Wake Up

About the song

Arcade Fire released “Wake Up” on Funeral in 2004. Its massed wordless voices and broad guitar chords establish a communal sound, while the song’s changing pace prevents that scale from remaining static.

Sound and arrangement

The vocal arrangement moves between individual lines and collective responses. A later shift in rhythmic feel releases some of the tension built by the earlier, more deliberate sections.

Listening closely

Listen to the relationship between the large choral sound and the relatively plain instrumental figures beneath it. The song builds its impact by allowing many voices to share a strong, easily grasped musical shape.