Explain 1984 Song Lyric About Rebellion
NHUT NGUYEN
Professor Abraham Tarango
English G110
03/21/2016
“1984” by David Bowie
In world history, there were many countries have been ruled by another country, or they were controlled under the totalitarian governments. The dominators used their power to control the citizens and killed anyone who tried to resist. But there were many people who were ready to risk their life to stand up and fight for freedom. There were many rebellions in world history, some were failed, and some were succeeded. Those rebellions have inspired many artists and authors. There were many poems, books, movies, songs were created by the inspiration of rebellions. One of the most favorite song is “1984” by David Bowie, based on George Orwell’s novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four”. The lyrics of the song have showed the life of people who lived under the control of a totalitarian government, and people were ready to stand up to rebel and fight for their freedom. The song “1984” is a protest song. It is an adaptation of George Orwell’s book that has the similar title. Bowie rebels against big brother, from Orwell’s book. The inspiration of the song derives from Winston Smith, a character in the book. The lyrics caution Winston about the coming dystopian future, which will be governed by big brother. However, Bowie does not only caution Winston, but everyone that listens to the song.
In the first line of “1984”, Bowie says “someday they won’t let you, so now you must agree” (AZLyrics). The singer is warning about a future when people will not have free will. This is because they will become brainwashed by the dystopian government, just like Winston is brainwashed by big brother. Bowie urges people not to accept any form of dictatorship when they are able to enjoy free will. Hence, people must rebel any oppression, for instance by government. In order to urge people to rebel, the singer uses words like “you’ve read it in the tea leaves, and tracks are on TV” (AZLyrics). To read from the tea leaves is a conventional manner of envisioning what will happen later. In addition, tea is always rationed during war, like in England. Hence, Bowie uses the tea leaves example to warn listeners on what to expect. The tracks being on television relates to Orwell’s book, where citizens are monitored by government and their actions are tracked on television.
In the second verse, Bowie warns that “They’ll split your pretty cranium, and fill it full of air and tell that you’re eighty, but brother, you won’t care” (AZLyrics). It is clear that the words have been carefully chosen to demonstrate what happens when people are brainwashed. The singer uses these lines to emphasize on why people should be concerned about a dystopian future. In the chorus, Bowie is concerned that people will just allow themselves to become oppressed. By saying “you said it would last, but I guess we enrolled” (AZLyrics), he is talking about the characters in Orwell’s “1984” that have joined the army and become members of the government that is oppressing them. In the song’s bridge, Bowie introduces a different character, one that is ready to rebel the oppressive system. He sings “I’m looking for a vehicle; I’m looking for a ride. I’m looking for a party; I’m looking for a side. I’m looking for the treason that I knew in 65” (AZLyrics). The singer sings about a character that seeks an escape from their current society. The individual can either take a ride to a new place, or form a party that rallies against dystopia. There is clear reminiscence to 65, probably 1965 when he was part of a society that would rebel the repressive system.
“1984” compares to our current society in so many ways. Bowie sings about a society that is controlled by the authoritarian big brother. In the society, people are constantly monitored as is evident by “the tracks on TV” (AZLyrics). The singer refers to television screens in Orwell’s novel, which are used in airing government propaganda. However, the screens are as well used in monitoring the life and activities of citizens. In our current society, the act of government spying on its civilians is something common. It is not just government that spies, but also organizations. For instance, websites such as face book are able to access the private information of their users. The government monitors the activities of civilians through the “National Security Agency”, which records calls people make through phones. Governments also have the freedom to hack into their civilian’s computers. We are surrounded by surveillance cameras all over, be it at workplaces, schools or malls among other places, which spy on daily activities. Bowie is urging people to rebel against infringement of their privacy.