East Hastings (composition)
| "East Hastings" | |
|---|---|
| Composition by Godspeed You! Black Emperor | |
| from the album F♯ A♯ ∞ | |
| Released | August 14, 1997 |
| Recorded | May 1997 |
| Studio | Hotel2Tango |
| Length | 18:00 (all parts) 1:35 ("Nothing's Alrite in Our Life..." / "The Dead Flag Blues (Reprise)") 10:44 ("The Sad Mafioso...") 5:41 ("Drugs in Tokyo" / "Black Helicopter") |
| Label | Constellation, Kranky |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) |
|
"East Hastings" is a three-part composition by Canadian post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor from the 1998 CD release of their debut studio album F♯ A♯ ∞. The song is named after East Hastings Street in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.[2] The composition consists of three movements: "Nothing's Alrite in Our Life..." / "The Dead Flag Blues (Reprise)", "The Sad Mafioso...", and "Drugs in Tokyo" / "Black Helicopter".
An edited version of "The Sad Mafioso..." was used in the film 28 Days Later and its subsequent sequel, 28 Years Later.[3][4] The song is also featured towards the end of the fifth episode of the show Under the Banner of Heaven. “The Sad Mafioso…” is a regular closer to their live shows, being played over 250 times since reforming in 2010 as of June 2025.[5] As a live set closer, the piece starts with a noisy improvisation, with the band singing along to the tune after the first crescendo. As a drumroll closes out the song, the band utilizes feedback and improvisation in an extended noisy outro slowly quieting as the band members leave the stage.
Composition
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025) |
"Nothing's Alrite in Our Life..." / "The Dead Flag Blues (Reprise)"
[edit]"East Hastings" begins with a bagpipe reprise of the main theme of the previous track, "The Dead Flag Blues", accompanied by a recording of a street preacher. Both recordings fade out into a soft drone, which begins the next movement.
"The Sad Mafioso..."
[edit]The second section, "The Sad Mafioso..." begins with a slow, repeating guitar theme, slowly building as drums and strings are added. The music becomes faster and more aggressive before switching to double time, ending, and transitioning into the third and final section.
"Drugs in Tokyo" / "Black Helicopter"
[edit]A pulsating drone starts the final movement, and fades into a guitar loop, before being overtaken by a buzzing, electronic drone, which ends the song.
Use in 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later
[edit]During an interview with The Guardian, director Danny Boyle of 28 Days Later and 28 Years Later explained, "I always try to have a soundtrack in my mind [when creating a film]. Like when we did Trainspotting, it was Underworld. For me, the soundtrack to 28 Days Later was Godspeed. The whole film was cut to Godspeed in my head."[3]
The song does not appear on 28 Days Later: The Soundtrack Album because the rights to the song could not be obtained.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ Rhoades, Lindsey (September 13, 2016). "Dancing at BAM with Godspeed You! Black Emperor". The Village Voice.
- ^ a b c Empire, Kitty (November 10, 2002). "Get used to the limelight". The Guardian. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
- ^ "Danny Boyle's Greatest Hits: From Trainspotting to the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony". Rolling Stone. April 4, 2013.
- ^ "Godspeed You! Black Emperor Tour Statistics | setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved June 28, 2025.