Down by the Water (The Decemberists song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Down by the Water" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Decemberists | ||||
| from the album The King is Dead | ||||
| Released | November 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | The Decemberists, Colin Meloy | |||
| The Decemberists singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Down by the Water is a song on the American indie rock band The Decemberists' sixth album, The King is Dead. It was released as a single in 2010.
"Down By the Water" includes Peter Buck and singer-songwriter Gillian Welch, who contribute 12-string guitar and vocal harmonies, respectively.[1] It also features accordion riffs and heavy harmonica reminiscent of Neil Young;[2] particularly the song "Heart of Gold".[3] "Down By the Water" has been compared to the music of Bruce Springsteen.[4][5] It was featured for free download on November 2, 2010, on their official website. Meloy has said that The King Is Dead is more straightforward and heavily influenced by R.E.M.,[6] and "Down By the Water" is a prime example.[7] Meloy himself has said that the song "started out as more of a paean to R.E.M. than I think any of us really wanted it to be".[8]
Lyrically, "Down By the Water" is vaguely mournful.[9] It has been described as "folksy", "uptempo",[10] and "country-esque", and the chorus as "booming".[4] Though "Down By the Water" has been called "catchy" and radio-friendly, it is also said to lack the quality of prose found on earlier Decemberists' work.[2]
