Fragments of Time

Todd Edwards performed vocals on "Fragments of Time"

Edwards had previously collaborated with Daft Punk to create the song "Face to Face" on the 2001 album Discovery. When he visited the sessions of Random Access Memories in California, the duo were seeking a "west coast vibe" for the album. At the studio, Edwards was asked to implement his signature "cut-up" method of music production for a portion of "Fragments of Time", which ultimately served as the chorus section.[3] Edwards initially thought his production section would be used as an eight-bar break rather than the chorus. Daft Punk was especially thankful to Edwards for his cut-up effects, as the duo felt the song had been lacking in electronic elements.[4] Edwards also recalled that the microphone he sang on for his contribution to the album is "more than my car is worth" and had previously been used by Frank Sinatra.[4]

Much like the rest of the album, "Fragments of Time" makes use of session musicians for most of the instrumentation. Paul Jackson, Jr. played rhythm guitar for the song as Chris Caswell and Daft Punk were responsible for the keyboards. Nathan East and James Genus performed on bass while Omar Hakim played drums and Quinn provided percussion. In addition to the lead synthesizer played by Daft Punk, the song includes pedal steel guitar work by Greg Leisz.[5] Daft Punk sought to use the pedal steel in a way that bordered between electronic and acoustic.[6]

"Fragments of Time" is performed in common time and at a tempo of 132 beats per minute. It is in the key of C Major, and the vocal ranges from G₃ to A₄.[7] Edwards commented that the lyrics were inspired by his desire to capture the moments he experienced during his visit to the duo's studio sessions in California; in particular he desired to stay in the area and to reminisce.[3] More specifically he sings about "the gold and the silver dream", and creating "these random memories".[5] William Goodman of Fuse wrote that "Fragments of Time" is "a total Hall & Oates nod and it's on a road to paradise".[8] Ryan Schreiber of Pitchfork compared the song to the "80s country pop" of Sheena Easton.[9]

On 22 February 2023, exactly two years after Daft Punk announced their breakup as a duo, a 10th anniversary edition of Random Access Memories was announced. The anniversary reissue, releasing on 12 May, includes 35 minutes of previously unreleased demos and studio outtakes.[10] One of the bonus tracks, called "The Writing of Fragments of Time" was released on 22 March as the first single from the reissue.[11] The documentary-styled track contains spoken discussions and sung improvisations between Thomas Bangalter and Todd Edwards, as they work on the lyrics and melody of the song. These outtakes were edited and compiled excerpts from a studio session recorded on 29 February 2012. Bangalter and Edwards did not know that the engineers were recording the session at the time.[12] The single was accompanied by a music video directed by Daft Punk's creative director Cédric Hervet.[13]

In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music 1 following the premiere of the track, Edwards said "You’ll hear me laughing because Thomas [Bangalter] came up with some really damn witty lines in it." He also expressed that he was not shocked by the duo's breakup and expressed hope that younger producers would be more willing to follow Daft Punk's example and take risks in the industry.[14]

• Daft Punk – synthesizers, keyboards, production, songwriting
• Todd Edwards – vocals, co-production, songwriting
• Paul Jackson Jr – guitar
• Chris Caswell – keyboards
• Nathan East – bass
• James Genus – bass
• Omar Hakim – drums
• Quinn – percussion