"Unfinished Business" is a single by UK band
White Lies, released by Chess Club on 28 April 2008
on 7" vinyl. It was limited to 500 copies. A re-recorded version of the song appeared on their debut album, ''
To Lose My Life...''. The most obvious difference is that the album version does not feature the high-pitched backing vocals by bassist Charles Cave during the final chorus.
The single's
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
, "You Still Love Him", shares its chorus melody and lyrics with the song "One Night Friend". "One Night Friend" had previously been recorded by the band under their previous incarnation, Fear of Flying. During their 2009 European tour, White Lies began playing "You Still Love Him" live for the first time.
"Unfinished Business" was written in under 15 minutes, and directly led to the band's later name change.
Lyrically, the song concerns a man trying to reconnect with his estranged girlfriend, only to realise that she has already killed him, and he is in fact now a ghost. He nevertheless still tries to "dance like we used to" before the "light in the distance" comes for him.
"Unfinished Business" was notably covered by
Mumford and Sons Mumford may refer to:
*Amazing Mumford, a Muppet character on ''Sesame Street''
* ''Mumford'' (film), a 1999 American comedy-drama film
*Mumford procedure, also called distal clavicle excision or distal clavicle resection, an orthopedic surgical pro ...
on Australian radio station
Triple J
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...
on their segment "Like a Version", and featured on the sixth album of the segment's cover versions.
Music video
Directed by Simon Green and recorded in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...
on 9 April 2008, the music video for "Unfinished Business" features the band performing the song on a dark stage while a silhouette of a pair of scissors passes slowly over them. The scene is interjected with black-and-white footage, shot in reverse, of a young woman acting out a dream sequence.
Track listing
#"Unfinished Business"
#"You Still Love Him"
;Japanese EP
#"Unfinished Business"
#"You Still Love Him"
#"From the Stars (Live Zane Lowe Session)"
#"Unfinished Business (Live Zane Lowe Session)"
#"Unfinished Business" (video)
References
External links
White Lies Official Myspace
{{Authority control
2008 singles
White Lies (band) songs
Song recordings produced by Ed Buller
2008 songs