Next up in his Guardian residency, in which Arcade Fire’s Will Butler writes one news-inspired song a day, here’s a kicky, Springsteen-sounding new song titled “You Must Be Kidding,” which tackles a water shortage in São Paulo, Brazil. (The musician has already discussed the Greek debt crisis on “Clean Monday” and the former USSR on “Waving Flag.”) Butler drew from personal experience when writing this song, which he touches upon in the U.K. paper:
On this latest Arcade Fire tour I got to spend a couple of days in São Paulo. It was my first quality time spent in the city, and I loved it. Musician friends of friends showed us around. There’s a bonkers energy and, like most cities I love, a mind-bending blend of cultures. It was exhausting, mostly in a good way. I can’t wait to go back.
The first time I went to São Paulo I was jet-lagged and relatively inexperienced with traveling. It was on the Funeral tour. I think we spent a day and a half in town, most of it inside the hotel which was behind a high fence with razor wire and armed guards outside. It was a weird, intense scene, that hotel.
I bet that hotel will figure out a way to get water no matter how low the supply gets.
Listen below, and look out for Butler’s forthcoming album, Policy, on March 10 via Merge.
