"It's Not the End of the World?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Super Furry Animals | ||||
from the album Rings Around the World | ||||
Released | 14 January 2002 | |||
Format | Digipak CD, DVD, 12" | |||
Recorded | Bearsville Studios, , 2000 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Super Furry Animals | |||
Producer(s) | Super Furry Animals and Chris Shaw | |||
Super Furry Animals singles chronology | ||||
|
"It's Not the End of the World?" is a song by Welsh band Super Furry Animals. It was the last single to be released from the Rings Around the World album and reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart on its release in January 2002. Singer Gruff Rhys has variously described the track as being about the extinction of mankind and as "a romantic song about growing old".
Critical reaction to the track was generally mixed with some reviewers claiming the track compares unfavourably with the band's previous work while others were enthusiastic in their praise. A computer generated promotional music video was produced to accompany "It's Not the End of the World?"'s release as a single. Directed by Numero 6 the video won the special jury prize at the 2002 Imagina Festival. An alternative video, directed by Dylan Jones, was included on the DVD release of Rings Around the World featuring archive footage of nuclear explosions.
"It's Not the End of the World?" is "a romantic song about growing old" according to singer Gruff Rhys. In an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph Rhys discussed the song in the context of parent record Rings Around the World. The band abandoned the idea of making a "save the world" concept album as they reasoned that "when people talk about saving the world they're really talking about saving humans. The reality is that humans are the problem". "It's Not the End of the World?" expands on this idea with Rhys stating that the song is about the extinction of the human race: "maybe we'll all die but the world'll still be here, even if it's a dark, singed piece of rock flying around the sun". The track was recorded in 2000 at Bearsville Studios, and was produced by the Super Furry Animals and Chris Shaw.
"It's Not the End of the World?" is 3 minutes 25 seconds long and is in the key of C major. The track begins with just a guitar, featuring an echo effect, playing the descending notes C, B, A, G, F, E, D and G before the band join on 13 seconds with the bridge during which Gruff Rhys sings the word "why" several times in a falsetto voice, accompanied by strings arranged by Sonia Slay and the group. The first verse follows on 38 seconds with Rhys accompanied by a basic 4/4 beat provided by drummer Dafydd Ieuan, sparse bass guitar and a melody line played by Huw Bunford on guitar. The first chorus enters at 1 minute 4 seconds with Rhys singing the words "as our hair turns white, all the stars still shine so bright above, at least it's not the end of the world" while Bunford plays a guitar counter-melody. Another bridge and verse follow before the second chorus appears at 2 minutes 2 seconds with Rhys this time singing "as our hair turns grey everything is far from A-A-A-ok". The outro begins at 2 minute 23 seconds, with the chorus repeating before the bridge plays through several times, ending on a C chord.