Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden of MGMT took to the wonderful podcast Song Exploder to tell the story of the making of their 2008 hit ‘Time to Pretend.’
When MGMT formed, “the band was a joke about being rockstars.” ‘Time to Pretend’ embodies that joke with lyrics that include laments about dating models and succumbing to heroin addiction. According to the band, the song “was an ironic, mission statement-type thing.” However, the song became the ultimate example of that old rock and roll proverb: wear the mask until it becomes your face. ‘Time to Pretend’ became a bonafide hit, the band performed it on Letterman, and it now appears on ‘Greatest Songs of All Time’ lists at both Rolling Stone and NME.
Listen to the episode below:
Stone Temple Pilots Used This Surprising Recording Technique on ‘Core’
Before the Beastie Boys’ Debut LP, There Was ‘MCA and Burzootie’
Hear The Dave Grohl Demo That Spawned Songs For Nirvana, Foo Fighters & Melvins
‘The Message,’ by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, is the Embodiment of New York City’s Spirit
