Stereogum

Earlier this week, Disclosure released “Moonlight.” Now for the second time this week, the British duo released another single titled “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”

The single is based on the 1905 novel by E.M. Forster which is shockingly also titled “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”

The title was derived from Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” where he wrote that, “For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

Disclosure repeats this line throughout the entire song, singing that “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. And so, I come to you, my love, my heart above my head. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. And so, I come to you, my love, my heart above my head.”

The song takes on a jazzy, faraway sound. It is fitting that a song based on a 19th-century novel would have a more classical tune.

However, these classical vibes are also mixed with modern bits of electronic and a steady disco sounding beat that carries throughout the entirety of the song.

The lyrics leave much to be desired for, however.

The song doesn’t deviate much from the lyrics mentioned before.

Only when it reaches the chorus does the song offer a new stream of words with “Fools rush in where wise men never go, but wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?” which seem to derive from the song most famously known through Elvis Presley performance of it: “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

“Can’t Help Falling in Love” has been performed countless times since its original writing, and mirrors Disclosure’s words with the lyrics “Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.”

If I was a teacher, I would be calling some students up to the front of the class for plagiarism.

Despite the lyrics, the beats are truly wonderful. The beat is everything the lyrics aren’t—fresh, captivating, original, and unpredictable.

The song is an interesting mixture of classical and contemporary, and they managed to pull it off without sounding like they were trying too hard.

For that, I give props.