And Finally Artist News Beef Of The Week

Beef Of The Week #358: Haim v Dinosaurs

By Andy Malt | Published on Friday 9 June 2017

Haim were the talk of the town when they released their debut album, ‘Days Are Gone’, back in 2013. It was all Haim this and Haim that. You couldn’t bloody move for Haim. But did they capitalise on this by rushing out a second album? No. And why not? Dinosaurs.

Well, sort of dinosaurs. More John Williams and his ability to write a catchy tune. I mean, have you heard the theme to ‘Jurassic Park’? Este Haim has, and two decades later she still can’t get it out of her head.

“There was a time, when we first started writing this record, where I was like, ‘OK, why is every song I’m writing sounding like the theme from ‘Jurassic Park’?'” she explained to BBC News this week.

“It’s true!” agreed her sister and bandmate Alana. “We were like, ‘Este, stop it! That’s ‘Jurassic Park’. Again'”.

Surely there must be more to this than it just being a catchy tune though? I mean, we’ve all heard it. It’s estimated that up to 32% of the world’s population has it stuck in their head at any given time, and 82% of people have spent a period of time with it rolling around their brains. Still, not all songwriters find themselves with a four year gap between albums because they can’t compose any music that isn’t just a rework of the theme to ‘Jurassic Park’.

Turns out that another factor was that the Haim family also grew up near the Universal Studios theme park in California, in which there has been a ‘Jurassic Park’ ride since 1996. “Every time you walk in, a voice goes, ‘Welcome… TO JURASSIC PARK’“, said Alana. That bloody music is then piped in as you make your way through the attraction.

It’s amazing Haim’s debut album wasn’t just wall to wall majestic dinosaur themes, really. The everything-sounds-like-Jurassic-Park problem was eventually broken, ironically, when the band was asked to write a song for a film. That song ended up being ‘Little Of Your Love’, which features on new album ‘Something To Tell You’.

“We wanted to write a simple song with a I-IV-V chord progression”, says Danielle Haim of the song. “I remember hearing these songs that came out in the early 80s that kind of had a Motown vibe but with 80s production. And I thought, ‘Oh, I wonder what these songs would sound like now?'”

Out on 7 Jul, Haim’s new album is apparently dinosaur free. We’ll see.