Ship to Wreck (song)

Ship to Wreck
Single by Florence + The Machine
Released	April 9, 2015
Writer(s)	Florence Welch Kid Harpoon
Producer(s)	Markus Dravs Kid Harpoon
Genre	folk rock, pop rock, soft rock
Length	3:54
Album
Label	Island
Singles chronology
Previous	What Kind of Song
Current	Ship to Wreck
Next	Queen of Peace
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful chronology
"What Kind of Man"
Music Video

"Ship to Wreck" is the opening track and second single from Florence and the Machine’s third studio album, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

The track premiered on Huw Stephens' show on BBC Radio 1 on April 8, 2015 and the accompanying music video was released on April 13, following the narrative of band's previous two videos of "What Kind of Man" and "St. Jude". The video was filmed in Florence Welch's London house.

Background

When Florence and the Machine played Coachella in April 2015, Florence Welch explained this song is about "some time off I had in London where I had some drunken parties and trashed my house and said a drunken 'I love you' too soon."

"Even though all that disastrous stuff happened, I got this song out of it," she added. "It all works out, and even if it doesn't, write a song about it."

Welch penned the song with Kid Harpoon during a month-long creative furlough in Los Angeles that also yielded How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful's lead single "What Kind Of Man" Welch previously collaborated with the London-based songwriter/producer on her gospelly hit tune "Shake It Out"

Composition

"Ship to Wreck" is a folk rock, pop rock, and soft rock song that carries an "upbeat, bouncy sound", in contrast to the lyrics, which speak of self-destructive behaviour. The song almost did not make the cut for How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, as producer Markus Dravs had disallowed Welch to write more songs about water, a recurring theme in the band's previous album, Ceremonials (2011), but she managed to include it. In a press release, Welch explained the meaning behind the song, saying: "I was thinking about my own self destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you're in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most."

Lyrics

Don't touch the sleeping pills, they mess with my head
Dredging of great white sharks, swimming in the bed
And here comes a killer whale, to sing me to sleep
Thrashing the covers off, has me by its teeth

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?
I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed
And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?
Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?
Did I build a ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck
Did I build this ship to wreck?

What's with the long face? Do you want more?
Thousands of red-eyed mice, scratching at the door
And don't let the curtain catch you, cause you've been here before
The chair is an island, darling, you can't touch the floor

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?
I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed
And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?
Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?
Did I build a ship to wreck?

To wreck, to wreck, to wreck
Did I build this ship to wreck?

Good God, under starless skies
We are lost, and into the breach, we got tossed
And the water is coming in fast

And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I said?
I can't help but pull the earth around me to make my bed
And, ah, my love remind me, what was it that I did?
Did I drink too much? Am I losing touch?

Did I build a ship to wreck?
To wreck, to wreck, to wreck
Did I build this ship to wreck?
To wreck, to wreck, to wreck
Did I build this ship to wreck?

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Vincent Haycock and was filmed inside Florence Welch's home. The clip, which finds the songstress struggling with a tumultuous relationship with both a love interest and herself, was choreographed by Ryan Heffington,

Critical reception

Jason Lipshutz of Billboard included "Ship to Wreck" on its "Top 10 Songs of 2015 (So Far)" list in June 2015, stating, "Florence Welch may have reached a new peak with third album How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful—she's certainly never been more effective as a live performer, and 'Ship To Wreck' demonstrates that she's still growing as a pop songwriter. Everything comes together for Florence + The Machine on their latest single, as Welch's voice coils around the slender arrangement and squeezes hard on the chorus.” Rolling Stone ranked "Ship to Wreck" at number 26 on its list of the "50 Best Songs of 2015". The song also reached number 40 on the annual Triple J Hottest 100 for 2015.

Commercial performance

As of July 2018, "Ship to Wreck" had shifted 279,000 units in the United Kingdom, including 17 million streams, and counting.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful.

Recording

• Engineered at The Pool (London) • Mixed at The Mixsuite (UK) • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

Florence and the Machine • Florence Welch – vocals, backing vocals • Chris Hayden – drums, percussion • Rob Ackroyd – electric guitar

Additional personnel • Markus Dravs – production, glockenspiel • Kid Harpoon – production, drums, percussion, bass, electric guitar, CP70 synth • Robin Baynton – engineering • Jonathan Sagis – engineering assistance • Iain Berryman – engineering assistance • Leo Abrahams – acoustic guitar • James Hallawell – Hammond organ • Janelle Martin – backing vocals • Nim Miller – backing vocals • Baby N'Sola – backing vocals • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing • Geoff Swan – mixing assistance • Ted Jensen – mastering