The Valley of the Pagans is one of the tracks made during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020. The drums and percussion on the track were provided by Rudy Albarn, nephew of Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn. On August 2nd, 2020 the demo version of the song was leaked alongside a short snippet of Chalk Tablet Towers, By the way, The early, early version of the song was called West Hollywood, the demo - which can only be heard one time in the whole song.
The Valley of the Pagans was officially released on October 23, 2020 on the Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez album. The track was then released as the ninth and final single of the first season of Song Machine on November 5, 2020. The Valley of the Pagans premiered on the Gorillaz YouTube channel on November 5, 2020 as Episode Eight.[1]
The song's original music video is a machinima made in Grand Theft Auto V. Four days after it premiered on the band's YouTube page, the video was set to private. There was speculation at the time that the video may had been removed due to possibly showing a spoiler for an upcoming Grand Theft Auto Online update.[2] However, this was simply misinformation caused by the fans of Grand Theft Auto mistaking Plastic Beach for the then-rumored island of Cayo Perico, which was later added to the game on 15 December 2020 as part of the Cayo Perico Heist update.[3] The video was likely removed due to fair use disputes with Rockstar Games, which owns the Grand Theft Auto franchise. An alternate version of the video replacing all references to Grand Theft Auto with the footage reused from the Song Machine Live visualisers was uploaded to YouTube on March 9, 2021.
[Verse 1: Beck]
Welcome to the land of the permanent sun
Where the flowers are melted and the future is fun
The freeway lizards are feeling so good
On a one-way trip back to West Hollywood, let's go
[Chorus: 2D & Beck]
It feels so good to have a perfect song
It feels so good to be in total control
It feels so good to have a perfect song
It feels so good to be in total control
[Verse 2: 2D]
There was spotlights flying through the sky
From the winter wonderland, catching out
The bees hiding in the clouds, no future, Batman
Long before Christmas, not very likely
One hundred million Viagra tablets
Stored in a warehouse, in the valley
[Chorus: 2D & Beck]
It feels so good to have a perfect song (Uh-huh)
It feels so good to be in total control (Uh-huh)
It feels so good to have a perfect song (Uh-huh)
It feels so good to be in total control (Uh-huh)
[Bridge: Beck]
It's so convincing, but something's missing
The sun is kissing my face and erasing my doubts
I'm going out with a bang, and the fangs of a parasite
I'm feelig alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright
[Bridge: 2D]
Untainted dreams, et cetera and forever
I hope, said no one
[Verse 3: Beck]
She's a plastic Cleopatra on a throne of ice
She's a hemophiliac with a dying battery life
Candy-colored fingers and Schadenfreude eyes
Thinking airbrush thoughts with the logo on her mind
[Bridge: Beck]
It's so delightful, it's so insightful
It's so frightful, and I'm feeling it
Every single f*cking day-yay-yay-yay-yay-yay
It's time to party
It's time to party (woo!)
[Refrain: 2D]
In the valley where you wake up every beautiful day
And the world you created in your image is golden
In a valley made of mirrors, oh, the light is so bright
You can feel like a Pagan, you can feel like a Pagan
In the valley where you wake up every beautiful day
And the world you created in your image is golden
In a valley made of mirrors oh, the light is so bright
You can feel like a Pagan, you can feel like a Pagan
[Outro: 2D & Beck]
In the valley (Feel like a pagan)
Yeah, I live in the valley
In the valley (Feel like a pagan)
I heard there's a good shaman out in the desert
In the valley (Feel like a pagan)
Getting really transcendental and hiking
In the valley (Feel like a pagan, feel like a pagan)
In the valley
I'm on a cleanse (Feel like a pagan)
In the valley
Yeah, the hot tub is really chill
Feel like a pagan
Gorillaz - The Valley of the Pagans ft. Beck (Episode Eight)
Alternate music video released on March 9, 2021.
The Valley Of The Pagans ft. Beck (Episode Eight) 1440p Version
Reupload of the original music video released on November 5, 2020. It was removed due to copyright issues with Rockstar Games.
