Neighborhood 1 (Tunnels)
| "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Arcade Fire | ||||
| from the album Funeral | ||||
| B-side | "My Buddy" | |||
| Released | June 20, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | August 2003 – early 2004 | |||
| Studio | Hotel2Tango (Montreal, Quebec) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Arcade Fire | |||
| Arcade Fire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" is a song by Canadian rock band Arcade Fire, and the first track on their debut album Funeral. It is the first of the four-part "Neighborhood" series found on Funeral. It was the band's first single, released several months before the album as a 7" vinyl record on June 20, 2004, to a pressing of 1500 copies. The B-side to the album is a recording of the song "My Buddy" by swing musician Alvino Rey. Rey is the maternal grandfather of Arcade Fire members Win and William Butler.[2]
Arcade Fire re-issued the single on November 29, 2019 as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday event.[3] The song was covered by the musician Ane Brun for her deluxe version of her album It All Starts With One in 2012.[4]
Background and composition
According to Win Butler of the band, the guitar part was accidently recorded with a microphone meant for vocals on the other side of the recording room instead of the intended guitar microphone. This take was kept on the final version.[5] Critics described the song as "a sumptuously theatrical opener" with strings, an organ and a piano.[6] The lyrics describe "grieving against a town buried in snow", with a young man who escapes his neighborhood to meet his girlfriend in the town square to plan their future as grown-ups.[7][6]
Critical reception
In August 2009, the song was named #10 on Pitchfork's "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s".[8] In a 2012 Beats Per Minute article on The Essential Arcade Fire, it was named the band's most essential track by writer Lucien Flores.[9] Flores writes, "'Tunnels' has all the elements of a great Arcade Fire song: a head-bobbing rhythm section, lyrics that harken back to an imperfect past, a seamless blend of instruments, and a cathartic coda."
Track listing
7" single
- "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" - 4:48
- "My Buddy" (Alvino Rey Orchestra, live radio broadcast, 1940) - 2:32
Personnel
Arcade Fire
- Win Butler - vocals, electric guitar
- Regine Chassagne - backing vocals, drums
- Richard Reed Parry - piano, backing vocals, organ, engineer, recording
- Tim Kingsbury - bass, backing vocals
- Howard Bilerman - electric guitar, engineer, recording
- Will Butler - percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Sarah Neufeld – violin, string arrangements
- Owen Pallett – violin, string arrangements
- Michael Olsen – cello
- Pietro Amato – horn
- Anita Fust – harp
References
- ^ a b "The 50 Best Alt-Rock Love Songs". Spin. February 12, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ "Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) (Vinyl)". Discogs. June 20, 2004. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ Murray, Robin (October 11, 2019). "Arcade Fire To Re-Issue Debut Single 'Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)'". Clash. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Free Download: Ane Brun, 'Neighbourhood #1'". Rolling Stone. April 3, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ Young, Alex (September 18, 2014). "13 Things You Didn't Know About Arcade Fire and Funeral". Consequence. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ a b Moore, David. "Arcade Fire: Funeral". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ Chigley, Jesus (February 28, 2005). "Album Review: Arcade Fire - Funeral". DrownedInSound. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
- ^ "The 200 Best Songs of the 2000s". Pitchfork. August 21, 2009. p. 11.
- ^ Flores, Lucien (August 2, 2012). "The Essential Arcade Fire". Beats Per Minute.
