The Power of Music

In a society where everything political, environmental, and sociological seems to be failing daily, it is difficult to find faith and hope in humanity’s future. It is human nature to rely on different elements to provide that sense of faith when there is a lack of hope. This is why constructed religion plays a prominent role in the lives of many human beings along with different forms of media such as art and books. Another form of escape that humans rely on to find peace in a world of chaos is music. Charles Macnish writes in his article, “The Sonic Connection: How Music United the Human Tribe,” about the healing nature and unifying qualities of music. He states that “in a world divided by language, culture, and politics, there exists a universal language that transcends these boundaries — the language of music.” In a world where the media is constantly portraying the unfortunate state that humanity is in, music serves as not only a form of relief but also a form of communication. Especially when it comes to advocacy and activism, music can serve as a form of language that communicates critiques towards society and the push for change. Two songs written by well know British artists have risen as anthems for this communication using music.

Matty Healy, the lead singer of the known British pop rock band, The 1975, is known to write songs that revolve around his own subjective experiences, the sociopolitical state of society, and the media. One of the songs released by The1975 called, “Love It If We Made It,” grew to be his most critically acclaimed song. This song is described by Healy as “a montage for the times, but it is not going to change the times. It does not provide a solution.” The song is considered a “montage” of the year that it was written in because Healy pulled many of the one liners in the song from headlines of news articles. For example, in the song it states,

“‘Selling melanin and then suffocate the black men

Start with misdemeanors and we’ll make a business out of them...’”

This line is specifically referencing the murder of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the profit that American culture is attempting to gain from the suffering of black people. Further into the song he states,

“‘I moved on her like a b****,’ excited to be indicted

Unrequited house with seven pools, ‘Thank you, Kanye, very cool’

The war has been incited, and guess what? You're all invited

And you're famous, modernity has failed us

And I'd love it if we made it.’”

“‘I’m so blissfully unaware of everything

Kids in Gaza are bombed and I'm just out of it

The tensions of the world are rising higher

We're probably due another war with all this ire...’”

This specific part of the song is referencing the tendency that we as humans have when it comes to larger conflict in the world. As mentioned before, the main narrator of the song is noticing the injustice in the world, yet they feel helpless because, according to another lyric, “‘I'm not smart enough to change a thing.’”

The 1975’s “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” in which the song “Love it if We Made it” appears.

In this specific part of the song, Healy is directly referencing the Access Hollywood clip where President Trump states this line. Furthermore, he references the infamous twitter thread between Kanye and Donald Trump. The band almost did not include these lyrics about the current U.S. President because the band did not want to further the censorship of the song, but Healy opposed stating that “if we’re going to get censored, we’re going to get censored for verbatim quoting the leader of the free world.” Because of the statement of real-world events, many people have found hope in the lyrics of this song. The referencing of the events promotes advocacy and invited listeners of the song into awareness about what is going on in the world. Matty Healy himself even refers to the song as a “social anthem.” Furthermore, the sound of the song can provide a sense of hope to those listening. According to Genius, the song is “observing the volatile aspects of modern society, responding with a sentiment of hope and positivity with its upbeat sound.” Along with the upbeat tune, the phrase “I’d love it if we made it” that is repeated throughout, promotes relatability and faith in the potential of a better future. The tone and mission can be comparable to Sam Fender’s “Hypersonic Missiles.” Both songs have a hopeful and positive tone despite the lyrics that promote the feeling of impending doom due to the state of our society. However, “Love It If We Made It” is not considered a protest piece rather than a statement piece, and “Hypersonic Missiles” is considered a protest piece.

Sam Fender is a prominent, but fairly new, British artist. He primarily releases music that relies on the sound of British rock but also has the undertones of the “American musical.” In March of 2019, he released the single “Hypersonic Missiles,” then his debut album of the same name in September of 2019. Sam Fender classifies “Hypersonic Missiles” as an “unorthodox love song.” He states, “It’s main focus is on the world around the narrator, who is a complete tin foil hatter. They are convinced the world is on its last legs; they know that it is rife with injustice but feel completely helpless and lacking the necessary intelligence to change it while remaining hopelessly addicted to the fruits of consumerism.” Why this song can be considered a protest piece is because of the relatability of the concept of the song and the lyrics. Some of the lyrics state,

Along with the critiques on humans’ lack of awareness and urgency when it comes to socioeconomic and issues related to injustice, this song is also considered an “unorthodox love song.” Through the feeling of helplessness and darker times, the narrator leans into love,

“‘Cause I can't see any decent rhyme or reason

For the life of you and me

But I believe in what I'm feeling

And I'm firing for you

This world is gonna end

But 'til then, I'll give you everything I have...’”

Despite their fate that is coming from the conflicts in the world and the missiles that are heading their way, they have hope in their love. Fender states, “Amongst all the chaos is love and celebration, there is this glimmer of hope that runs through the song. A little notion that no matter what happens, these two people are gonna have a... good timeregardless of the tyrants that run their world, and regardless of their imminent doom from these ‘Hypersonic Missiles.’” As mentioned before, both songs provide a sense of hope in a world that seems to be in constant conflict and crumbling ethics. The songs also provided awareness for the current state of the world as they climbed the most popular charts and as both British artists grew in their fame.

Works Cited:

Healy, Matty. "The 1975's Matty Healy Dissects Every Song on A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships." Pitchfork, 14 Nov. 2018, https://pitchfork.com/features/song-by-song/the-1975s-matty-healy-dissects-every-song-on-a-brief-inquiry-into-online-relationships/.

Macnish, Charles. "The Sonic Connection: How Music Unites the Human Tribe." Medium, 2 Oct. 2018, https://medium.com/@annias/the-sonic-connection-how-music-unites-the-human-tribe-ec014dda565d.

"The 1975 – Love It If We Made It." Genius, https://genius.com/The-1975-love-it-if-we-made-it-lyrics.

"Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles." SOS Music, 9 Sept. 2019, https://www.sos-music.co.uk/2019/09/album-review-sam-fender-hypersonic.html?m=1#:~:text=Amongst%20all%20the%20chaos%20is%20love%20and%20celebration%2C%20there%20is%20this%20glimmer%20of%20hope&text=tyrants%20that%20run%20their%20world%2C%20and%20regardless%20of%20the%20imminent%20doom.