Gorillaz Frontman Damon Albarn Talks 'Andromeda'

(Radio.com) Gorillaz mastermind David Albarn appeared on the Song Exploder podcast to discuss the writing of the band's new track 'Andromeda." Albarn described working with D.R.A.M., who stopped by the podcast to lend his own two cents about working with Gorillaz.

Albarn shared an early version of 'Andromeda" on which D.R.A.M. lent lead vocals -- there was also a prototype that featured Christine & the Queens. He credits Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean" and Hall & Oates' 'I Can't Go for That" as inspirations behind the track -- 'two of the 80s greatest pop songs." In fact, the working song title was 'I Can't Go for Billie Jean."

"Andromeda was also written from a place of grief for 'all these beautiful people I'd known who passed away." On the album, its cover note reads 'For Ethyl."

'Ethyl is the deceased mother of my partner," Albarn says. 'She was very ill when I first sat down at the piano. And I was just thinking about her. It all came out in one splurge; it was one take, the whole thing."

'Well I've enjoyed it enormously, but I think it's time to terminate this very, very in-depth analysis of my music-making process before I destroy the whole myth completely." Listen to the podcast here.

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