Fragments of Time

"Fragments of Time" is a song by electronic music duo Daft Punk, featuring vocals and co-production by Todd Edwards. It is included in the duo's 2013 album Random Access Memories. "Fragments of Time" charted in France and the United States due to digital downloads of the album.

"Fragments of Time"
Song by Daft Punk featuring Todd Edwards
from the album Random Access Memories
Released17 May 2013
Genre
Length4:39
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Thomas Bangalter
  • Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
  • Todd Edwards

Background
Todd Edwards performed vocals on "Fragments of Time"

Edwards had previously collaborated with Daft Punk to create the song "Face to Face" on the 2001 album Discovery. When he visited the sessions of Random Access Memories in California, the duo were seeking a "west coast vibe" for the album. At the studio, Edwards was asked to implement his signature "cut-up" method of music production for a portion of "Fragments of Time", which ultimately served as the chorus section.[1] Edwards initially thought his production section would be used as an eight-bar break rather than the chorus. Daft Punk was especially thankful to Edwards for his cut-up effects, as the duo felt the song had been lacking in electronic elements.[2] Edwards also recalled that the microphone he sang on for his contribution to the album is "more than my car is worth" and had previously been used by Frank Sinatra.[2]

Much like the rest of the album, "Fragments of Time" makes use of session musicians for most of the instrumentation. Paul Jackson, Jr. played rhythm guitar for the song as Chris Caswell and Daft Punk were responsible for the keyboards. Nathan East and James Genus performed on bass while Omar Hakim played drums and Quinn provided percussion. In addition to the lead synthesizer played by Daft Punk, the song includes pedal steel guitar work by Greg Leisz.[3] Daft Punk sought to use the pedal steel in a way that bordered between electronic and acoustic.[4]

Composition

"Fragments of Time" is performed in common time and at a tempo of 132 beats per minute. It is in the key of C Major, and the vocal ranges from G4 to A5.[5] Edwards commented that the lyrics were inspired by his desire to capture the moments he experienced during his visit to the duo's studio sessions in California; in particular he desired to stay in the area and to reminisce.[1] More specifically he sings about "the gold and the silver dream", and creating "these random memories".[3] William Goodman of Fuse wrote that "Fragments of Time" is "a total Hall & Oates nod and it's on a road to paradise".[6] Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork Media compared the song to the "80s country pop" of Sheena Easton.[7]

Chart positions
Chart (2013) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[8] 100
Italy (FIMI)[9] 123
UK Streaming (Official Streaming Chart)[10] 30
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[11] 28

References
  1. Lachman, Ed (8 April 2013). "Daft Punk | Random Access Memories | The Collaborators, Episode 2: Todd Edwards". The Creators Project. YouTube. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  2. Warren, Emma (May 2013). "Todd Edwards – Red Bull Music Academy". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 18 May 2013. 57:58 – Thomas wanted me to see if I could put some cut-ups in there [...] he gave me like the biggest compliment because he's like [...] you actually helped kinda save the track [...] because it was so contemporary sounding, it didn't have any vibe that was kind of along the electronics line.
  3. Random Access Memories (liner notes). Daft Punk. Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. 2013.
  4. Perron, Erwan, and Gancel, Alice (7 April 2013). "Daft Punk, interview-fleuve pour la sortie de Random Access Memories". Telerama (in French). telerama.fr. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. Daft Punk "Fragments of Times" Sheet Music - Download & Print. musicnotes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  6. Goodman, William (10 May 2013). "First Listen: Daft Punk's Random Access Memories Track by Track". Fuse. fuse.tv. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
  7. Handwritten Notes from My First Listen to Daft Punk's Random Access Memories Archived 2013-05-06 at the Wayback Machine. Tumblr. Retrieved on 25 February 2014.
  8. "Lescharts.com – Daft Punk feat. Todd Edwards – Fragments Of Time" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  9. "Tutti i successi del 2013" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  10. Lane, Daniel (29 May 2013). Daft Punk dominate this week’s Official Streaming Chart!. officialcharts.com. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  11. "Daft Punk Chart History (Hot Dance/Electronic Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
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