Arcade Fire presents Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

From the album The Suburbs, out now on Merge Records.

A project by Vincent Morisset & friends

Dear friends,
Love,
Arcade Fire
ox

Credits:
Music by Arcade Fire - Win Butler, Will Butler, Régine Chassagne, Jeremy Gara, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld & Richard Reed Parry
Director - Vincent Morisset (AATOAA)
Producer - Jean-Luc Della Montagna (1976)
Choreographer - Dana Gingras
Art Director - Renata Morales
Director Of Photography - Christophe Collette
Editor - Stéphane Lafleur
Cast - Régine Chassagne, Karine Denault, Gabrielle Desgagnés, Noémie Dufour-Campeau, Mark Eden-Towle, Alan Lake, Milan Panet-Raymond, Esther Rousseau-Morin & Michael Watts
Film Production - 1976
Production Manager - Guillaume Bilodeau
Production Assistants - Alexandra Larocque-Pierre, David Deias, Jonathan Vermette & Jonathan Lamirande
Stylist - Renata Morales
Stylist Assistants - Charlotte Eedson, Ana Luisa Rodriguez, Marilis Cardinal, Adam Dekeyser & Vanessa Vick
Make Up - Leslie Ann Thompson
Set And Prop Design - Yola Van Leeuwenkamp & Sylvain Lemaître
Papier Maché Heads - Vadi Confident of Jacmel, Haiti
1st Assistants Camera - Yan Clément & Guillaume Sabourin
Data Wranglers - Sean Sweeney & Sébastien Landry
Gaffer - Denis Lamothe
Best-boy Gaffer - André Caron
Key Grip - Jacques "Jackson" Girard
Best-boy Grips - Conrad Roy & Richard Limoges
Craft - Mélanie Laprise
Post-Production - Post-Moderne
Colorist - Julien Alix
Visual Effects - Guillaume Pelletier
Visual Consultant - Caroline Robert
Post Production Supervisors - Alexandre Domingue, Marie-Pier Favreau & Anne-Marie Bousquet
Interactive Production - AATOAA
Sprawl II Remix For Interactive Experience - Damian Taylor
Programmer - Édouard Lanctôt-Benoit
Designer & Photographer - Caroline Robert
Arcade Fire Management - Scott Rodger, Dounia Mikou & Jennifer George
Band Assistant - Chantal Vaillancourt

Produced in Co-operation with MuchFACT, A Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent, Supported by MuchMusic/MuchMore Networks.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada's Private Radio Broadcasters.

[qnffeug]

After listening to this song for the first time back in 2015, I immediately picked up a copy of Tracy Kidder's Mountains Beyond Mountains. I was mesmerized. By the time I finished reading, I had decided to translate the book into Greek. The story is so inspiring, I thought Greek kids and students should be able to read it in their native language. I am not a professional translator though, I am a maths teacher, so it took a while to find my way through. Yesterday, my translation "Βουνά πέρα απ' τα βουνά" was published! And it all started here, so I thought I should pay a little tribute to the greatness of good songwriting.

[cleptosaurios]

They heard me singing and they told me to stop,
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock,
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose,
But late at night the feelings swim to the surface.
'Cause on the suburbs the city lights shine,
They're calling at me, 'come and find your kind.'

Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Then we can never get away from the sprawl,
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.

We rode our bikes to the nearest park,
Sat under the swings, we kissed in the dark,
We shield our eyes from the police lights,
We run away, but we don't know why,
And like a mirror these city lights shine,
They're screaming at us, 'we don't need your kind'

Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Then we can never get away from the sprawl,
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.

They heard me singing and they told me to stop,
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock.
Sometimes I wonder if the world's so small,
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?
Living in the sprawl,
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains,
And there's no end in sight,
I need the darkness someone please cut the lights.

[WitchyWagonReal]

I’ve listened to this tune for a decade... and never seen this video. What a lovely treat. 😆

[freakstate]

3:17 that key change - pure goosebumps

[tonyrattray]

Greatest band of the 21st Century. David Bowie was a good pointer!

[ToastyTime]

Freakin' brilliant song/video, can't stop watching/listening!!

[nickdanger]

im 63 & arcade fire is the best band on the planet.

[thehuge]

I heard this song being played in a shopping mall yesterday. Couldn't help but have a little chuckle to myself at the irony.

[gregorcollins]

It hurts. It seriously fucking hurts how raw and primordial and gorgeous this song and this singer and this video are. I think you can tell great art by the amount of times you consume it and still get inspired from it. I feel the same way about Guided by Voices. I've listened to the same songs thousands of times and still shake my head in awe. Long live Arcade Fire and Guided by Voices!

[liamc]

For me Arcade Fire should be in the top five greatest bands of all time. They really connected withy generation (born 87) and helped me not feel so alone in a material world.

[friendsabhi]

My goodness! What an amazing song!!!!

Love the 80's vibe so much...

[tubenachos]

Damn what a unique song. A 2010's and 1980's crossover. With a sprinkle of Blondie.

[wullybhoy]

a while back i was at a comedy gig and before the gig started this song was playing on the PA. At the time I had no idea who it was. I instantly reached for my phone to shazam it only to be met by connection issues. I was left wondering for an eternity who it was. I hopelessly attempted to hum it to people but it was a lost cause. I Couldn't even recall a single lyric only segments of the beautiful melody. A few days ago my brother put it on and I could have cried with joy. its now one of my all time favourite songs.

[brentonpickett]

What a gorgeous song. Reminds me of travelling across USA in 2012, open plains. Freedom 🙏🏻🌈🙏❤️

[Cats]

"We run away, but we don't know why."
That is it. Absolute genius. I hope that in 1000 years the students will be shown this song.

[robertchenault]

to the children ....never lose your love and imagination....build sand castles and sing..

[rozaliaalbin]

Heard this song in 2010.

Found it today.

Cry a lot.

[kryst]

This song is my happy pill for shitty days. There's just something hopelessly optimistic in the synth/lyrics that cheers me up.

[electrostripes]

I think this song and video may be my favorite on earth. I've probably watched it 100 times. The first time I really digested the lyrics, I was in the process of moving from a small town to a city, and being a gay male musician, I thought that moving to a city would be like a safe haven. The lyrics "they're calling at us, come and find your kind" are later conflicted by "we don't need your kind!" is such a masterful line, stating that prejudice is everywhere. It's a strong reminder that we're not alone in our struggle for acceptance. Thanks for making this beautiful piece of work.

[tomsteenblok]

After having seen this video for 100 times, and after having heard this song possibly 500 times, I still get goosebumps everytime I hear it