Mumford & Sons open their second album with this title track, which is named after the Genesis story about the origin of different languages wherein the people are punished for attempting to build a tower to reach the heavens. String bassist and guitarist Ted Dwayne told Rolling Stone that the song speaks about human discontent, one of the themes of the Biblical account of the Tower of Babel.
Frontman Marcus Mumford's parents are leaders of the evangelical Vineyard Church in the UK, and the album title is one of many biblical references dusted throughout the album. However, when The Independent asked Mumford how important religion is to the band, he replied: "No. Religion is not at all," before adding. "Faith is. We each have individual beliefs. Our values are pretty shared otherwise we wouldn't do well on the road. Faith is a more spiritual thing."
Babel debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart. The first week sales figure of 600,000 was the biggest week for a rock album since AC/DC's Black Ice racked up 784,000 units in its first seven days.
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