“Clint Eastwood” was the first single released by the Gorillaz back in early 2001. Going double platinum upon its release and also being nominated for a BRIT Award, the song attracted many fans. However, songwriter Damon Albram managed to “disappoint” some fans as he revealed how he came up with the song.
Gorrilaz’s Co-Creator on an Apple Music Interview
Damon Albarn, also known as the frontman of the Britpop band Blur, is also the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the world-known virtual band. The musician chatted with DJ Zane Lowe for an Apple Music interview while they toured Studio 13 – the place where most of the Gorillaz’s songs were recorded.
During the tour, Albarn placed the Suzuki Omnichord (the first truly portable electronic instrument) on his desk and showed the former Radio One DJ how “Clint Eastwood” was actually created using a single pre-set on the instrument.
“It Just Came Like That?”
The exact first words from what seemed to be a disappointed question came from the DJ. The Gorillaz creator confirmed it. Albarn pushed a single button and told the interviewer that this was exactly how the legendary song came to life. It was all based on that pre-set.
It wasn’t just the world-renowned DJ that seemed to feel let down, as the interview became viral with nearly 2 million views on TikTok. Many Gorillaz fans didn’t hold back and shared their shock and disappointment as well.
It’s Not Just Gorillaz…
Despite their disappointment, many fans pointed out that “Clint Eastwood” wasn’t the only song to do so. In reality, Rihanna’s “Umbrella” was created using the hi-hat sound found in GarageBand, a free music software that comes standard with all Mac computers.
According to rapper The-Dream, who co-wrote the song with Christopher ‘Tricky’ Stewart and Kuk Harrell, the beat caught their interest while they were working on the now-iconic track.
As a result, the song only took a few hours to create and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy.