How will I know if it’s working?”
This song is undoubtedly about drugs and this video was made for people on drugs. Now I don’t want to send out the wrong message, but strictly for journalistic purposes, I’ll clarify the song which is quite literally about MDMA or ecstasy.
MDMA got you feeling like a champion, the city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien…” (Jay-Z, Empire State of Mind)
MGMT is notorious for their psychedelic drug infused themes, but this song takes it to another level. Not that I would know but the song is basically a very detailed description of the placebo effect people feel when first taking this said drug…
Yeah. It was the first song that we demo-ed almost a year ago. Ben [Goldwasser] and I went up to this little cabin in the woods in upstate New York, and the second I walked in the door I sat down and played this chord progression. The next day we expanded it into a song. Lyrically, it’s about doing drugs. I didn’t realize it until now, but it’s kind of funny, because the first song on our first album was “Time to Pretend,” which was about the imagined rock star scenario. So, “It’s Working” is like, “Yeah, we went out there and we did a lot of drugs and it’s not that great.” The song is mostly about Ecstasy.
Is there any specific experience with Ecstasy that influenced that song?
No, not really. But that’s how we envisioned the track when we were writing it. It stops and starts a lot; it’s frantic, confusing. There’s also a surfing thread throughout the record. When you’re surfing, there’s a specific break you’re paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, “It’s working.” The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It’s like surfing on ecstasy. Which is what the “Time to Pretend” video is like. Actually, the video is more like surfing on acid. -Spin interview with Andrew
This is certainly my favorite song from the new album and the video is a trip, enjoy.