The opening track of The National’s 2007 opus, “Fake Empire” describes the hedonism and escapism of a culture lost to excess in the wake of its diminishing status as a world superpower. Simply, the everyday demands of life are too difficult for us to really care about America’s sociopolitical climate, therefore we are “half-awake” to these concerns in our “fake empire.”

The song features a prominent piano riff (a C major progression) providing the melody and ends with a brass ensemble.