Day After Day #305: Daft Punk is Playing at My House

Day After Day is an ambitious attempt to write about a song every day in 2024 (starting on Jan. 4).

Daft Punk is Playing at My House (2005)

There was a lot going on in the NYC indie rock scene in the early 2000s. The Strokes became the face of guitar rock for a few years, but there was also Interpol, TV On the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Rapture and the Walkmen. It was an active and vibrant scene and it coincided with the MP3 blog era, in which indie rock fans shared MP3s of new bands they liked. For those of us who had little kids and weren't getting out to rock clubs as much as we used to, MP3 blogs were invaluable.

Another band to emerge out of New York at that time was LCD Soundsystem, an electronic rock act founded by James Murphy in 2002. Working with drummer Pat Mahoney, Murphy released a number of singles on DFA Records, the label he co-founded. The first single, "Losing My Edge," was released in 2002 and got some attention in the U.K. as well as NYC.

In January 2005, LCD Soundsystem released its eponymous debut album on DFA and Capitol Records, featuring the lead single "Daft Punk is Playing at My House." The song is punchy, eminently danceable and pretty fun, if the cowbell solo is any indication.

"Well, Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house/I'll show you the ropes kid, show you the ropes/I got a bus and a trailer at my house, my house/I'll show you the ropes kid, show you the ropes/I bought 15 cases for my house, my house/All the furniture is in the garage/Well, Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house/You got the set them up kid, set them up."

The song, of course, refers to the Parisian electronic music duo that emerged in the '90s and was pretty popular around the world; the two musicians started wearing robot costumes after their second album came out. They got huge in 2013 before splitting up a few years later. 

"Well, Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house/I waited for seven years and 15 days/There's every kid for miles at my house, my house/And the neighbors can't call the police/There's a fist fight brewing at my house, my house/Because the jocks can't get in the door/When Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house/You got to set them up kid, set them up."

The song hit #1 on the U.K. Dance chart and #29 on the U.K. Singles Chart and was nominated for the 2006 Grammy for Best Dance Recording. It was featured in several videogames including FIFA 06, SSX On Tour and Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 and X2. It also showed up in movies, TV and commercials; Murphy may have started as an indie artist, but he got paid. 

"Well, everybody's lined up in my house, my house/And Sarah's girlfriend is working the door/Got everybody's PA in my house, my house/All the robots descend from the bus/There's a freak out brewin' in my house, my house/In the basement/'Cause Daft Punk is playing at my house, my house/You got to set them up kid, set them up."

LCD Soundsystem toured with M.I.A. and got critical acclaim. The group, which in the studio was essentially Murphy, released two more albums before announcing a farewell tour in 2011 that sold out immediately; the final show at Madison Square Garden lasted nearly four hours. Murphy got the group back together in 2015; he worked on David Bowie's final album Blackstar and said Bowie convinced him to reunite LCD Soundsystem. Murphy caught some backlash for making a big deal out of the final tour and then bringing the group back a few years later to play festivals. The band released an album in 2017 and is reportedly working on a new album.