Sleepyhead passion pit lyrics how to#
Sleepyhead passion pit lyrics full#

Michael likes the clips with acoustic guitars, finding it intriguing how fans can take such a divisive and almost-karaoke proof vocal sound and sing along to it with such enthusiasm.

Sleepyhead passion pit lyrics how to#

Knowing exactly how to perform it vocally, he ran over to Hulquist's apartment for the purposes of singing the song into a better microphone, and wrote the lyrics on the spot as he recorded them.īy 2009, 'Sleepyhead' had reached #9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and inspired its own core of YouTube devotees interpreting the song.

According to Michael, 'Sleepyhead' just appeared in his head and was completed in less than two hours on his computer. When he listened to Mary O'Hara's take on the classic folk tune, he immediately heard a whole new song, finding in the Gaelic phrase for 'Oh, My Little Boat,' the perfect sonic flourish for 'Sleepyhead.' The track began attracting attention shortly after he posted it online.Īngelakos is continually writing according to his own technique. Michael, who counts 70s folk among his many obsessions, is extremely hesitant to sample any music at all, preferring to use songs and sounds as cryptic reference points and textures rather than literal references. One of Angelakos' compositions/recordings that began resonating immediately with music fans is his whirling surrealistic pop paean to sophisticated dreamland, 'Sleepyhead,' with its other-dimensional choral hook sculpted from a mutated and cut-up sample of Celtic artist Mary O'Hara. Those months of touring showcased Michael and company evolving from aesthetic chrysalis to full-fledged band, a leap that has impressed both early skeptics and die-hard fans alike. The pressure was unquestionably intense, especially for all shows leading up to - and even a few months of those after - the release of Manners (which often stood-in for the luxury of a proper rehearsal time). The learning curve for Passion Pit was short and steep. Within mere months of forming, Passion Pit - voted the Best New Local Act of 2008 in the WFNX/Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll - was opening for high profile bands like Death Cab For Cutie, Girl Talk, and Yelle, while mostly headlining their own sold-out shows.

Sleepyhead passion pit lyrics full#

A few months later, with the help of Hultquist, Angelakos was building a full ensemble capable of realizing and producing the sounds in his head and taking them to the stage. The 'half-show/half-installation' caught the attention of Angelakos' friend and musical acquaintance Ian Hultquist, who approached Michael about the possibility of starting a band to play the music live. Shortly thereafter, Angelakos gave the first Passion Pit performance, which consisted of himself and a laptop singing the EP's songs in front of some rear-screen projections in the basement of his school to approximately 15 of his friends. Ian Hultquist is also featured on Manners performing guitar on songs such as 'Make Light' and 'Moth's Wings.' And then there is the in-concert Passion Pit, a loose yet tightly calibrated ensemble who turn Angelakos' musical studio blueprints into a cathartic live experience.Īngelakos was 20 years old when Passion Pit took its first hold on his psyche in the form of a multi-song 'Valentine' to his then-girlfriend, recorded in his bedroom on readily available ad hoc technology including the built-in microphone on his laptop.Īfter signing with indie label Frenchkiss, he opted to add more recordings that had been made shortly after the he self-released the collection of songs - including the signature track 'Sleepyhead' - to his dorm room set, releasing it officially as the lo-fi EP Chunk of Change. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.Passion Pit is a two-fold entity sharing a single essence: there's in-the-studio Passion Pit, essentially comprised of Michael writing, designing, and constructing intricate cathedrals of sound, and Nathan Donmoyer handling live percussion and programming. 'Sleepyhead (Little Vampires Remix)' – 3:56.

The song contains samples of 'Óró Mo Bháidín' by Mary O'Hara and 'San Francisco Scene (The Beat Generation)' by Jack Kerouac ('and everything is going to the beat').Īn instrumental version of the song also makes an appearance in the video game LittleBigPlanet 2. The single was released in September 2008. ' Sleepyhead' is the debut single from American electronic band Passion Pit, featured on their first EP, Chunk of Change, and later on their debut album Manners. From the album Chunk of Change and Manners