"Midnight City" by M83, Tuesday, August 24, 2021

"Midnight City" is perhaps the only song that most listeners know of French musician Anthony Gonzalez's project, M83. Originally a duo with Nicolas Fromageau, producing shoegazer electronica, Gonzalez took over the group and Fromageau went on to form the band Team Ghost after M83's sophomore record, Dead Cities, Red Cities & Lost Ghosts. M83's best known record is Hurry Up, We're Dreaming for it's roots in '80s nostalgia, hitting 2011 right when older and middle-aged millennials were missing their childhoods. Over the course of Gonzalez's tenure, M83 albums hit and miss. Hurry Up was definitely a hit. I also hope to devote some time this year to Saturdays= Youth, which is arguably the act's best record. But today's song comes from an album made with the synth from Thriller and the drum machine from "I Wanna Dance with Somebody."

WAITING IN THE CAR. Los Angelos is the "Midnight City" Gonzalez is referring to. After relocating from Antibes, France to LA, Gonzalez began to feel at home when he looked over the skyline from the Mohave Desert. Listening to Hurry Up is a bit of an effort. The hit comes first and it's a double album, lasting over 75 minutes. Gonzalez was inspired by The Smashing Pumpkin's Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and like Mellon Collie, the standout tracks on Hurry Up take a bit of effort to get to past the atmospheric, ambient Before the Dawn Heals Us -styled tracks. But songs like "Reunion" are a future reflection of rock: one musician composing and producing, rather than a full-band effort--but that's a story for another day. "Midnight City," is simple lyrically and structurally. The lines build a scene of being in a city at night. The city at night is not scary, but it's not safe either. Structurally, this one of the few songs in pop music without a chorus, though it only placed #72 on the Hot 100. Musically, the song builds until it crescendos with the saxophone outro. Gonzalez said of the outro "You know this element [the saxophone] has been overused in the past and is considered cliched or cheesy, but the song needs it." The video for "Midnight City" starts a trilogy, telling a story similar to Village of the Damned and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The videos for "Reunion" and "Wait" conclude this trilogy.

DRINKING IN THE LIGHTS. FOLLOWING THE NEON SIGNS. Allan's Galaxy S3 read 10:26. "Can we even make it back to C at this time?" "Not with all the transferring," Andrew said. "I suggest gentlemen, that we pick a spot where it's happening to spend the night. We can take the first train. "I suggest Itaewon," Jay said, looking up from his phone. "Ah, hell no," Andrew said shaking his head. "If you really want to navigate the drunken U.S. soldier fights, be my guest. I suggest Hongdae." "There's a good cl--," Jay caught himself, "coffee shop there." Andrew looked at Jay with a condescending smile. "Now, we ain't goin' to no club." "You know there's no shame in dancing with a few girls." "Well, do what you like, but I'm a missionary." When the three arrived at Hongdae, Allan saw a sea of college students flooding in and out of the metro. Allan got separated from his friends. They were normally easy to spot, an Middle Easterner and African American walking together, but in Hongdae there were more foreigners--white, black, and Asian--than most places he had been in Korea. After he emerged from the exit a disorienting flood of neon lights, people pushing, and EDM blaring. Was he lost in the city? He wandered past the shops and restaurants down an alley which opened up to another road of shops and restaurants and cafes. This street was slightly less busy, but as he walked down the street, he saw signs for "Live music inside" and "Fun! Fun! Drink! Drink!" Outside one of the clubs was a group of college boys--they couldn't be older than sophomores-- dressed as the Avengers, saying in English "Come inside! Come inside! Party! Party!" Allan took a longing glance at the line. What was inside? It had to be innocent, enough. He looked at the Korean Captain America. His costume was tight on his muscular body. 들어와! 들어와! It would certainly be an experience to talk about, wandering into an off season halloween party. He scanned the line. Drunk college boys in groups, girls in short skirts. "Hey, do you speak English?" a boy with a big smile and Harry Potter glasses said to Allan. "Uh-yes." "Oh, you look like you want to go in, but you don't have anyone to hang out with. Do you want to hang out with me?" "Um." "We could just get a drink and meet some girls." He coughed. "Do you like Korean girls?" "Um....Sure. That sounds--" Allan's phone buzzed. "Hey man, where did you get to? You should check out this busking group. They're incredible," Andrew yelled over the sound of acoustic guitars and cheering." 

https://genius.com/M83-midnight-city-lyrics

Official Music Video:

It's fun to watch the performance:

Source for much of my information: