Hurry Up, We're Drowning (**Link to video**)

I was winding down, trying to tire my body so I could fall asleep timely for work when my buddy FB chatted me a YouTube link to Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" synced to "Night of the Living Dead." It worked well at points, but I saw this as mostly just a funny idea I found myself 20 minutes into until I realized I was well past my bedtime.

As I folded my Mac, switched off my lamp, and welcomed my thoughts to drift me into sleepiness, I remembered a famous movie album synchronization effort that left me speechless each time I saw it -- "The Wizard of Oz" played to the soundtrack of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon."

I wondered, could I do this? I like movies, I like music. Statistically, there has to be some other synchronization out there that works. But without the 1970's psychedelic drugs that the founder of this original synchronization was likely on, I knew finding that one perfect compliment between cinema and song would be an endless search.

Still wide awake, (having just started my summer nine to five job and used to my awkward, college induced 3 a.m. to 11 p.m. sleep clock) I unfolded my Mac and -- for a reason I cannot seem to remember -- decided to play M83's "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" to "Titanic."

The only sensible reason I can think of for picking this seemingly random pairing was that this was one of the first movies that came up on my Netflix browser that night, and this is one of my favorite albums.

I figured the second half of the movie would be cooler since, you know, it features the largest ship in history syncing in a slow, visually striking fashion, whilst a forbidden love struggles to survive literally and figuratively. To get started, I recalled the length of the album, and started the movie from that point on...

So, with a groggy creative spark and some major sleep procrastination, "Hurry Up, We're Drowning" was born (get it?). And, holy sh*t, was it interesting. I'll say, as you watch, keep in mind, not every little part of this synchronization works. But as a whole, this odd combination makes for a unique, artistic experience. I am not suggesting here that M83 planned this, or that I am some sort of genius, (I'm not saying I'm not either). But I just got lucky and I want to share this great coincidence in film and music with all of you.

For me, every song, except perhaps two, works. But make your own judgement! I am sure either way though, you'll enjoy it, and if not, I can guarantee you'll at least enjoy how well it ends.

If you want to just watch on your own, be my guest, but if you're interested, my interpretation of huge synchronization points follows below. These are NOT all of the synchronization points I noticed, for there are a hell of a lot; it's just a summary.

Big synchronization points by song (songs with the best synchronization are in bold).

• Intro
  • People asking to their next generation of family (ppl who were on Titanic and died) -- "you before you even existed' -- like as their ancestors who died on Titanic.
  • Just setting scene music going well with exploding flashes like to eb saved things etc. (like fireworks) goes well with electronic intro thing.
  • "After us the flood."
  • "Footprints of snow" - glacier that they crashed into.
  • In the cold" -- cold of Atlantic ocean?
  • Hand on my breast I'll keep you warm -- foreshadowing to Leo and Rose keeping each other warm at the end of movie, etc.
• Midnight City
  • Her originally looking for him, good transition for her leaving guy on elevator w/ intro still going and her starting her mission to find and rescue Jack.
• Reunion
  • Seconds, her eyes open right when reunion starts looking at ax which resembles their reunion, and silence at end of midnight city goes well with her closing her eyes before reunion kicks in , her going to save Jack - their reunion.
• Where the Boats Go
  • Showing boats all go off into ocean.
• Wait
  • Escaping the downstairs connects with "no time."
  • Also people praying connect with "dreams."
  • Teeth to the tide -- letting go into the ocean?
  • "Ahhh" noises in song are people screaming on ship.
  • "Give your tears to the tide" -- letting go and crying and like accepting your death in the ocean?
  • "Disappear with the night" -- dying into the night in the setting of dying in the night of Titanic sinking.
• Raconte De Un Histoire
  • Rose getting on boat contemplating escape.
  • Turn into frog yourself - goes very well with Rose getting in boat, turing into frog by getting on the boat, "crossing ocean, rivers" by getting on boat with the kids, escaping, asking if she wants to play with them.
  • Kids way of interpreting everything going on around them in Titanic.
  • She gets off and music fits well with her and Jack's reunion.
• Train to Pluton
  • Times perfectly with when guy is trying to kill them.
• Claudia Lewis
  • Starts just as film shoots Rose and Jack running.
  • Music goes well with them the suspense of them trying to get out from the lower levels of the ship.
• This Bright Flash
  • Starts conveniently after Jack and Rose escape the bright flash on the ships flooded lower levels.
  • Song's increase intensity with the drumbeat goes well with the increasingly flooding ship deck.
• When will you come home?
  • Passengers coming home to death with their other dead loves ones, as they pray and accept their fate?

• Soon, My Friend

• Acceptance -- about captain answering boats call to coming home? , musicians playing music accepting their imminent death -- ppl saying they're going home as in accepting their death on the boat.
• Really great here, drama with them all contemplating stuff , accepting their "soon" death to go home with parents? Dead relatives? etc.
• Just the acceptance of dying etc. here w/ captain.
• Upbeat, intense part of song matches perfectly with water crashing into captain's room.
• Lyric going with this.
• More melancholy, reflective, slow music going well with it.

• My Tears Are Becoming a Sea
  • Matches shots of the sea flooding the deck, and the idea of the passenger's emotions and fear literally falling into the sea.
• New Map
  • The ship is "shifting in silence."
• Ok Pal

• "Take your hand the city is slowly vanishing,""stay calm," "give it a chance to take us away."
• Leo asks for Rose's trust hear everyone falling down on ship, sliding down, and he asks her to true him to hold on? -, 'ok pal' title - represents their trust for one another here as they hold on together, etc. by actions or just by actually saying something like that?
• "Walking in the city or whats left of it" -- Titanic as city and depleting, "take my hand"- as Rose takes his hand.
• "City vanishing" and "City is the ship."
• Check out this monologue for more interpretations - ppl "floating", "hold me tight" - as showing shot of them holding each other tight try to synchronize this exactly? They hold each other tight - take us away like boat taking them away?

• Another Wave From You
  • Boat literally syncing on its last part, and them watching, and they fall int ocean, "waves from" each other- song ends as they lose each other underwater, "waves from" each other song starts well with them seeing boat slowly sink.
• Splendor
  • Song change right when rose is looking for jack above water -- everyone in the water.
  • Piano goes well with the sadness of the chaos of people in the water.
• • Reunited - with the chorus signers thing in the song - getting on the piece of the ship.
  • " Goodbye to my only friend"? , -- GOODEBYE FOR ROSE AND JACK -- talking about how surviving together? - starting yesterday over again" -- like going back to how it was on ship? - like their love together etc.
  • Contemplating going back to save people on boat thing.
  • Song gets to conclusion slow part as showing Jack and Rose again.
  • Just the music and chorus here, feel of it goes with just kinda fate feeling of whole thing, people dying in the water.
• Year One, One UFO.
• Fountains
  • More water imagery.
  • Atmospheric sound effects in song match the isolation Rose experiences in this scene.
• Steve McQueen
• Echoes of Mine
  • Her story matches Rose's story eerily well in context and timing.
  • **french story translation at bottom
• Klaus I Love You
  • Slow build up fits well with lead up to movie's conclusion.
• Outro
  • Begins well as she is looking off boat, and contemplates putting jewel necklace thing in ocean.
    • Right as she does it around one minute into song, song features water sounding effects.
    • Music stops with water sounding effects just as she falls asleep/dies.
  • • Song is upbeat as boat lights up , and welcoming her into the Titanic in death?
    • Upbeat instrumentation reaches climax as Jack puts his hand out for Rose.
    • "Creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me!"

Things to keep in mind:

• I HIGHLY recommend solid headphones for this. Looking up lyrics enhances the experience as well if you're interested…
• I did use garage band to edit a few parts. 99 percent of this is natural, but since I wanted this to be as cool as possible, I extended and cut a few parts of the album.
• Songs that I realize do not work nearly as well as the others:
  • Fountains, and maybe Steve McQueen
• YouTube would not let me publish this, so I have provided it via iMovie.
• Just to clarify, this project syncs the entirety of M83's "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" (2011), played in order, with the second half of James Cameron's "Titanic" (1997).
• The story the woman tells in Echoes of Mine and it's creepy similarity to Rose's story.
  • I am 20 years old. And I love like I have never loved before." I am engulfed by a world of silence, yet I am not afraid. I fall asleep for a few minutes at the most, and when I wake up, the sun is there and the forest is shining with a bright light.
    I recognize this forest. It is not an ordinary forest, it is a forest of memories. My memories. The white and noisy river, my adolescence. The tall trees, the men I have loved. The birds in flight, and in the distance, my lost father.

Hurry Up, We're Drowning