop[12] | 2008 | 46 |
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Graveyard Girl" |
| 4:51 |
| 2. | "Graveyard Girl" (Yuksek remix) |
| 5:13 |
Other versions and appearances[edit]
A remix by French DJ-producer Yuksek serves as the single's B-side. ParkerLab's Dusted remix appears on M83's We Own the Sky EP, released in 2009.[4] "Graveyard Girl" is used in the 2010 film The Last Song.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "The Best Singles of 2008". PopMatters. 7 December 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Leas, Ryan (13 April 2018). "M83 'Saturdays = Youth' Turns 10". Stereogum. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Reeves, Mosi (April 2008). "M83 - Saturdays = Youth". Spin. Vol. 24, no. 4. SPIN Media LLC. p. 100. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Stosuy, Brandon (7 April 2008). "New M83 Video - 'Graveyard Girl'". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Leven, Jeff (15 April 2008). "M83: 'Saturdays = Youth' - Music Reviews". Paste. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ a b Hughes, Dave (14 April 2008). "Review: M83, Saturdays=Youth". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Norris, John (24 June 2008). "M83's Anthony Gonzalez Talks 'Saturdays = Youth', His Ode To Teenage Life". MTV. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Reeves, Mosi (April 2008). "Reviews: New CDs". Spin. 24 (4): 100. ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ a b "The 100 Best Tracks of 2008". Pitchfork. 15 December 2008. p. 6. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ a b Parks, Tyler (8 December 2008). "The Top 50 Songs of 2008". Treble. p. 5. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ "Lo Mejor de 2008". Rockdelux. 1 (269). January 2009. ISSN 1138-2864.
- ^ "Pazz & Jop Singles". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon (26 April 2010). "'The Last Song' - Movie Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
