The Cinematic Orchestra | To Build a Home
The Cinematic Orchestra’s “To Build a Home” featuring Patrick Watson - a five-day Montreal session, and the decision to abandon drums created 2007’s most emotionally devastating piano ballad.
Story Behind “To Build a Home”
The Paris Chord Progression That Changed Everything
“To Build a Home” began with a simple piano chord progression that Jason Swinscoe, founder of The Cinematic Orchestra, was developing in Paris. By 2007, Swinscoe had grown disillusioned with club culture and the beat-obsessed electronic music scene: “I was in clubs a lot at that time, and what I think was happening around Ma Fleur was that I was actually losing interest in the club scene. For me, it got to the point where it was just all about the beat, it’s like, ‘Where’s the music?’” This creative restlessness led him to Montreal, where his manager connected him with Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson for what would become a transformative five-day collaboration.
Five Days in Montreal, One Eternal Song
The recording sessions in Montreal represented a crucial turning point for Swinscoe’s artistic vision. Working with Watson, he made the deliberate choice to create a song with no drums—a radical departure for a producer who had built his reputation on rhythm-heavy electronic music. As Swinscoe recalls, “It was definitely a considered thought” to leave drums out completely, reflecting his desire to write music that was “a little less beat-oriented” and focused on “more songwriting stuff.” Watson contributed not just vocals and piano performance but co-wrote the track alongside Swinscoe and Phil France, creating what would become Ma Fleur’s emotional centerpiece and one of the most licensed songs in television history.
“To Build a Home” Recording and Production Details
The Ninja Tune Sessions and Analog Warmth
Released as the second single from The Cinematic Orchestra’s third studio album Ma Fleur on October 29, 2007, through Ninja Tune (with U.S. distribution by Domino Recording Company), “To Build a Home” showcases meticulous production that balances intimacy with cinematic scope. The 6:08 piano ballad features Watson’s vocals layered over delicate piano and string arrangements, building to a falsetto climax that critics described as “bellowing and haunting.” The track’s warmth comes from its analog recording process, later mixed digitally to preserve the organic textures that make it feel timeless.
The 12-Minute Music Video as Short Film
Director Andrew Griffin created an ambitious 12-minute short film serving as the music video for both “To Build a Home” and its companion track “Breathe.” Shot on location in Cumbria and premiered on Channel 4, the video featured actors Peter Mullan and Julia Ford in a narrative exploring the song’s themes of love, aging, and mortality. The video tells the story of an elderly couple reflecting on their life together, from young love through illness and the wife’s eventual passing, perfectly capturing the song’s meditation on impermanence. This visual interpretation helped cement the song’s reputation as one of the most emotionally powerful pieces in contemporary music.
Notes About “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra
Release Date: October 29, 2007 (single); May 7, 2007 (album)
Duration: 6:08
Genre: Piano Ballad / Cinematic / Electronic / Neo-Classical
Album: Ma Fleur (3rd studio album, track 1 UK version / track 11 US version)
Featured Artist: Patrick Watson (vocals, piano, co-writer)
Label: Ninja Tune (UK), Domino Recording Company (US)
Chart Performance: #96 France Singles Chart (2015); UK Gold certification; 374+ million streams (as of 2022)
Notable Usage: This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Schitt’s Creek, 9-1-1, Olympic figure skating performances
The Cinematic Orchestra “To Build a Home” Era Band Details
Album Details
Album: Ma Fleur (”My Flower” in French)
Release Date: May 7, 2007
Label: Ninja Tune (UK), Domino Recording Company (US/Canada)
Album Concept: Moving beyond club culture toward emotional songwriting and cinematic soundscapes
Critical Reception: Praised for transcending electronic music’s beat-oriented focus
Album Duration: 53 minutes (11 tracks)
Band Members/Personnel
Jason Swinscoe - Composer, Producer, Founder
Patrick Watson - Featured Vocals, Piano, Co-writer
Phil France - Co-writer
Fontella Bass - Vocals on “Familiar Ground” and “Breathe”
Lou Rhodes (Lamb) - Vocals on “Music Box” and “Time and Space”
Andrew Griffin - Music Video Director
Peter Mullan - Actor (music video)
Julia Ford - Actor (music video)
Production Notes
Deliberately recorded without drums despite Swinscoe’s club music background
Written over five-day collaborative session in Montreal
Released as 7” vinyl single with Grey Reverend cover version (UK) and “Child Song” (US)
Sister track “Breathe” shares thematic elements and combined music video
Album available in different track sequences for UK vs. North American markets
Song later used in 2008 award-winning Schweppes “Burst” advertisement and 2010 film The Tree
Interesting Facts About “To Build a Home”
The TV Soundtrack That Won’t Stop Playing
“To Build a Home” has achieved rare status as one of television’s most frequently licensed songs, appearing in dozens of emotionally charged moments across major network shows. The song topped Tunefind’s trending charts twice—in 2017 and again in 2022 after its use in This Is Us’s poignant montage showing Rebecca Pearson’s evolution as a mother. Critics noted how “the melodic piano and gentle vocals of the song bring a softness to the montage and lead the audience down memory lane.” The track has appeared in Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Schitt’s Creek, 9-1-1, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights, Orange Is the New Black, and even American Idol, with each placement introducing the song to new generations. Figure skaters Julian Yee and Dmitri Aliev performed to it at the 2018 Winter Olympics, and it’s been featured in films including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Scenes from a Marriage, proving that emotional authenticity transcends genre boundaries.
The Song Jason Swinscoe Feels “Shackled To” Forever
Despite creating a rich catalog across multiple albums, Swinscoe admits he feels “shackled to that tune for the rest of my life” due to its overwhelming popularity. In a 2014 Red Bull Music Academy interview, he acknowledged, “I mean, you must have heard it a thousand times,” referring to the song’s ubiquity. Yet this burden reflects the track’s genuine impact: Maggie Fremont of Vulture called it “one of the most emotional songs ever performed,” while critics praised how Swinscoe “transforms three- and four-chord vamps into something special.” The song’s meaning—about building a life with someone only to face its inevitable dissolution through death or loss—resonates so universally that some couples have used it as a wedding song, though as one music analyst notes, “I probably wouldn’t do that myself given the song’s meaning.” By 2022, the track had surpassed 374 million streams, achieved UK Gold certification, and become a cultural touchstone for processing grief, love, and impermanence—proving that sometimes an artist’s greatest work becomes both blessing and beautiful curse.
Common Questions
Q: What is “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra about?
A: The song explores building a life and home with a loved one, only to face its disappearance through death or loss. The house and tree metaphors represent the relationship’s growth and inevitable decay, with the final line “time to turn to dust” confirming mortality as the song’s central theme.
Q: Who sings on “To Build a Home”?
A: Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson performs vocals and piano on the track. Watson also co-wrote the song with The Cinematic Orchestra’s Jason Swinscoe and Phil France during a five-day session in Montreal.
Q: Why is “To Build a Home” in so many TV shows?
A: The song has appeared in This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Schitt’s Creek, 9-1-1, One Tree Hill, and many others due to its universal emotional resonance. It topped Tunefind’s trending TV song charts twice (2017 and 2022) and has over 374 million streams, making it perfect for emotionally charged montages.
Q: When was “To Build a Home” released?
A: The song was released as a single on October 29, 2007, though it appeared earlier on The Cinematic Orchestra’s album Ma Fleur (May 7, 2007). It was released through Ninja Tune in the UK and Domino Recording Company in North America.
Q: Why did The Cinematic Orchestra make a song without drums?
A: Producer Jason Swinscoe was “losing interest in the club scene” where “it got to the point where it was just all about the beat.” He deliberately removed drums to focus on songwriting and emotional depth rather than rhythm, marking a creative shift away from his electronic music roots.