13 Fun Facts Flying Lotus Live-Tweeted About You’re Dead!

Today, Flying Lotus celebrates the release of his immersive fifth album, You're Dead! While we dove deep into his creative processes and album concept in our F94 cover story, we were geeked watching him spend two hours today live-tweeting interesting background and fun tidbits, song-by-song. Here's a few gems:

1. The album's opening track, “Theme,” was originally called “Jodorowsky”– like the avant garde visionary behind Holy Mountain and Kanye West's tarrot cards reader.

2. Apparently “Fkn Dead“ was the hardest song on the album to make, but the arrangement for “Turkey Dog” was the most complex he ever made.

3. Flying Lotus says the day he spent recording with Kendrick Lamar was “one of the most fun days ever.” Lamar showed up at his house alone and in a hoodie, and then he proceeded to write and record his part for “Never Catch Me” on the spot. He also laid a verse for “Eyes Above,” but it for one reason or other “can't come out,“ he explained, adding, “‘Eyes Above’ without Kendrick still breaks my heart.”

4. The vocal layering on “Never Catch Me” was improbably inspired by Queen.

5. “Dead Man's Tetris” is the oldest beat to make the album. And if you listen closely, he says, you can hear “Earl Sweatshirt saying shit in the background.”

6. FlyLo reunited with a high school friend named Jeff Lynne to make ”Stirring,” a tribute to a friend of theirs that had passed away. “rip nick terry,” he wrote.

7. He introduced Herbie Hancock to J.Dilla while they were recording "Moment of Hesitation.”

8. Mac Miller had asked for the “Cornus, the Terminator” beat, which– yes, is actually inspired by The Terminator.

9. As previously reported, “Siren” was originally intended for Pharrell. But, he says, “I love the way it worked out tho.”

10. FlyLo was ready to cut “Turtles” from the album because he thought clearing the prominent Ennio Morricone sample “would be more trouble to keep than it was worth.” But, he says, “I'm glad I did [keep it] because I really do like it.”

11. One of Flying Lotus' favorite animators of all time worked on a forthcoming video for “Ready err Not,” which he calls his “mischief song.”

12. “Descent into Madness“ was his frequent collaborator Thundercat's song, but Flying Lotus hijacked it. “I begged him to let me finish this song,” he said. ”I had visions instantly." FlyLo, however, credits his for more than just the song. “None of this album would be possible without Thundercat,” he said.

13. Of album closer "The Protest," he writes: “This is the most important statement of the record. It's the spirits gathered. remembering we never die. Our influence lives on forever. Our love lives on forever. I knew that when I set out to make this record I'd lose some people with the concept but I didn't do this shit to be crowd pleasing. Whatever happens, I know I did what I set out to do. Truth be told going the easy way is tempting sometimes but I was like fuck it I'm gonna make something only I can put together. A lil self indulgent? Absolutely. Thats kinda the point, if you ask me. I had to tell my story!” Amen.