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Adapting George Orwell’s Novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to songs:
a literary analysis of ’Nineteen Eighty-Four based’ lyrics in songs of
David Bowie and Muse
Diplomarbeit
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
einer Magistra der Philosophie
an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
vorgelegt von
Fiona FEIZLMAYR
am Institut für Anglistik
Begutachter: Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Hugo Keiper
Graz, 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction 1
2. Adapting Literature to Songs: General Thoughts 3
3. George Orwell’s Novel Nineteen Eighty-Four 6
3.1. Publication, Contents, and Reception 6
3.2. George Orwell and his Dystopian Society 9
3.2.1. The Alteration of Collective Memory and of the Common Language 10
3.2.2. Aspects of Power, Control, and Torture 12
3.2.3. Sexuality and Resistance 13
3.3. The Topicality of Nineteen Eighty-Four in Culture and Society 15
3.3.1. Nineteen Eighty-Four in (Popular) Media 16
4. “We want you Big Brother“: Bowie’s Handling of Nineteen Eighty-Four 19
4.1. David Bowie: Characteristics of his Career, Music, and Style 19
4.2. Working on Nineteen Eighty-Four: From Musical to Album 21
4.3. “1984“: Bowie’s Introduction to his Dystopian World 23
4.4. “Big Brother“: Praising the Dictator 26
4.5. “We Are The Dead“: Pointing out Big Brother’s Flaws 29
4.6. Further Songs on the Topic of Nineteen Eighty-Four 33
4.7. Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four in Bowie’s Songs: Concluding Thoughts 36
5. “Love is our Resistance“: Nineteen Eighty-Four in Songs by Muse 38
5.1. Muse: A Short Historical Overview of the Band 38
5.2. Bellamy’s Dystopian Ideas and their Manifestation in the Song Lyrics 39
5.3. “Resistance“: Bellamy’s Central Statement 42
5.4. “United States of Eurasia“: Resistance to US Politics 46
5.5. “Uprising“: An Appeal for Revolution 49
5.6. Further Muse Songs that are based on Nineteen Eighty-Four 52
5.7. Dystopia then and now: Concluding Thoughts on the Songs by Muse 55
6. Further Examples for Nineteen-Eighty-Four in Song Lyrics 56
6.1. Nineteen Eighty-Four based Lyrics that Criticize Contemporary Issues 56
6.2. Nineteen Eighty-Four in other Song Lyrics 59
6.3. The Nineteen Eighty-Four Movie Soundtrack 63
7. Summary and Conclusion 66
8. Bibliography 68
8.1. Primary Sources 68
8.2. Secondary Sources 69
8.3. Appendix: Song Lyrics 74
1. INTRODUCTION
George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four touches on topics that have
concerned society since its publication in 1949. Through the second half of the 20th
century to the present day, aspects of the novel, such as surveillance, changing war
arenas, governmental oppression, and totalitarianism have not lost their significance;
rather, they are as present on the political landscape as ever before. What is more,
Orwell’s neologisms, including Big Brother, the Thought Police, and Doublethink, have
become common vocabulary in our daily language use. Because Orwell’s representation
of a dystopian, totalitarian society, portrayed in detail in Nineteen Eighty-Four, are still of
interest to the generations that have followed him, it is not surprising that his novel has
been a source of influence for various artists of many different genres, whose works
have seized on similar political and societal topics and themes as Orwell’s novel.
This diploma thesis focuses on song lyrics that are thematically and conceptually based
on and make reference to George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Various
contemporary singers and songwriters, most prominently among them David Bowie and
Matt Bellamy, the singer and songwriter of the band Muse, make direct or indirect
references to the content of Nineteen Eighty-Four in the lyrics of their songs. Both David
Bowie and Muse have dedicated a whole album to Orwell’s ideas of a dystopian society.
David Bowie incorporated issues of Nineteen Eighty-Four into his album Diamond Dogs
and Muse released an album called The Resistance, which revolves around aspects of
Orwell’s dystopia. As a fan of the musical style of Muse, I increasingly started to pay
attention to the lyrics of the songs and the concept of the album The Resistance, which
eventually inspired me to choose this topic for my diploma thesis.
Since it is unlikely that the two songwriters, Bowie and Bellamy, might have just
incorporated various references to the novel into their lyrics without any real reason, this
thesis will examine their motives for doing so. This thesis will attempt to answer the
following general questions regarding George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and
the use of its contents in popular song lyrics:
1) What makes singers and songwriters - this diploma thesis mainly focuses on songs of
David Bowie and Matthew Bellamy of the band Muse - consider Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty-Four to be a useful and up-to-date source for their songs?
2) What specific themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four are important to them and how are
they incorporated into their songs?
3) How do the references to the novel used in the lyrics possibly affect different readings
and interpretations of these songs?
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In order to answer these questions, this diploma thesis provides a detailed literary
analysis of Nineteen Eighty-Four-based song lyrics. This thesis is subdivided into the
following chapters: Chapter 2 focuses on song lyrics in a literary context and their
recognition within this distinct field of research. Additionally, this chapter points out some
examples of song lyrics that are based on literary works and briefly elaborates on
characteristics of the intermedial shift of contents from literature to song lyrics. Chapter 3
provides general information regarding Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, including its
publication, content, and reception. Furthermore, the subchapters determine and
investigate important themes of the novel, such as collective memory and its extinction,
as well as the instalment of a new, common language; aspects of power, surveillance
and totalitarianism; and love and sexuality as an act of resistance. What is more, aspects
of the perpetual topicality and relevance of the themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four are
highlighted and elaborated on. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 focus on the song lyric analysis and
interpretation. In order to make the contents of the individual lyrics more tangible, each
song analysis includes a brief formal stylistic analysis, but the focus remains on
interpretation of the songs’ content, metaphors, and allusions. Since this thesis deals
with Nineteen Eighty-Four based lyrics, the topics of the songs are, of course, associated
with the contents of the novel. Chapter 4 is dedicated to David Bowie’s incorporation and
handling of Nineteen Eighty-Four in the songs of this album Diamond Dogs. Chapter 5
deals with the album The Resistance by the band Muse, and the dystopian ideas that
have influenced their song lyrics, which are supported by references to Orwell’s novel. In
order to provide a full analysis of Nineteen Eighty-Four based lyrics, Chapter 6 puts the
focus on other artists who have been inspired by Orwell’s novel. This selection of songs
based on Nineteen Eighty-Four is primarily derived from an online list of song lyrics
which retell or make reference to popular works of literature. In fact, Orwell’s dystopia is
the literary work which has inspired the most songs - a fact which already highlights how
well the novel lends itself to implementation into contemporary song lyrics (cf. List of
songs that retell a work of literature).
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2. ADAPTING LITERATURE TO SONGS: GENERAL THOUGHTS
Booth, on the meaningfulness of song lyrics, states that “[w]hat the modern reader most
wants to find in poetry is the poet’s personal encounter with reality, fixed with subtle
rightness in a unique construction of language. I should declare that songs almost never
answer to this expectation” (1981: 23). As a matter of fact, song lyrics have often been
neglected as they have not been perceived as an interesting field for literary studies. For
a long time, the focus in research has been on written poetry only. But, as Eckstein
(2010: 14) points out, “[l]yrics are no more and no less, the other tradition of modern
poetry“, and, therefore, deserve to be taken equally seriously. The main aim of this
chapter is, on the one hand, to position song lyrics within a literary context, since in this
thesis they are analyzed from a literary perspective. On the other hand, the focus is on
the adaption and intermedial transposition of literary works to song lyrics. Some general
examples of such intermedial shifts are provided.
Lyrics and poetry share the same basis and historical progress. In fact, the separation of
these two genres is a relatively late development. The connection between literature and
song goes back to the works of William Shakespeare, who pioneered incorporating
songs into his works. Further historical connections between lyrics and literature include,
amongst others, the art songs by the Austrian composers Schubert and Mahler during
the 18th and 19th centuries. Despite their common roots, lyrics are not considered to be
the same as poetry, however (cf. Caroll/Hanson 2014: 9; Eckstein 2010: 13). Booth
(1981: 8) states that a “[s]ong belongs to both non-literate and literate culture, having
originated in the former and been naturalized in the latter.” At the same time, he adds
that “[s]ong is poetry; then again song is not poetry as we usually understand poetry, but
rather a collateral descendant from a common ancestor” (1981: 23). Griffiths (2003: 42)
goes a step further and states that people need to “stop thinking that the words in pop
songs are poems, and begin to say that they are like poetry […] like prose.” Regarding
the poetics of song lyrics, Griffiths states that for the past decades the so-called “poetry
of pop” has marked an era during which singers and songwriters, like Bob Dylan, have
acquired the status of “song-poets”. Over time, their works have become similarly
appraised and are now treated like those of modern poets (2003: 41).
In general, song lyrics cover a wide variety of themes and cultural issues, spread over
various genres of music. The interpretation of song lyrics involves, apart from an
understanding of their verbal meaning, the recognition of cultural values and social
embedding. The message of a song is shaped by the circumstances in which it is written,
as well as by the general conditions under which it is performed. Eckstein alludes to the
fact that lyrics - in contrast to poetry - are generally intended to be performed and sung,
which shapes the reception of their content (cf. 2010: 13, 23, 38). Of course, the music
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that accompanies the lyrics also contributes significantly to the listeners’ comprehension
of the meaning of a song. What is more, song lyrics are usually heard and perceived
without a dramatic context and, therefore, the listeners have great interpretative
freedom . Booth points out that listeners tend to deeply immerse themselves in a song, 1
and interestingly, they either identify themselves with protagonist or with the singer, if the
song addresses a second person (cf. 1981: 15-16).
Since song lyrics are mainly listened to and not read, their texts need to present a certain
unity and clarity, which, according to Booth (1981: 12), leads to a “partial redundancy”. In
order to make their lyrics easily understandable content-wise, singers fall back on
internal repetition, for instance, which refers to elements like choruses, verbal repetition,
rhyme, and alliteration (cf. 1981: 9-13). According to Pattison, this choice of language to
some extent limits but also determines the content of the songs, as the language needs
to be more straightforward and to the point. He adds that songwriters have little time and
space - usually only about 3 minutes - to integrate the messages they want to convey in
their songs (cf. Pattison 2012: 123-127). In addition, melody and rhythm constrain the
style of the language. It may be due to these ’redundancies’ that lyrics have not been
acknowledged as regular poetry in literary studies. Despite these limitations, there are
still various examples in which songwriters have incorporated highly complex lyrics - in
terms of language as well as of content - into their songs. Supporting this assertion,
Griffiths states that songs can, in fact, lose markers of lyric consistency and move closer
to more complex prose forms, like short stories (cf. 2003: 53-54). Various popular songs
contain such narrative elements, including some songs on David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs
album.
In the case of David Bowie, the narrative elements that are found in these songs are
based on the literary model of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, which served as
an inspiring example for the content of the song lyrics. A literary message - in this case
Orwell’s novel - can serve as the literary basis for the content of different forms of media.
A shift from one medium to another is defined as intermediality. This kind of “migration” -
as it is called by Pennacchia Punzi - of literary themes and concepts into other media is
particularly common in literature, as, for instance, when a script is turned into a film.
Intermedial transposition from literature to song lyrics is perhaps not the most common,
but nevertheless there are a variety of forms and topics of interest relating to this
phenomenon (cf. Pennacchia Punzi 2007: 9-15). Wikipedia, in fact, dedicates an entire
website to songs that retell works of literature, on which several hundred of such
examples of intermedial shifts are listed alphabetically. Apart from the songs that use
Taking to an extreme, David Bowie considered his lyrics to be public property regarding any kind of 1
interpretation, once he had finished writing them. He was of the opinion that it was not the artist’s job to imply the meaning of his songs, but rather the listener’s (cf. Johnson 2015: 2-3).
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Nineteen Eighty-Four as a literary basis, various popular song lyrics have taken their
inspiration from literary classics. To name only a few examples, poetry that provides the
basis for song lyrics is, for instance, found in songs by the band Bastille: the song “Poet“
was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 and the song "Weight of Living, Pt. I"
was based on Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of The Ancient Mariner. Regarding
drama, for instance, Shakespeare’s works served as inspiration for the song “Juliet” by
Emilie Autumn, who based it on the play Romeo and Juliet, while the song “Sigh no
More“ by the band Mumford and Sons derives from Shakespeare's Much Ado About
Nothing. An example of lyrics derived from prose would be, for example, the song
“Wuthering Heights“ by Kate Bush, which is based on Emily Brontë’s novel of the same
name, or Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, which quotes Lewis Carroll’s Alice in
Wonderland (cf. List of songs that retell a work of literature). A further well-known and
highly popular example of the adaption of literature to songs is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s
musical Cats. Its song lyrics are based on T.S. Eliot’s collection of poems Old Possum's
Book of Practical Cats and other unpublished drafts by the author (cf. Old Possum's
Book of Practical Cats).
It can be said that drawing on themes and ideas from literary works have, in fact,
become common practice for the creation of song lyrics. The reasons for why singers
and songwriters decide to take inspiration or draw text from literature can vary greatly,
however. The way the themes are implemented or quoted within the lyrics differs from
song to song. Regarding the realization of Orwell’s dystopian ideas in songs, it can be
said that all artists approach Nineteen Eighty-Four from slightly different points of view
and incorporate them into their songs for varying reasons. The following chapters focus
on the use of Nineteen Eighty-Four based lyrics in songs. In order to introduce Orwell's
novel, chapter 3 is dedicated to the author and the themes and concepts of Nineteen
Eighty-Four, before taking a look at the representation of the content of his dystopian
novel in song lyrics in chapters 4, 5, and 6.
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3. GEORGE ORWELL’S NOVEL NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is an outstanding piece of dystopian fiction. It
portrays the life of the protagonist Winston Smith within a brutal totalitarian society, led
by Big Brother and the Inner Party. As a piece of anti-utopian fiction, the novel takes one
more step beyond known reality and presents the reader with some highly negative
predictions: Nineteen Eighty-Four describes an unlikely pessimistic future scenario as if it
were possible to become reality. That is why in the years after its publication, the
dystopia was read as a warning to upcoming generations. The nightmarish visions
portrayed in the novel are partly based on Orwell’s and his generation’s experience with
totalitarian regimes. In fact, critics have pointed out the close connection between
Orwell’s biography and the fictional narrative. It has been said that the novel’s pessimistic
predictions about the future can be attributed to Orwell’s ill health and consequent
introversion during the time the novel was written (cf. Howe 1983: 6-8; Lowenthal 1983:
209-210; Lea 2001: 78). In terms of content, Nineteen Eighty-Four tells the story of
Winston’s life under the totalitarian regimes that are taking over the world and controlling
its population. Totalitarianism and oppressive governments are consistently relevant
issues in politics, a fact that has made Orwell’s dystopian novel and its themes and ideas
both topical and relevant since it was released. The following subchapters present further
information on the novel and its general topics, with a special focus on the alteration of
history and memory, aspects of surveillance and punishment, and the idea of love as a
means of resistance. In addition, subchapter 3.3 focuses on the novel’s timelessness
and its resulting influence on various forms of media.
3.1. Publication, Contents, and Reception
Orwell came up with the idea for Nineteen Eighty-Four at the beginning of WWII in
Europe in 1938/39, a time when various totalitarian powers were shaping the political
landscape, and many people were embracing the ideologies they propagated (cf. Howe
1983: 3). At the end of the war, Orwell, whose birth name was Eric Arthur Blair, lived in
London, where he worked as a journalist and publicist, among other things. When he
became terminally ill, Orwell moved to the Island of Jura on the western coast of
Scotland in order to isolate himself and to finally write Nineteen Eighty-Four. The novel
was released in 1949, only months before the author passed away. Orwell was a
socialist, democrat, egalitarian, and humanist who wanted to make his readers aware of
the ills of contemporary politics and economics. Seeing himself a political writer, his aim
was to popularize this genre. In fact, Rodden considers Orwell to be the most influential
and political author of the 20th century (cf. 2003: 64).
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As mentioned above, Orwell’s biography influenced the contents of his novel: on the one
hand, Orwell was highly afraid of the breakdown of the welfare state and its respectable
government due to totalitarianism in the aftermath of WWII. Taking his ideas partly from
his perception of Stalinism and Nazism, Orwell created his own vision of totalitarianism.
In addition, the time Orwell spent based in imperial Burma also influenced his perception
of suppressed majorities and oppressive governments (cf. Lee 1969: 128; Crick 1982:
15-28; Avishai 1983: 58). As dystopian fiction about totalitarianism had become popular
in the 1930s, one can suppose that Orwell was also partly inspired by his literary
predecessors. Rose points out that the works of Olaf Stapledon in particular - “Last and
First Men” (1930), “Last Men in London” (1932), and “Darkness and the Light” (1942) - as
well as Yevgeny Zamyatin’s “We” (1921), were major sources of influence for Orwell. 2
The fact that Nineteen Eighty-Four was previously intended to be titled The Last Man in
Europe supports the assumption that the novel contains textual echoes of Stapledon’s
dystopian literature (cf. Rose 1992: 93-97).
Miller (1983: 21-22) describes the novel as “a work that perceives the nightfall of an evil
history through the mind of its last subject, who struggles to regain his consciousness
[…]: a work, in short, that deliberately evokes that state of perfect nightmare.” Essentially,
the novel’s story line follows the life of the protagonist Winston Smith , the so-called “last 3
subject”, a single, middle-aged man who stands out of the anonymous crowd as he
begins to question the system. Following the story line, “the entire book merely portrays
successive alterations in Winston Smith’s consciousness,” documenting his encounters,
thoughts, and beliefs (Lee 1969: 129). The society Winston lives in is ruled and
controlled by the god-like leader Big Brother and the Inner Party, an elitist group which
essentially pulls the strings behind the political machinery. This machinery is divided into
the Ministry of Truth, engaged in altering the truth and modifying collective memory
according to the needs of the Party; the Ministry of Plenty, which deals with issues of
controlling the economy; and the Ministry of Love, which punishes people who have
crossed the Party line. Winston works for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to rewrite the
history of Oceania as the military conflicts and political relationships with the two other
remaining nations, Eurasia and Eastasia, are permanently changing. Oceania is always
at war and the inhabitants are kept in everlasting fear of being attacked - a fear which is
deliberately triggered by the Ministry of Truth as a means of control and tyranny. In
addition to the external threat, the Inner Party and the Thought Police have the people of
Orwell was fascinated by Zamyatin’s novel “We“, since it featured a dystopian society that was filled with various 2
horrors. Similar to Nineteen Eighty-Four, Zamyatin’s book depicts a secret love affair which is mixed up with the protagonist’s participation in the underground resistance (cf. Deutscher 1954: 120-123).
The protagonist’s name serves two effects: Firstly, Smith is the most common English surname, classifying the 3
protagonist as an everyman. Secondly, the name Winston could be an allusion to Winston Churchill who was a salient personality in English foreign affairs during WWII, comparable to how Winston Smith is atypical and outstanding in the society of Oceania (cf. Lee 1969: 136-137).
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Oceania under constant surveillance with the help of telescreens, bugs, and
microphones. This helps them catch those who, for instance, commit Thoughtcrime -
speaking ill about or questioning Big Brother - or Sexcrime - having sexual relations for
pleasure. The main aim of the Party is to create a submissive, homogenous society,
deeply devoted to Big Brother as well as trained to spy and tell on each other.
As an act of resistance, Winston starts writing down his illegal thoughts in his diary: he
questions why constant scrutiny, brutality, and fear seem to be necessary in the daily life
of Oceania. Steinhoff states that Winston interestingly voices similar worries as Orwell
did in his own diary during WWII (cf. 1975: 150). Over the course of the novel, Winston
falls in love with Julia, who, in his opinion, embodies everything that is illicit in Oceania.
She constantly commits Sexcrime - sometimes even with Party members - and she is
able to get hold of forbidden goods, like chocolate and coffee. In order to keep their
romance secret, Winston and Julia meet in hiding places, such as a clearing in the
woods or the room above the junk shop where Winston bought his diary, to privately
enjoy their sexual relationship and to rebel against Big Brother. Being taken with the idea
of resistance and craving a better life, Winston wants to join the Brotherhood, an
underground organization that is trying to overthrow the Inner Party and Big Brother. The
protagonist is certain that O’Brien, one of the heads of the Ministry of Truth, is a member
of the Brotherhood and contacts him, willing to join. After entering the secret
organization, Winston and Julia receive the book The Theory on Practice of Oligarchical
Collectivism written by the system’s only public enemy Emmanuel Goldstein. The book
explains how the political mechanisms behind Big Brother essentially work, but the
question of why politics in Oceania need to be so restrictive is not answered. One day,
while Winston is reading Goldstein’s book, the Thought Police enter the lovers’ hiding
place above the shop and take them to the torture rooms at the Ministry of Love. Winston
realizes that both this hiding place and the Brotherhood were traps. Additionally, he
learns that he has been closely surveilled for years, and that the Party is aware of all of
his illicit thoughts and deeds. O’Brien, the person he trusted most, reveals himself to be a
key member of the Inner Party and the torturer who tantalizes and brainwashes Winston
to the point that he is mentally and physically broken. The last chapter of the novel
depicts a submissive Winston Smith who has completely adjusted to the system and
who, without hesitation, has changed from hating to loving Big Brother (cf. Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four).
When it was first published in 1949, Nineteen Eighty-Four had an enormous impact on its
readership as it represented a world that was still vivid in peoples’ memories. To those
living at the time of totalitarianism during WWII, the themes covered in the novel were an
intimate description of their own experiences, and Orwell’s dystopia was, therefore, a
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nerve-wracking read. According to Howe (1983: 5), “[i]t was to Orwell’s credit that he
understood how the imagination flourishes when it is grounded in common reality,” and
Steinhoff (1975: 166) points to the fact that “history is rewritten“ in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Decades after its publication, the novel still raises questions and concerns about whether
society could actually morph into something similar to the nightmarish predictions
presented in Orwell’s novel. Miller (1983:19) points out that as time goes by “the year
1984 loses that sinister futurity which Orwell projected onto it, [and] we find that the novel
cannot stand out as it once did, that it can no longer be described in shocked
superlatives.” Just before the actual year 1984, Nineteen Eighty-Four became a
bestseller once again, 35 years after its first publication (cf. Rodden 2003: 62-63). But as
the year came and went, the novelty and futuristic value of Nineteen Eighty-Four
disappeared, and Lea (2001: 175) wonders if “[p]erhaps 1985 was not the best thing to
happen to Orwell after all.“ Nineteen Eighty-Four has not become irrelevant in the new
millennium, though it can no longer be read as a prophecy of what might happen (cf.
Rodden 2003: 65). Because the content of the novel is connected to the politics of the
fascist and socialist regimes of WWII, to life during the Cold War, and to circumstances
that prevail under totalitarian regimes in general, the political topicality and importance of
Orwell’s novel have been sustained since its publication.
3.2. George Orwell and his Dystopian Society
Long before he began writing Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell “believed that faith in
objective reality and faith in the possibility of writing truthful history are closely related,
that memory is an essential part of the self, […] and that there can be no inner freedom
for human beings living in isolation,” Steinhoff (1975: 180) states, already pointing toward
the major issues that Orwell’s novel criticizes. Deutscher (1954: 131) notes that “Orwell
saw totalitarianism as bringing history to a standstill,” a thought which is also elaborated
in detail in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In order to create his own concept of totalitarianism,
Orwell incorporated various themes, topics, and ideas into Nineteen Eighty-Four that
predicted a nightmarish vision of society. According to Greenblatt (1965: 112), the
desperate and pessimistic mood of the novel could “be the result of Orwell’s conclusion
that he had explored all the so-called solutions to man’s misery and found nothing but
lies. The whole world […] is steadily moving toward a vast and ruthless tyranny” was the
author’s opinion on society during and after WWII. In contrast to real totalitarian regimes,
Orwell did not implement a distinct tyrannical leader figure in his novel. He presents the
reader with Big Brother, the anonymous and imagined leader of Oceania. However,
political permanence is not upheld through Big Brother but rather through the Inner
Party’s strong influence on society (cf. Lowenthal 1983: 210). The irrefutable power of
the Party is displayed by the first line of the novel, which states that “[i]t was a cold day in
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April, and the clocks were striking thirteen“ (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 7). This
quotation shows the way in which the Party has even overruled nature and time. The
scenery of the novel is generally referred to as bewildering and confusing, as a place that
is only half familiar (cf. Miller 1983: 23). Greenblatt notes that the setting of Nineteen
Eighty-Four might represent Orwell’s perception of London during WWII in 1944 (cf.
1965: 112). The author aims to represent an exaggeration of reality, which serves as both
a satire of current WWII and Cold War politics as well as a warning about the future. Lee
(1969: 134) points out that unfortunately “[w]e do not see its [the dystopian society’s]
development; we get little indications of how such a society came to be,” which makes it
difficult to avoid such a scenario in the future.
Having outlined the general ideas behind the creation of Orwell’s totalitarian and
dystopian world of Nineteen Eighty-Four, the following subchapters focus on the
individual themes and topics that generate Orwell’s nightmarish images of the future. The
aspects of Nineteen Eighty-Four, which are, to some extent, always relevant include
those of collective memory and common language, power and its maintenance, and
sexuality as an act of resistance. These themes have become relevant for use in other
media, like, for instance, journalism, and are highlighted in this chapter because they are
relevant for the analysis of the Nineteen Eighty-Four based song lyrics.
3.2.1. The Alteration of Collective Memory and of the Common Language
In the society presented in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, collective memory is
constantly being altered by the Ministry of Truth because political relations, and therefore
also the truth, are constantly in flux. Avishai notes that, in totalitarianism, the concept of
an objective truth must be eliminated as long it can harm the ideology (cf. 1983: 65). A
subjective truth is implemented by a higher authority to secure the Party’s claim to the
absolute truth. This subjective truth eventually becomes the objective truth once it is
accepted by every member of the society, a fact which is misused by the Inner Party to a
large extent. Due to the resulting standstill of political and social development, the past,
the present, and the future are no longer distinguishable in Oceania (cf. Miller 1983: 41).
Eliminating memory and truthful history also serves the effect of abolishing arguments
against the Party because there are no past examples of alternative ways of life (cf.
Steinhoff 1975: 170). Scrutinizing the past, Winston actively searches for the such
alternatives to a society ruled by Big Brother. As Howe puts it, Winston desperately tries
to remember minor things, like how his mother caressed him as a child or how a simple
poem was phrased (cf. 1983: 17). Nonetheless, due to the implementation of the Party’s
subjective truths, his personal memories are no longer accessible. The telescreens are
one medium used by the Party to effectively spread subjective truths among the people.
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Installed in every household, they constantly (mis-)inform the inhabitants. The so-called
Two Minutes Hate fills the screens with sadistic images of the enemies and creates
feelings of fear and hate in its viewers. An additional aim of the telescreens is to replace
social interaction generates disconnectedness among the people entirely eliminates
social life in Oceania (cf. Avishai 1983: 67-68).
In addition to the alteration of collective memory, a new language has been implemented
as a means of political manipulation. Orwell strongly believed that for a society to be
functional and stable, the clarity of language and the ability to use an unlimited variety of
words was of the utmost importance (cf. Lea 2001: 142). According to Avishai, political
freedom and opposition need a language which allows its users to articulate the
concepts behind these two key issues of a self-determined life (cf. 1983: 63). Newspeak,
the language of Oceania, does not meet these requirements. Miller (1983: 29) defines
Newspeak as a “radical abridgment of English,” as the language is reduced to its limits.
For instance, only six words cover the concepts of good and bad. In The Principles of
Newspeak Orwell (Nineteen Eighty-Four: 257-258) states that the “vocabulary was so
constructed as to give exact […] expression to every meaning […], while excluding all
other meanings […]. This was done partly by the invention of new words, but chiefly by
eliminating undesirable words and by stripping such words as remained of unorthodox
[and| secondary meanings.” In the totalitarian society of Nineteen Eighty-Four, language
and words are designed to serve functional purposes only (cf. Lea 2001: 137). According
to Steinhoff, Orwell’s invention of Newspeak was a protest against the devaluation of the
English language to a means of propaganda during WWII. This protest is based on
Orwell’s career as a journalist and the fact that he always understood the power of
language as a medium for political manipulation (cf. Steinhoff 1975: 167-169). Since, in
the society of Nineteen Eighty-Four, every means of uttering one’s personal opinion has
been eliminated by the implementation of Newspeak, it can be said that Orwell’s novel is
a depiction of how totalitarian regimes silence their political opponents in order to
maintain their power. One of the concepts connected to Newspeak is Doublethink, a
means of reality control which attempts to neutralize and eliminate any opportunity to
utter personal opinions, thoughts, or divergences from the norm. Reality control and the
concomitant implementation of an ideology are common political weapons in totalitarian
regimes. Steinhoff points out that a concept like Doublethink supports the attempts of
totalitarian nations to demand the inhabitants’ persistent loyalty to the leader. In Oceania,
Doublethink forces the inhabitants to maintain their obsession with Big Brother (cf. 1975:
163-166)
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3.2.2. Aspects of Power, Control, and Torture
In his novel, Orwell envisaged that by the year 1984, the world would be ruled over by
the three totalitarian powers: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. These nations would
ensure their survival by permanently fighting wars against one another and by constantly
controlling their inhabitants’ minds (cf. Lowenthal 1983: 210). Miller (1983: 42) elaborates
the means used for control and explains that “Oceania does not approach a state of rest,
it is explosive, noisy frantic, hectic […]: bombardments, torture, daily bouts of managed
hate, sudden ’bulletins’, wild parades, unceasing panic, […] war rallies, and so on” are
used to put the inhabitants in a state of constant fear. Fear is one of the major means of
keeping the inhabitants of Oceania down. What is more, Deutscher (1954: 124) refers to
aspects of controlled economy and states that “[i]n Oceania technological development
has reached so high a level that society could well satisfy all its material needs and
establish quality in its midst. But inequality and poverty are maintained in order to keep
Big Brother in power.” Additionally, the Party relies heavily on mind control, distorting the
collective memory and the objective truth to secure their power. Telescreens serve as the
main medium of manipulation as they permanently present the watchers with a distorted
reality. Additionally, the built-in cameras and microphones are used to constantly
scrutinize the inhabitants of Oceania (cf. Lea 2001: 159). What is more, by their
upbringing, children are educated to keep a careful eye on their fellow beings - especially
on their parents - and to report their crimes to the Thought Police. “Big Brother no longer
needs to control his citizens because they have become their own most effective
monitors,” points out Lea (2001: 165).
Whenever inhabitants of Oceania commit a crime, they are sent to the Ministry of Love
where from they usually never return to their previous lives. Winston assumes that these
people are killed or “vaporized“, as it is called in Nineteen Eighty-Four (cf. Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four: 21). After his capture, though, Winston realizes that the
punishment at the Ministry of Love mostly aims at torturing people to the point that they
give in to the Party’s overruling power. In the beginning, Winston is still optimistic that his
will is strong enough, as he “tells O’Brien that he, a ’superior’ man, and more generally
the ’spirit of Man’, will defeat O’Brien and what he represents” (Lee 1969: 144). Avishai
(1983: 71) notes that O’Brien is a fraud since he “knows the arguments against the Party
and [therefore] loves its power all the more“. O’Brien’s explanation, that “the Party seeks
power entirely for its own sake. We are not interested in the good of others; we are
interested in solely power,” is not at all satisfactory to the reader (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-
Four: 227). In Goldstein’s book on the political structures of Oceania, the explanation for
why the Party seeks power is as unsatisfactory as O’Brien’s because the book was in
fact written by the Thought Police (cf. Greenblatt 1965: 114-115). Since the question of
‘why?’ is never sufficiently answered in the novel, Steinhoff assumes that Orwell was
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perhaps of the simple opinion that people are just keen on having power over others in
general without any distinct reason (cf. 1975: 208). Be that as it may, the fact that Orwell
has O’Brien speak very openly and cynically about the use of power in Oceania was a
progressive step by the author so soon after WWII (cf. Howe 1983: 12-13).
In Winston’s case, the torture he experiences aims at reducing him to a minimum of a
human being, so that the Party can build him up again as a model citizen that devotedly
follows their ideology (cf. Steinhoff 1975: 210-211). O’Brien clearly explains to Winston
that “[n]ever again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead
inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living […]. You
will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty, and then we shall fill you with
ourselves” (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 220). The act of filling Winston with themselves
refers to brainwashing him and to finally turning him into an obedient and devoted citizen.
In order to kill Winston’s fighting spirit, the ultimate threat is applied to him. In Room 101,
the prisoners encounter what they are most afraid of, which is, in Winston’s case, rats.
Lea (2001: 135) explains that “the threat of Room 101 is designed to inflict such a
significant trauma on his [Winston’s] consciousness that he cannot possibly conceive of
his prior life,” and points out that Winston is too traumatized afterwards to be resistant
again.
3.2.3. Sexuality and Resistance
Sexuality is a key political issue in Nineteen Eighty-Four, and sexual deprivation another
means to control society. Personal freedom and autonomous decisions are issues
people generally want to protect even under the most severe of circumstances, which is
why sex is used as an act of rebellion against Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Hoffman Baruch notes that, in (anti-)utopian worlds, sexual freedom and individuality
usually go hand in hand with separation from authoritative leaders. The example of
restricted sexuality essentially shows how deeply the Inner Party is involved in the
inhabitants’ personal lives as they attempt to eliminate all opportunities for intimate
relations (cf. Hoffman Baruch 1983: 51-53; Howe 1983: 9). Miller explains the
governmental instalment of sexual restrictions in Oceania and points out that over the
time the inhabitants have become entirely indifferent towards each other’s bodies and
towards the act of sexual pleasure itself. Sexual intercourse is only possible and wanted
if the Party allows a couple to have a baby (cf. Miller 1983: 31).
With regard to the political use of sexual restrictions, Howe (1983: 9) explains that the
inhabitants’ unsatisfied “[s]exual energy is to be transformed into political violence and
personal hysteria,” which means that this energy additionally stirs panic and fear
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amongst the population. Julia’s main heresy is Sexcrime - unlike Winston, whose crimes
are also of a political nature. Greenblatt (1965: 115) states that “[s]ex […] represents a
threat to the state, because it is essentially private, isolated, uncontrollable,” which is why
the act of Sexcrime is punished severely. Winston’s briefly recurring ecstasy from his
love affair with Julia is an additional act of defiance, as it utterly opposes the rules of the
Party. The libido and the animalistic instinct that awaken within Winston serve as a
means of liberation and, once more, support his resistant intentions (cf. Miller 1983:
33-34). Winston clearly describes that act of resistance through sexuality: “[Y]ou could
not have pure love or pure lust nowadays. No emotion was pure, because everything
was mixed up with fear and hatred. Their [Winston’s and Julia’s] embrace had been a
battle, the climax a victory. It was a blow struck against the Party. It was a political
act” (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 112). Apart from the act of making love, descriptions
of emotional love among the people of Oceania are scarcely found in the novel. It can be
said that all the inhabitants’ love - as long as they are still able to feel it - is solely and
devotedly directed at Big Brother and his ideology. The inhabitants’ devotion is especially
important to the Party because if the leader is doubtlessly worshipped and loved like a
god, he will not be called into question. As a matter of fact, the Party spreads the myth of
the “saviour-tyrant” Big Brother, who would do anything for his people, as long as they
are faithful (Greenblatt 1965: 113).
In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston’s personal resistance is not only expressed through his
secret love affair with Julia but also through his illicit thoughts, which he writes down in
his journal, and through his entry into the Brotherhood. Winston knows that he is solely a
drop in the ocean and a successful revolution can only be carried out by a larger mass.
In his journal, he notes that if “there is hope [for resistance] it lies in the proles“ (Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four: 64). The so-called proles are similar to the working class of a
society, the proletarians, and they make up about 85% of the population of Oceania. This
large majority is suppressed by the members of the oligarchically-ruling Inner Party and
is deprived of the opportunity to rebel against its oppressors (cf. Greenblatt 1965: 113).
The entire system in Oceania is designed to ensure the fact that nothing makes a
difference. It does not matter whether you step up for your rights or not. At his own
expense, Winston learns that nothing will ever bring about change to the society he lives
in (cf. Miller 1983: 28).
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3.3. The Topicality of Nineteen Eighty-Four in Culture and Society
Lee says that Nineteen Eighty-Four can neither be directly connected to nor is it shaped
by current history or politics. In his opinion, “the evidence presented in the book is a
product of all-too-mutable history” (1969: 134). But, not only does Nineteen Eighty-Four
allude to the events that took place just before its publication, it has also provably shaped
and still shapes the political world decades after its release. Deutscher (1983: 119) points
out that “[f]ew novels written in this [early post-war] generation have obtained popularity
as great as that of George Orwell’s 1984. Few, if any, have made a similar impact on
politics,” especially on the politics of the Cold War. Furthermore, Deutscher states that
“[t]he title of Orwell’s book is a political by-word. The terms coined by him […] have
entered the political vocabulary; they occur in most newspaper articles denouncing
Russia and communism” (1983: 119). Deutscher points out a circumstance which Orwell
was afraid might happen: in order to counter those who would misuse his novel for
political reasons, Orwell wrote a clarification which states:
My novel […] is not intended as an attack on socialism […] but as a show-up of the
perversions to which a centralized economy is liable, and which have already been partly
realized in Communism and fascism. I do not believe that the kind of society I describe
will arrive but I believe (allowing, of course, for the fact that the book is a satire) that
something resembling could arrive. […] The scene of the book is laid in Britain in order to
emphasize […] that totalitarianism, if not fought against, could triumph anywhere. (Orwell
in July 1949 in a Letter to the Editor to the Life magazine, qtd. in Steinhoff 1975: 198-199)
During the Cold War Nineteen Eighty-Four was used as an ideological weapon against
Communism and Collectivism by the Western World and became an important
instrument of political propaganda. It needs to be said that, with regard to Nineteen
Eighty-Four, different interpretations from various focal points are possible and that these
diverging readings have been misused for political interests. Contrary to a western
reading, the Soviet point of view sees Oceania as a controlled US-American society,
under the constant surveillance of the FBI and its head J. Edgar Hoover. Both sides, East
and West, have essentially made use of the same arguments, criticizing each other by
arguing that their opponent’s politics and society are the true representatives of the world
presented in Nineteen Eighty-Four (cf. Steinhoff 1975: 186).
Rodden states that the political landscape has changed dramatically since the year 1984:
the Cold War has ended, the Berlin Wall has fallen, and the Soviet Union has collapsed.
The bipolar world order as such no longer exists and, therefore, the anti-communist
ideology of the Western world has faded (cf. 2003: 65). But the Cold War era was not the
only time during which the topics of Nineteen Eighty-Four were politically relevant.
Totalitarianism, tyranny, and oligarchy have not gone extinct. Various totalitarian and
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military regimes are still in power in various countries around the world, and surveillance
and governmental control are daily companions, even in Western countries. According to
Lea (2001: 119), Orwell’s dystopia is timeless as its “representation of the totalitarian
state is persuasive and unsettling to such a degree that it has become lodged within the
cultural memory of the Western world and is consistently resurrected as a metaphor for
repressive state governance.” The terms ’Orwell’ and ’Orwellian’ in connection with
political and social issues have become synonyms for governmental control over
inhabitants, for personal repression, and for a lack of personal freedom (cf. Lea 2001:
176). The year 2003 - in which Orwell would have been 100 years old - brought about
new discussions about his dystopian visions and ideas. Rodden (2003: 62) points out
that “commentators on the war on terrorism [have found] increasing and urgent reason to
evoke his dystopian vision” once more. The constant War on Terror and the fear of an
unpredictable enemy have changed politics over the world tremendously. In the
aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center in September 2001, US and
European governments began to put their citizens under surveillance and to collect their
data, ostensibly as a means of fighting terrorism. McGrath (2004: 19-20) mentions the
“extraordinary degree to which the average citizen in Western society is documented by
government and commercial data banks, and the […] phone and email monitoring
systems“ which serve aims similar to the telescreens in Oceania.
The relevance of Orwell’s oeuvre in the 20th and 21st century is “an indication of [its]
enduring values […] and of their ability to reflect the changing conditions of political
anxiety even in the post-Soviet world.” Lea adds that despite its “historical specificity,” the
novel contemplates “the broader nature of power itself, and, in particular explore[s] the
potential for corruption by power that Orwell saw to be at the heart of humankind” and
which would never become extinct (2001: 9). The topics found in Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty-Four are always relevant because they essentially deal with the dangers of a
controlled and exploited society. Due to the fact that the novel has not lost its topicality,
various forms of media have adapted its themes, topics, and ideas, and have
incorporated them into film, TV series, and songs.
3.3.1. Nineteen Eighty-Four in (Popular) Media
Since the themes of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four are timeless, they have been revived
in other forms of media. Miller (1983: 20) nicely sums up that the novel “has become a
standard text in colleges and high schools, it is invoked and quoted endlessly in other
books, in movies and on television, its eerie coinages have […] been entirely integrated
into the common speech of journalism.” Howe points toward the fact that concepts like
Newspeak, Big Brother, the Two Minutes Hate, and the Ministry of Love, have all entered
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people’s consciousness and evidently shaped society (cf. 1983: 7). Lea adds that this
circumstance “is indicative of the degree to which Orwell’s work has outgrown its author
and has mutated to reflect upon changes in society” (2001: 177). Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty-Four has been adapted to a variety of other media because the themes are
widespread within society. The following summary of examples of Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty-Four in popular media aims to highlight the fact that the novel and its contents
have been of constant interest since its publication in 1949.
The treatment of Nineteen Eighty-Four in films has brought Orwell’s novel to new fame.
The first TV adaption was broadcast by the BBC in 1954. Without warning, leaving its
watchers unprepared for the horrors that were about to be shown, this movie displayed
the topics of Nineteen Eighty-Four in the raw. The TV play was a scandal but,
nevertheless, boosted book sales to 19,000 copies a week after its first screening. In
1956, a US version of the film was released, but it included many new adaptions of and
deviations from the contents of the book. The main focus of this film was on the two
lovers and how they heroically died together in a hail of bullets at the very moment
Winston defiantly proclaims the downfall of Big Brother. In 1984, interest in Orwell and
his novel revived: a large amount of documentaries on the topic as well as on Orwell’s
biography and his impact on the post-war culture were released. In addition, another
movie named “1984” was produced, which actually tried to replicate the outline of the 4
pessimistic future that is described in the novel. The movie primarily focused on
totalitarian systems and their psychological impact on Oceania’s inhabitants. In Lea’s
opinion, the film might have reflected the contemporary political landscape in Britain.
When the film was released, Britain was being governed with an iron fist by Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, the country and its industries were degenerated, and the
inhabitants of the UK were in a state of shock. Later movies that appeared on the market
were not directly based on the novel but took to some extent their inspiration from
Orwell’s dystopia. Kubrick’s interpretation of A Clockwork Orange (1962), Bladerunner
(1982), The Running Man (1987), Robocop (1987), The Truman Show (1998), and
Enemy of the State (1998), are all examples of modern, cinematic realizations which
make use of Orwell’s ideas (cf. Lea 2001: 177-190).
Phrases and concepts from Nineteen Eighty-Four have also been used in reality TV
series. The most prominent example - and perhaps also the most notorious - is the
reality TV show Big Brother, in which volunteers are locked in a house and constantly
monitored by cameras. The viewer thus takes over the role of Big Brother, as they
voyeuristically follow every step the contestants take. Our fascination with the private
The soundtrack to this movie adaption of Nineteen Eighty-Four has been produced by the band Eurythmics. It is 4
briefly elaborated on these song lyrics in chapter 6.3.
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lives of others has made and still makes the show successful all over the world. The
violation of privacy has been the main point of criticism regarding Big Brother. Another
TV show, Room 101, confronts celebrities with their deepest fears by sending them into a
locked room containing their personal hate object. The similarity to Room 101 in the
Ministry of Love is obvious (cf. Lea 2001: 191).
In addition to film, television, and various genres in writing, Nineteen Eighty-Four has
also served as the basis for different musical adaptions. Due to its contemporary topics
and the many similarities between the fictional and real society and politics, it was
decided to use Orwell’s dystopia as a literary basis for an opera in 2005. Concerning the
topicality and the warning nature of the novel, the conductor and composer points out
that “a creeping 1984-ism” is, in fact, “the theme of today” (Premiere for opera of Orwell’s
1984). Not only in classical but also in popular music, many artists and songwriter have
dared to base their lyrics on the themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The following chapters
elaborate on and examine song lyrics that have found their inspiration in Orwell’s
dystopian novel. As a matter of fact, a wide range of UK and US musicians have included
aspects, themes, and references to Nineteen Eighty-Four in their songs. Without a doubt,
the two musicians or music groups who stand out the most in this regard are David
Bowie and Muse. The following chapters attempt to answer the questions of to what
extent these musicians took their inspiration from Nineteen Eighty-Four, how and why
they have incorporated ideas from the novel into their songs, and how those references
to the book might influence possible readings and interpretations of the individual songs. 5
The lyrics to all of the songs that are interpreted and analyzed in the course of the following chapters can be 5
found in the appendix of this diploma thesis (8.3. Appendix: Song Lyrics). In addition, those songs analyzed in-depth are also included at the beginning of the respective subchapters.
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4. “WE WANT YOU BIG BROTHER": BOWIE’S HANDLING OF NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR
Scholars of literature are immensely drawn to song lyrics written by David Bowie
because many of his lyrics resemble fictional narratives and tell whole stories over the
course of the song. Another feature of Bowie’s songs that has caught critics’ attention is
the creation of song lyrics by using a special cut-up technique followed by a
rearrangement of its original lyrics. More precisely, this technique is carried out by writing
down lyrics on a sheet of paper, literally cutting them up, and then rearranging the
phrases and words into a new song. As a result, the songs are not entirely cohesive and
coherent but special in their characteristics. (cf. Ali/Wallace 2015: 263-267). Indeed,
David Bowie’s work is remarkably diverse. In terms of his inspiration, he is known to
have borrowed ideas from other forms of media and from various other artists. Even
though Bowie once stated in an interview that literature would never be a source of
inspiration for him, he is said to have based many of his ideas for songs, amongst others,
on Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and, of course,
George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen Eight-Four, a piece of literature which deeply
fascinated him (cf. Johnson 2015: 11-15; Copetas 1974).
4.1. David Bowie: Characteristics of his Career, Music, and Style
David Bowie was born in 1947 as David Robert Jones in the suburbs of London. The
young Bowie soon showed musical and artistic talent as he took up playing saxophone
and guitar and performed in various school bands as well as other music groups. When
his professional career finally started, he changed his name from David Jones to David
Bowie to make sure he would not to be confused with Davy Jones, the singer of the band
The Monkees. According to Perone, this name change was a symbolic act. Altering his
name foreboded Bowie’s changing attitude and his convertibility throughout his career,
making the singer a musical chameleon. More precisely, this means that Bowie
anticipated, adapted, but also shaped various different styles and trends throughout the
years (cf. Perone 2007: xi, 1). At the end of the 1960s, Bowie’s musical style resembled
that of sentimental song writers, his music was described as similar to the songs of song-
poet Bob Dylan. However, his first album Man of Words, Man of Music, released in 1969,
did not capture an audience. Bowie thought about quitting his musical career at once, but
with a new manager, a new band, and a new musical style, he finally had his
breakthrough: his next album The Man Who Sold The World, and especially the song
“Space Oddity“, which was released in 1969, finally made him popular and known to a
wider audience. At the same time, Bowie modified his appearance drastically: his hair
style and the way he dressed became colourful and conspicuous. In addition, Bowie
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announced his bisexuality and became the leader of a new androgynous youth culture. It
can be said that Bowie had a tremendous influence on the English youth culture of the
1970s, as the country itself was damaged and dull. The spirit of the 1960s had vanished
and British society had become repressive and conservative. With the help of his
diverse, sometimes offensive, but also sophisticated lyrics, David Bowie shook up the
UK. By 1972 David Bowie had become a star and an icon, but at the same time he
wanted to remain a bohemian, an outsider to society. In order to become such an alien to
the community Bowie invented various alter egos and personalities, one more glamorous
and artificial than the other. The first and most prominent of his alter egos was Ziggy
Stardust, the personification of an alien who came to earth in the form of a rock star (cf.
Carson 1992: 532-537; Elms 2012: 7-9).
In their article, Ali and Wallace (2015: 263) point toward the fact that “[p]articularly in the
1970s, Bowie presented himself on ever-shifting grounds, whether he played a fictional
character, claimed different sexual identities or declared the apocalypse, the beginning of
the end.” Declaring the apocalypse was the main issue of the album Diamond Dogs,
which was released in 1974. This album almost ruined the artist’s career, as topic-wise it
was too dark and disturbing, even for Bowie himself. In 1975 he modified his musical
style again, playing funky club music, changing his appearance to that of a rock dandy,
and releasing the hit album Young Americans. In the course of the 1970s and the early
1980s Bowie moved to L.A. and Berlin and collaborated with several other musicians.
Throughout his career, he released entertaining and pop influenced albums, like Station
to Station and Let’s Dance, but Bowie also returned to darker, more sophisticated
themes and produced, amongst others, the albums Lodger and Scary Monsters (cf.
Carson 1992: 532-537). David Bowie was an exceedingly active musician for more than
four decades. He recorded more than 25 albums of which two thirds achieved the status
of either gold or platinum. Bowie was a highly influential artist until his death in January
2016. He is still an inspiration to many contemporary musicians. Even though he
repeatedly changed his musical style and never followed a specific trend in music, Bowie
contributed to the concept of rock music, or at least to its paradigms (cf. Hollingshaus
2013: 93-94; David Bowie dies of cancer aged 69). Perone (2007: xii) goes into more
detail and states that Bowie made a “tremendous impact on rock music through his
combination of various rock styles with theater and narrative poetic style.”
David Bowie’s singles and albums tended to generate critical reactions. On the one
hand, Bowie raised issues concerning sexual orientation and androgyny. As mentioned
before, he became the leading figure of an unfolding androgynous youth culture (cf.
Perone 2007: xii). On the other hand, critics of Bowie pointed toward the fact that his
songs were lacking in political commentary. Since rock music has always been
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concerned with commenting on political issues and political change, Bowie’s
shortcomings with regard to these topics was seen as particularly blameworthy. 6
According to his critics, Bowie was politically inactive, but, in fact, he took part in political
events like the Live Aid concert in 1985. Speaking of Bowie and politics, Hollingshaus
(2013: 95) states “that although Bowie does not often give himself over to overt political
activities, the breadth and nature of his artistic work reveal that his work is in fact deeply
political.” According to Hollingshaus there is, at any time, a connection between politics,
aesthetics, and arts, which is why it seems legitimate to attribute a political agenda to
Bowie’s songs. Hollingshaus adds that the breadth of his work - referring to Bowie’s wide
spectrum of musical styles and the theatrical and artistic attempts in his music -
represents democracy as well as political sensibility. Another factor which, according to
Hollingshaus, invokes politics in the works of David Bowie is the singer’s attempt to
alienate himself. Positioning himself inside and outside society makes Bowie a
representative of political diversity and emancipation (cf. 2013: 94-96). In addition, Bowie
can be ascribed political sensibility regarding his perception of society. In many of his
songs, Bowie invented alternative scenarios for his own time, mostly visions of a doomed
mankind. He represented those scenarios in a highly imaginative way and wrote about
them as he seriously believed that they could possibly come to be (cf. Carson 1992:
535). The following chapter takes a look at the album Diamond Dogs, one of Bowie’s
darker and more foreboding pieces of work. In general terms, its content describes an
apocalyptic scenario and the decay of society - issues which definitely point towards
Bowie’s political sensibility and awareness. The themes of this album heavily draw on the
dystopian world of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.
4.2. Working on Nineteen Eighty-Four: From Musical to Album
The album Diamond Dogs is filled with songs that contain serious apocalyptic images,
expressed through pessimistic lyrics about decay, destruction, and a loss of individuality.
From his early years on, Bowie had been fascinated by the features of totalitarian
societies and the resulting decline of humanity. Some have claimed that Bowie was in
fact the first artist who brought monstrous and horrific aspects of humanity into the
cheerful world of pop culture (cf. Ali/Wallace 2015: 272; Elms 2012: 84). Before working
on Diamond Dogs, Bowie had been exploring new aspects of his (musical) life. He retired
his alter ego Ziggy Stardust and broke with all the musicians who had worked with him
on his previous projects. In the course of a tour, Bowie paid a visit to the communist
Soviet Union. The impressions he got there - the stern bureaucracy, the poverty, and the
Rock music and political issues were always closely connected: In the 1960s and 1970s rock music was linked 6
to the civil rights movement, followed by the 1980s and 1990s in which rock concerts promoted human rights programs in third-world countries (cf. Hollingshaus 2013: 94).
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oppression - stirred up Bowie’s panic and fear about what was going on in the world. In
addition, the Watergate Scandal, the Yom Kippur War, and an economic crisis in the UK,
stoked a repressive and dystopian atmosphere amongst people. Becoming more and
more intrigued with portraying the negative, Bowie turned to a project which was close to
his heart: he wanted to make a rock musical that re-enacted George Orwell’s Nineteen
Eighty-Four. In his opinion, this novel was the verbal re-creation of an oppressed
communist society. Having already started to work on his Nineteen Eighty-Four musical,
Bowie had difficulties acquiring the permission to work on the novel, as George Orwell’s
widow Sonia refused him the rights. As a result, Bowie had to change his project in the 7
midst of working on it. He found himself having written and collected song lyrics about
the totalitarian and dystopian themes of the novel, but did not know what to do with them
(cf. Perone 2007: 41; Buckley 2015; Dogget 2012: 195-197).
As a way out, Bowie decided to put these songs on his next album, Diamond Dogs. As a
way of matching the songs with the ones that were still to be written, Bowie envisaged
his own dystopian world, around which the album would revolve. Buckley (2015)
describes how Bowie “created his own future urban nightmare environment, Hunger City,
a sort of post-nuclear, technologically primitive hell populated by tribes of proto-punks
looting their way through the streets.” Incidentally, Elms points out that due to the
depiction of so-called “proto-punks” on the album, Diamond Dogs is considered to be the
prophetic vision of punk (cf. 2012: 85). Positioning the contents of the songs in a post-
nuclear, apocalyptic environment perfectly unites the themes of the novel Nineteen
Eighty-Four and the worries about a nuclear war followed by a humanitarian disaster.
Since the album was written and released during the Cold War Era, anxiety about what
might happen after a nuclear war was a daily reality. As mentioned above, Bowie himself
had trouble engaging with the gloomy topic of his dystopian concept album. Carson
(1992: 535) puts this problem as follows: “Bowie had seemingly become a prisoner of his
own momentum [his album]. In its unresolved combination of doom hysteria and frenetic
pandering, Diamond Dogs […] was over the top even for him.”
The album Diamond Dogs shows Bowie at his most creative. It is innovative, using a
theatrical or even cinematic approach to arrange the songs. His effort was rewarded with
34 weeks on the UK charts after its release in May 1974. The lyrics on Diamond Dogs
encapsulate what had been Bowie bothering at the time of writing. Topic-wise, it is
certainly audacious (cf. Buckley 2015). According to Perone, the album has no clear
focus, and many of the themes had already been covered by Bowie’s previous projects.
Perone especially criticizes the fact that Diamond Dogs, as a concept album or a song
In fact, Sonia Orwell turned down anyone who asked for permission to make use of Nineteen Eighty-Four as she 7
was highly protective of her husband’s legacy (cf. Dogget 2011: 197).
!22
cycle, jumps between its themes and subjects excessively. Indeed, the storyline of the
album is a bit incoherent for the reasons noted above. In addition, Bowie also used his
famous cut-up technique, which led to rather illogical cuts and fractured phrases in some
of the song lyrics of this album (cf. Perone 2007: 41-42; Buckley 2015). Analyzing
Bowie’s songs on Diamond Dogs, one has to keep in mind that we have no information
on how thoroughly he had planned out the scenario for his musical Nineteen Eighty-Four
in the first place. Some of the songs - amongst them “1984”, “We Are The Dead”, and
“Big Brother” - contain themes and quotations that are doubtlessly based on the novel.
Others, like “Rebel, Rebel” or “Future Legends”, cannot as easily be fit into the
framework of Orwell’s novel (cf. Dogget 2012: 197). But in fact, in forums on David Bowie
fan pages, people are eager to link almost all songs from Diamond Dogs to the novel.
Some of these interpretative attempts are discussed in the following chapters. In general,
the following subchapters analyze and interpret David Bowie’s songs from Diamond
Dogs, with a close look at the connections and references made to Nineteen Eight-Four.
4.3. “1984”: Bowie’s Introduction to his Dystopian World
Verse 1
Someday they will get you now you must agree
The times they are a telling
And the changing isn't free
You've read it in the tea leaves
and the tracks are on TV
Beware the savage lure of 1984
Verse 2
They'll split your pretty cranium
And fill it full of air
And tell you that you're eighty
But brother you won't care
You'll be shooting up on anything
tomorrow's never there
Beware the savage lure of 1984
Come see, come see remember me?
We played an all night movie role
You said it would last
But I guess we enrolled in 1984, 1984
Verse 3
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
Beware the savage lure of 1984
1984,…
Bowie’s song “1984” would have served as a perfect introduction to a Nineteen Eighty-
Four musical, for which it was probably intended in the first place (cf. Perone 2007: 45).
The song presents the contents of the Diamond Dogs album in a highly theatrical,
musical, and dramatic manner. As Buckley points out, the song “1984” is full of dark
predictions concerning the future of the world and of mankind (cf. 2015). Bowie utters a
warning, telling the audience to beware of what the future might bring, especially the year
1984. Since the album Diamond Dogs was written in 1974, it was then still possible to
wonder whether George Orwell had made correct prophecies concerning what the world
!23
would look like in 1984. This song, and essentially the entire album, plays with the fact
that the year 1984 was still 10 years ahead and - looking at the politically divided world at
that time - any future seemed possible.
The song “1984” consists of three verses, each describing a devastating future scenario.
In order to create narrative and formal coherence, Bowie relies heavily on internal
repetition. Most of the verses consist of partial end-rhyme schemes, like axayaz (verse
1), xayaza (verse 2 lines 1-7), and aaax (verse 3). Additionally, alliterations like, “and the
tracks are on TV” (verse 1 line 5), or, “But brother you won’t care” (verse 2 line 4);
assonance, “You’ve read it in the tea leaves” (verse 1 line 4); internal rhyme as well as
an epanalepsis, “Come see come see remember me?” (verse 2 line 9); and anaphoras
as, for instance, “I’m looking for” (verse 3 lines 1-3), can be found. The song fades out
repeating the year “1984” and the reiteration of the title once more supports the
introductory character of the song. The lyrics to the song “1984” are, in terms of content,
filled with allusions and metaphors referring to Orwell’s novel.
Verse 1 contains a general warning to the listener to beware of the year 1984 and the
changes that it might bring to society. These changes have already been predicted since
“The times they are a telling” (line 2), and someone has “read it in the tea leaves“ (line 4).
Additionally, in verse 3, the speaker refers to a “treason that I knew in ’65”, stating that
since 1965, it has been clear to the protagonist what horrors were bound to happen in
1984. Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to determine why Bowie is referring to the exact
year 1965; perhaps to create an assonance to lines 1 and 2, “ride - side - [five].“ On the
other hand, it might refer to the beginning of Bowie’s career in the mid 1960s. In any
case, this line once more underlines the warning aspect of the song, as it suggests that
almost 20 years earlier the treason of the year 1984 had already been known.
Leaving the accuracy of these predictions aside, it is a matter of fact that this “changing
[of society] isn’t free” (line 3), but installed by a higher authority, comparable to the
implementation of rules by Big Brother in Oceania or the mechanisms behind any
totalitarian system. The last line of verse 1, “Beware the savage lure of 1984”, is widely
discussed in literature because the message it conveys is at the core of the song.
Perone believes that this line contains a drastic warning, stating that the “savage lure”
refers to the dangers of totalitarianism (cf. 2007: 45). Similar to Perone, Dogget (2012:
199) wonders whether Bowie is “warning of the ‘savage jaw’ of 1984 - Big Brother’s
harsh words, perhaps, plus the image of a rabid, slobbering hound - or [of] the ‘savage
lure’, which enabled Big Brother to retain power.” Dogget highlights the fact that the term
!24
“savage lure / jaw” is a mondegreen, which means this lyrics tend to be misheard.
Whereas the official booklet of the album says “savage lure”, people argue that “savage
jaw” is the correct term (cf. Misheard Song Lyrics - David Bowie).
In addition to the warning about totalitarianism, Bowie provides listeners of the song with
detailed information about the punishments that are applied to those who act against the
system. In the first line of verse 1, “Someday they will get you“, already indicates the
possible dangers and describes how “they“, the Thought Police, are after the
troublemakers Winston and Julia. Verse 2 describes the act of brainwashing in the
torture rooms beneath the Ministry of Love. The lines, “They’ll split your pretty cranium /
And fill it full of air” (lines 1-2), followed by the implementation of a new memory, “And tell
you that you’re eighty” (line 3), demonstrate that Big Brother aims to break the will of its
subjects. Subsequently, the brainwashed prisoners will “be shooting up on anything” (line
5). The act of “shooting up” refers to drug use and its resulting, sometimes exciting
effects. Bowie references this dependence in relation to the brainwashed prisoners who
have no other memory or perspective they could believe in; this is why they are
ideologically fixated on Big Brother like on a drug. The pessimistic lines, “But brother you
won’t care” (line 4), and, “tomorrow’s never there” (line 6), point out that resistance is
futile, as it is impossible to escape one’s destiny in Oceania. Nevertheless, verse 3
describes the protagonist’s intention to resist the politically controlled system in Oceania.
The speaker states “I’m looking for a vehicle I’m looking for a ride / I’m looking for a party
I’m looking for a side” (lines 1-2), pointing out that he is looking for a way to escape and
for political alternatives to Big Brother that he can turn to.
What is more, Winston’s and Julia’s love affair is briefly mentioned in the song “1984”.
The question “Come see come see remember me?” (line 8) might be raised by either
Winston or Julia after having been released from the Ministry of Love, since the line
questions their ability to remember their romance. The following lines, “We played an all
night movie role / You said it would last” (line 9-10) could also serve as a reflection on
Winston’s and Julia’s relationship. These lines present Winston’s expectations
concerning their relationship, his illusion that their secret love affair would be movie-like,
exciting, and, most importantly, lasting. The last line, “But I guess we enrolled in 1984,”
destroys this illusion. Enrolling in 1984 sounds rather positive and voluntary, and stands
in contradiction to the actual force and political pressure that was put on inhabitants of
Oceania. In addition, these last lines show Bowie’s cynicism and the irony with which he
tackles the topic of the oppressive society of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
!25
In terms of music, “1984” has a fast and funky beat which, according to Pegg, compares
to a precursor of the disco movement of the 1980s (cf. 2011). Besides its happy tune,
Dogget (2012: 199) notes that there is a different key in the final verse of the song and
states that this shift in key is “perhaps meant to symbolize Winston Smith’s separation
from Big Brother’s society.” Not only the changing of key in verse 3, but also the fact that
the lyrics represent active resistance support Dogget’s theory. In addition, Dogget points
out that “1984” has great dramatic potential, referring to the tinkling sirens that can be
heard throughout the song (cf. 2012: 199). The wail of sirens once more highlights the
fact that the main aim of the song “1984” is to point out the horrors of totalitarianism and
the resulting doom of mankind at the same time as it serves as a warning about a
terrifying future seems bound to come about.
4.4. “Big Brother”: Praising the Dictator
Verse 1
Don't talk of dust and roses
Or should we powder our noses?
Don't talk of last years’ capers
Give me steel, give me steel
Give me pulsars unreal
Verse 2
He'll build a glass asylum
With just a hint of mayhem
He'll build a better whirlpool
We'll be living from sin
Then we can really begin
Bridge
Please saviour, saviour show us
Hear me, I'm graphically yours
Chorus
Someone to claim us - someone to follow
Someone to shame us - some brave Apollo
Someone to fool us - someone like you
We want you Big Brother - Big Brother
Pre-Chorus
I know you think you're awful square
But you made everyone and you've been
everywhere
Lord I think you'd overdose if you knew what's
going down
Repetition of Chorus
“Big Brother” is a song full of praise and devotion to the leader of Oceania. In fact, Big
Brother is directly addressed by the people, as the protagonist and singer of the song
identifies himself as a part of society. Perone (2007: 45) nicely sums up the contents of
the song, stating that “Bowie plays the role of a man who has been convinced that the
Big Brother character of 1984 is a saviour. It is a song of praise to the leader,” almost
anthem-like. The music of the song “Big Brother” is densely packed with trumpets,
strings, and drums, and its full sound and its tunefulness supports the ostensibly
optimistic and commending tone of the lyrics (cf. Buckley 2005: 186). Perone (2007: 45)
praises the song, stating that “Bowie’s melodic writing in the pleading and praising
sections goes beyond conventional pop song and moves squarely into the world of
contemporary musical theater.” Dogget (2011: 207) adds that Bowie’s “soaring vocal,
doubled by a voice an octave higher” represents being “on the edge of insanity“ or
!26
Bowie’s attempt present his “emotions within the restraints of Big Brother’s society.”
Indeed, “Big Brother” is outstanding with regard to its theatricality, which here is used in
excess. This exaggeration can be interpreted as a sign of cynicism and irony since the
total devotion to the leader is something that has been forced upon the people of
Oceania and is not a voluntary dependence.
The song “Big Brother” consists of two verses, a bridge, a pre-chorus, and the chorus.
Similar to the previous song, Bowie once again uses various forms of internal repetition.
In this song, the artist makes use of rhyming couplets: the partial end-rhyme schemes
aaxbb and xyzaa are used in the verses, the chorus rhymes aaxy, and the pre-chorus
aax. Additionally, anaphoras can be found throughout the entire song, like “Don’t
talk” (verse 1 lines 1+3), “Give me“ (verse 1 lines 4-5), “He’ll build“ (verse 2 lines 1+3),
and “Someone to“ (chorus lines 1-3). Eventually, it can be said that the anthem-like
nature of the song is shown best in the chorus, because the use of the anaphoras and
comparisons highlights the desperate need for a leader like Big Brother especially well.
In terms of content, verse 1, in a broader sense, focuses on past events, which should
be erased from the collective memory bank in order to be filled with Big Brother’s ideas
and his greatness. Lines 1 and 3 support this assumption since “Don’t talk of dust and
roses” is a metaphor for the past, and the line “Don’t talk of last years capers,” directly
states that anything positive that happened in previous years should be forgotten. Verse
2 goes on by ironically describing how life will change for the ‘better’ under Big Brother.
Firstly, “He’ll build a glass asylum / With just a hint of mayhem” (lines 1-2). The phrase
“glass asylum” stands out, as an asylum usually refers to either a shelter for someone in
danger or a mental institution. In fact, the Ministry of Love could be described as an
asylum since those who are sent there are, in the eyes of Big Brother, mentally deranged
and requiring treatment. Stating that the asylum is made out of glass suggests the
possibility of looking into as well as out of the asylum. This is, of course, not actually the
case but rather a cynical distortion of the facts. The term glass asylum creates the feeling
that there is a visible but unreachable outside, on the one hand, but the same time
provides permanent control from outside. Additionally, the phrase “just a hint of
mayhem” is an extremely ironic understatement, as it actually refers to the instalment of
a reign of terror, supported by massive, inhumane torture. Line 3, “He’ll build a better
whirlpool,” can be read as a metaphor for sucking people into chaos and manipulating
them into following a belief, just like Big Brother does in Oceania. Additionally, the line
“We’ll be living from sin” (line 4) alludes to the sexual restrictions placed upon the people
of Oceania. Since, in Nineteen Eighty-Four, sexuality is eliminated as a factor of
distraction and replaced by love for Big Brother, a proper life “can really begin” (line 5).
!27
According to Buckley (2015) the song “Big Brother” represents the “idea of the ‘strong
man’, the ’homo superior’ as a means of salvation […] a Super God.” Throughout the
song Big Brother is indeed portrayed as a god-like figure as he is positioned at top of the
hierarchy of evolution. Once again, exaggeration is used to ironically contradict the main
themes and topics in this song. In the bridge, Big Brother is directly addressed and
clearly compared to a god-like figure. Using hyperboles and other means of
exaggeration, Bowie presents the following two lines: “Please saviour, saviour show us /
Hear me, I’m graphically yours.” In the Western world, the term saviour usually alludes to
Jesus; thus, Big Brother is put on the same level as a liberating, religious leader. Total
devotion to a higher force is the greater aim in Nineteen Eighty-Four, since loyal
followers are more easily ruled. The second line of the bridge once more highlights the
singer’s devotion to Big Brother. Interestingly, Bowie uses the contradictory terms “hear"
and “graphically" which can be associated with different senses. “Hear me” seems like
the beginning of a prayer in which the protagonist of the song demonstrates his devotion
to Big Brother, since he offers himself as a graphical means of demonstrating how a
perfect citizen of Oceania should look and behave. Big Brother’s superiority over the
ordinary man is also highlighted in the pre-chorus. In contrast to the previous verses,
here Big Brother is portrayed as if he were not aware of his hierarchical dominance, as
line 1, “I know you think you’re awful square,” indicates. But the speaker assures the
leader of his greatness, stating “But you made everyone and you’ve been
everywhere” (line 2), once more comparing Big Brother to a god, an omnipresent and
omnipotent creator. Additionally, this line could allude to brainwashing and the
manipulation of memory since Big Brother “made everyone” to his delight, as well as to
total surveillance since he has “been everywhere.”
The chorus finally displays the anthem-like and praising character of the song since it
comments on the features of the great leader. In lines 1 to 3, various positive, but also
negative, characteristics of Big Brother are pointed out, including, amongst others,
aspects of surveillance and deceitfulness. The lines say “Someone to claim us -
someone to follow / Someone to shame us - some brave Apollo / Someone to fool us -
someone like you.” The first halves of the lines put the emphasis on negative aspects of
Big Brother, as he claims, shames, and fools his people. On the other hand, the second
halves of each line state that Big Brother should be followed since he is a “brave Apollo,”
another allusion to a god. The Greek god Apollo is the god of light, salvation, and
represents aspects of moral purity, all of which are aspects that are incorporated within
Big Brother. Line 4 “We want you Big Brother - Big Brother” voices the people’s
acceptance and devotion to the leader, summing up the central meaning of the song and
using an epistrophe to once more praise Big Brother.
!28
Despite seeming like it offers words of praise, the song “Big Brother” should be read as
criticism. The third line of the pre-chorus in particular, “Lord I think you’d overdose if you
knew what’s going on,” contradicts the previous lines as it states that not everyone is
devoted to Big Brother or following the rules. In fact, it could be argued that this line
illuminates Winston Smith’s perspective. Both Winston and Julia believe that their love
affair is secret and a form of resistance against Big Brother, which is why they remark, “if
you knew what’s going on.” The assumption that “Big Brother” is partly written out of
Winston and Julia’s perspective might seem far fetched, but Bowie’s wording could
actually support this idea as, in many cases, it can be perceived as highly ironical,
cynical, and ambiguous. Bowie’s words could express how Winston, as an insider of this
totalitarian society, would use these phrases, but attach a second, hidden meaning to
them, which looks like praise but in fact criticizes the social conditions and totalitarianism.
One fact that speaks against this interpretation is that in Oceania every memory of the
supernatural - such as God, the saviour Jesus, and the Greek god Apollo - has been
deleted. Winston, therefore, could not have compared Big Brother to other god-like
figures. In any case, the song defines and characterizes Big Brother at the same time as
it sarcastically points out all the negative aspects of a totalitarian regime. Even though
Bowie is not considered to be a political artist, his ironic handling of the ills of a
dictatorship in a time when the Soviet Union still existed is, in fact, strongly political.
4.5. “We Are The Dead”: Pointing Out Big Brother’s Flaws
Verse 1
Something kind of hit me today
I looked at you and wondered
If you saw things my way
People will hold us to blame
It hit me today, it hit me today
Verse 2
We're taking it hard all the time
Why don't we pass it by
Just reply you've changed your mind
We're fighting with the eyes of the blind
Taking it hard taking it hard yet now
Verse 3
We feel that we are paper choking on you nightly
They tell me, Son, we want you, be elusive
But don't walk far
For we're breaking in the new boys
Deceive your next of kin
For you're dancing
Where the dogs decay defecating ecstasy
You're just an ally of the leecher
Locator for the virgin king
But I love you in your fuck-me pumps
And your nimble dress that trails
Chorus 1
Oh dress yourself my urchin one
For I hear them on the rails
Because of all we've seen, because of all we've
said
We are the dead
Verse 4
One thing kind of touched me today
I looked at you and counted
All the times we had laid
Pressing our love through the night
Knowing it's right knowing it's right
Now I'm hoping someone will care
Living on the breath of a hope to be shared
Trusting on the sons of our love
That someone will care, someone will care
But now we're today's scrambled creatures
Locked in tomorrow's double feature
!29
Heaven is on the pillow
Its silence competes with hell
It's a twenty-four-hour service
Guaranteed to make you tell
Verse 5
And the streets are full of pressmen
Bent on gettin' hung and buried
And the legendary curtains
Are drawn round baby bankrupt
Who sucks you while you're sleeping
It’s the theater of financiers
Count them fifteen round the table
White and dressed to kill
Chorus 2
Oh caress yourself my juicy
For my hands are all but withered
Oh dress yourself my urchin one
For I hear them on the stairs
Because of all we've seen, because of all we've
said
We are the dead (3x)
Content-wise, “We Are The Dead” is certainly the Bowie song that is most closely linked
to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. First of all, the title “We Are The Dead” is a direct
quotation from the novel. Before being captured by the Thought Police, Winston and
Julia realize that their hiding place is a trap: “‘We are the dead,’ [Winston] said. ‘We are
the dead,’ echoed Julia dutifully. ‘You are the dead,’ said an iron voice behind
them” (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 188). The iron voice comes from behind a picture,
the medium through which the lovers have been surveilled the entire time. Perone states
that it seems odd that the protagonists already consider themselves among the dead,
even though they are still alive (cf. 2007: 45). But, in fact, Winston and Julia will be close
to death as soon as they are detained by the Thought Police. According to Buckley, the
song “We Are The Dead” focuses on this fear of being caught and imprisoned in the
Ministry of Love as well as on Winston’s and Julia’s despair, which can only be overcome
by the pleasure of sex (cf. 2015). The content of the song “We Are The Dead” tells the
story of Winston and Julia’s doomed romance, their love as a means of resistance, their
entry into the Brotherhood, the torture at the Ministry of Love and the ills of a totalitarian
society. Since there are various different topics incorporated into this song, the lyrics skip
about the themes and are, as a result, not entirely coherent. This circumstance can
perhaps be attributed to Bowie’s famous cut-up technique and the resulting
rearrangement of the original lyrics.
The speaker in the song “We Are The Dead” is once again Winston Smith. The lyrics
primarily address his lover Julia and, in some lines, his torturer O’Brien. Compared to the
songs analyzed previously, Bowie does not use as many stylistic devices to create
coherence: end-rhymes are hardly present. Assonance, like “Trusting on the sons of our
love” (verse 4 line 8), or alliteration, as in “For you’re dancing / Where the dogs decay
defecating ecstasy“ (verse 3 line 6-7), is also rarely used. Bowie’s use of anaphoras is
exceptional, however: the repetitive characteristic of lines, such as “It hit me today, it hit
me today” (verse 1 line 5), or “Knowing its right knowing its right” (verse 3 line 5),
!30
highlight their message. The song “We Are The Dead” emphasizes the use of rhetorical
devices, mostly metaphors and euphemisms. The alliteration of “baby bankrupt” (verse 5
line 4), for instance, can be interpreted as a metaphor for Big Brother, and the phrase
“twenty-four-hour service / Guaranteed to make you tell” (verse 4 lines 14-15), is a
euphemistic expression for the constant torture that is used to extract a confession.
The issue of Julia and Winston’s love affair is mostly addressed in the song’s first parts
and its choruses. In the first two verses, the speaker Winston utters doubts about their
relationship and wonders “If [Julia] saw things [his] way” (verse 1 line 3), or whether they
have different opinions regarding their relationship, their beliefs, and their resistance
against Big Brother. Winston further expresses his reservations and directly addresses
Julia: “We’re taking it hard all the time / Why don’t we pass it by / Just reply you’ve
changed your mind” (verse 2 lines 1-3), he states. Winston acknowledges the difficulties
of their secret relationship and wants Julia to admit the differences in their opinions.
Winston is hit by these thoughts while he is lying in bed with his lover in their hiding place
above the junk shop. The choruses describe the scene shortly before the two lovers are
captured by the Thought Police. Winston once more addresses Julia and states: “Oh
dress yourself my urchin one / For I hear them on the rails / Because of all we've seen,
because of all we've said / We are the dead” (chorus 1 lines 1-5). The term “urchin one”
might be a reference to Julia’s ‘misbehaviour’ and a special term of endearment. In
general, these lines stress the lovers’ need to hurry and escape the dangerous situation
they are in. Interpreting the situation correctly, Winston realizes that because of the
information they have gotten by reading Goldstein’s book and because of everything they
said whilst being surveilled, they “are the dead.” To be “dead” in Orwell’s novel does not
necessarily mean to be killed, but rather to be tortured and brainwashed until one
becomes a devoted follower of Big Brother.
As pointed out in the novel, Winston falsely believes that he could do damage to the
Party by resisting and committing Sexcrime and Thoughtcrime. Essentially, Winston is of
the opinion that his and Julia’s love cannot be wrong, stating that they are “Pressing
[their] love through the night / Knowing it’s right knowing it’s right” (verse 4 lines 4-5), and
considering it an act of resistance. But as the line “We’re fighting with the eyes of the
blind” (verse 2 line 4) points out, it is impossible to fight against an enemy that is
ubiquitous but intangible at the same time. Winston, apparently desperate after being
captured by the Thought Police, states, “Now I’m hoping someone will care / Living on
the breath of a hope to be shared” (verse 4 lines 6-7). Believing that something
resembling a resistant organization is actually out there is the only thing that keeps
Winston’s hope alive and his conscience clean. He is still “Trusting on the sons of [their]
!31
love” (verse 4 line 8), and convinced that there are more people who believe in love as
an act of resistance, since the phrase “sons of our love” can be read as an allusion to the
Brotherhood.
The concept behind the Brotherhood in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, their first
encounter with O’Brien, and how they are expected to behave as members of the
organization is also incorporated into the content of the song. Mimicking O’Brien’s direct
speech the lines state: “They tell me, Son, we want you, be elusive / But don’t walk far /
For we’re breaking in the new boys / Deceive your next of kin” (verse 3 lines 2-5). To join
the Brotherhood, the two lovers need to be “elusive” but available at the same time,
which are rather contradictory terms. What is more, deceiving and even killing children
and relatives, people’s “next of kin”, are amongst the duties of members of the
Brotherhood, and Winston actually agrees with them (cf. Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four:
151-153). But, in fact, the Brotherhood is a trap for resistant people, like Winston and
Julia, and the “dogs [the metaphorical term for the members of the Brotherhood] decay”
behind the walls of the Ministry of Love, “defecating“ ideas of resistance and confessing
their crimes (verse 3 line 7).
The lyrics of “We Are The Dead” also place a particular emphasis on the topic of torture
at the Ministry of Love. The speaker states that he is one of “today’s scrambled
creatures” (verse 4 line 10), referring to the fact that he and many others are physically
and mentally tortured. When he is in his cell, Winston euphemistically states that it feels
like “Heaven is on the pillow” (verse 4 line 12), because when he is able to sleep and be
left alone without torture, it feels divine. But, on the other hand, this “silence competes
with hell” (verse 4 line 13), means that this state of relief may at any time be interrupted
by Big Brother and, therefore, it is naive to believe that the peacefulness and tranquillity
will last. Waiting for the next torture session is as tormenting as being in “hell”. Since
torture is “a twenty-four-hour service” it is guaranteed “to make you tell“ (verse 4 line
14-15). Using euphemisms to refer to constant and exhausting torture supports Bowie’s
cynical and ironic approach to the general topic of totalitarian regimes once more, but
also shows the artist’s narrative talent. In the Ministry of Love, Winston directly
addresses his torturer O’Brien. He realizes that O’Brien is a traitor, “just an ally of the
leecher [sic!] / Locater for the virgin king“ (verse 3 lines 8-9). In these lines the leader Big
Brother is either compared to a leech, metaphorically sucking the blood out of people, or
to a lecher. But the immoral lecher Big Brother actually stands in contradiction to the term
“virgin king,” which alludes to the sexual abstinence in Oceania.
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In terms of content, verse 5 is not as clear as the other verses regarding connections to
Nineteen Eighty-Four are, but, essentially, it describes the ills of society under the rule of
a totalitarian regime. Interestingly, Bowie establishes a connection between fiction and
reality. In lines 1 and 2, “And the streets are full of pressmen / bent on gettin’ hung and
buried,” one can assume that the Thought Police are referred to as the “pressmen,” who
observe the situation and report strange things happening, and who try to have as many
people executed as possible. Additionally, the term “pressmen” could allude to the act of
oppressing somebody and make reference to the suppressed inhabitants of Oceania,
who expect to get hung and buried sooner or later. The “financiers [who are] White and
dressed to kill” (lines 6+8), might be a metaphor for Big Brother’s henchmen while also
referring to real-life financial markets and white-collar workers. Perhaps Bowie wants to
point out the corruptness and greed for power that is found in both fiction and reality. The
term “baby bankrupt” (line 4) refers to Big Brother, “Who sucks you while you’re sleeping“
(line 5), an expression that underlines the horrible nature of Big Brother’s permanent
monitoring, even of a person’s unconscious state of mind.
Indeed, “We Are The Dead” combines numerous different aspects of Nineteen Eighty-
Four into one song. Pegg (2011) points out that like many of Bowie’s songs on Diamond
Dogs, the “song transcends its original source to provoke other, less tangible
resonances” than Orwell’s novel. Buckley thinks that the song is unfortunately underrated
- a circumstance which, besides the highly metaphorically and dark lyrics, might be
attributed to the music. He states that the song has a “creepy electric-piano opening”
which is played at “funeral pace” (2005: 185). Pegg (2011) adds that “the hushed tread of
the electric keyboard, the roaming guitar feedback and the melodramatic multi-track
vocal establish a nightmarish environment.” In general, the dramatic sound and the slow
pace of the music further support and highlight the gloomy contents of the lyrics.
4.6. Further Songs on the Topic of Nineteen Eighty-Four
In the following songs from the album Diamond Dogs, the lyrics are not as easily
connected to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four as those analyzed above. As mentioned
before, fans of David Bowie have used forums to discuss possible connections between
the songs on Diamond Dogs and the dystopia Nineteen Eighty-Four. Scholars of
literature have made similar attempts since Diamond Dogs is considered a song cycle
revolving around Bowie’s own dystopian society, set in Hunger City. This subchapter
presents a brief analysis and interpretation of the songs “Candidate (Demo)”, “Future
Legends”, “Rebel Rebel”, and “Candidate”.
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Regarding the song “Candidate (Demo)” , Dogget points out that it was originally a demo 8
recording for the Nineteen Eighty-Four musical, which means that Bowie must have
incorporated ideas of the novel into the song. However, looking at its contents, it is rather
difficult to determine the thematic link between the song and Bowie’s musical project.
Dogget states that various creative interpretations have tried to link the lyrics to the
novel, but there is hardly any confirmation within the song text that would support such a
hypothesis (cf. 2012: 199). The song “Candidate (Demo)” describes a politician, the
candidate, who presents the listeners with various aspects of his corrupt politics.
According to Perone, the song relates closely to Orwell’s idea of government and the
concept behind Big Brother. The song presents a politician’s speech in which he
acknowledges his deceitfulness. But the candidate’s confession does not affect his
career (cf. Perone 2007: 43). Even though dishonesty, manipulation, and corruption are
themes that can be connected to Nineteen Eighty-Four, the fact that the candidate is
giving a speech in order to be re-elected cannot be associated with the novel. Since the
society in Oceania is ruled by a totalitarian regime, there are neither political candidates
nor elections.
Literature on the topic points out that Winston might be the candidate, and, in fact, one of
David Bowie’s fans provides the readers of the Bowie fan page teenagewildlife.com with
an outstanding analysis of “Candidate (Demo)” taking this interpretative approach.
According to the anonymous user, the song presents various aspects of Winston’s
treatment at the Ministry of Love and the deceptive society of Oceania. The user states
that verse 3 displays Winston’s torture at the Ministry of Love, the so-called “correction
rooms” (line 1). The line “Well, I ain’t gonna suck no radar wing” (line 3) in particular
represents Winston’s fight against the radar, the medium which might detect what
thoughts and beliefs are still hidden inside his brain. The speaker of the song states that
“inside this tin is tin” (line 4), and points out that he can deceive the Thought Police and
make them believe that he actually agrees with the Party’s beliefs. Verse 4 talks about
the fraudulent society in Oceania. Surviving is all about “the way you walk” (line 2), and
“the things you talk” (line 4), the way you present yourself in this society. The “brylcream
[sic!] queen“ (line 2), is a direct reference to Julia because she is an expert on acting
discreet and sticking to the rules. In the 1940s and 1950s the hair product Brylcreem was
used to slick back one’s hair. This style was very popular and conformed with the societal
norms of that time. Aspects of totalitarianism are also covered in “Candidate (Demo)”.
The line “You don’t have to scream a lot to keep an age in tune” (verse 5 line 1), states
that it is not verbal orders which rule and control a society, but rather brutality and
violence. Line 5 of the verse, “Do I have to give your money back when I’m the
The song “Candidate (Demo)”was written in 1974, but was actually not a part of the first release of the Diamond 8
Dogs album. It was finally released as a bonus track on the re-release of Diamond Dogs in 1990.
!34
Fuhrerling?” makes a direct reference to the leader of Nazi-Germany. The diminutive
“Fuhrerling” is used to describe a kind of vicious and unprincipled person like Big Brother.
According to the anonymous user, this line displays Winston’s realization that when he
enters the Brotherhood, he has agreed to become a brutal and unprincipled person
himself (cf. Re: Candidate (Demo) 2003).
The song “Future Legends” tells the story of Bowie’s invention, Hunger City, a modern,
urban metropolis, which is the setting for the artist’s nightmarish visions of a future
society. Being the first song of the album, “Future Legends” sets the tone of the entire
Diamond Dogs album and serves as a narrative introduction to Bowie’s personal
dystopia (cf. Perone 2007: 42; Buckley 2015). In this rather short song - it consists of
only 7 lines - Bowie lays out the background story of Hunger City. Its characteristics very
much resemble city life in Nineteen Eighty-Four. In fact, it seems as if Bowie did not try
too hard to hide the similarities between these two settings. Similar to the neologisms
Orwell used in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Bowie creates the “Temperance Building” (line 2),
which might allude to the Ministry of Love; the “sterile skyscrapers” (line 4) could also
refer to this cold ministerial building. What is more, Bowie talks about “peoploids” (line 3),
who are presumably the inhabitants who live in “small tribes” (line 4) in Hunger City, and
who bear resemblance to the proles in Oceania. The song describes the dystopian living
conditions in Hunger City, stating that “corpses lay rotting” in the streets and that “death”
is a daily companion (line 1). The city is frumpish: It lacks modern technology as “no
more big wheels” (line 3) of cars are in the streets. The sanitary situation is horrific, since
“fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats” (line 3). In addition, society lacks
any kind of luxury goods and those resources that are available are turned into
something useful, a circumstance that is described in line 5: “ripping and re-wrapping
mink and shiny silver fox - now leg warmers.” This line points to the fact that in
totalitarian regimes the economy is controlled as well as planned in advance, and goods
are, therefore, not produced according to the needs of the people. One final allusion to
the novel can be found in line 6, where it says that “the year of the Diamond Dogs” is
about to come. Interestingly, Bowie also uses a specific year, as Orwell does in Nineteen
Eighty-Four, to point out when society will change. The last line “This ain’t Rock’n Roll -
this is Genocide” points out the main message of this song and the entire Diamond Dogs
album: in a future resembling this dystopian scenario, people are about to die in the
thousands.
The song “Rebel Rebel” can be read as a description of Julia’s rebellious attitude. The
chorus, “Rebel Rebel you’ve torn your dress / Rebel Rebel your face is a mess / Rebel
Rebel how could they know” (line 1-3), refers to Julia’s looks after she and Winston have
intercourse in their hiding place. Her messed up appearance might serve as an indication
!35
that she has committed Sexcrime. Furthermore, the question “how could they know”
refers to the fact that Winston and Julia believed that their romance was secret, but,
according to this song, Julia’s looks may have given them away (cf. 1984 2003). In
literature on the topic, the song is considered to be about androgynous rebellion and the
new youth culture that was triggered by Bowie in the 1970s (cf. Perone 2007: 44). This
assumption is especially supported by the first two lines of verse 1 - “You’ve got your
mother in a whirl / She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl” - which make an explicit
statement about the characteristic androgynous look.
Another example of Nineteen Eighty-Four-based lyrics is the song “Candidate,” which is
thematically based on the aforementioned song “Candidate (Demo).” The second verse
of this song in particular references the political mechanisms behind Big Bother: the
Ministry of Truth is run by “Poisonous people / Spreading rumours and lies and stories
they made up” (lines 3-4). Lines 5 to 8 - “Some make you sing / And some make you
scream / One makes you wish / That you’d never been seen” - refer to Winston’s
encounter with his torturer O’Brien at the Ministry of Love and the protagonist’s wish that
his love affair had never been detected by the authorities.
4.7. Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four in Bowie’s Songs: Concluding Thoughts
David Bowie’s album Diamond Dogs is bursting with both dramatic and lyric
sophistication as well as a personal, political agenda. Bowie seems to have been eager
to test his musical limits by incorporating various different aspects of Orwell’s dystopia
into the songs. The lyrics are rich in remarkable wordings, for instance, Bowie’s
neologisms, in metaphors as well as in references to Nineteen Eighty-Four. The manner
in which the artist describes the ills of Hunger City is highly theatrical and might awaken
vivid images in the listeners’ minds. What is more, the combination of the lyrics and the
accompanying music generates a foreboding atmosphere as the sound supports the
apocalyptic scenario. In terms of content, the album Diamond Dogs is proof of Bowie’s
creativity and imagination, which is perhaps owed to the fact that it was first intended to
be a musical and then had to be adapted to a concept album.
It has been pointed out that Bowie has always been fascinated with societies and the
events that eventually bring their systems to a downfall. Since he was taken with Orwell’s
novelistic treatment of an oppressed society, it seems natural that Bowie used Nineteen
Eighty-Four as a source of ideas, and adapted Hunger City in accordance with its
inspiring model Oceania. Just like their literary role model, the songs on Diamond Dogs
cover all possible negative aspects of totalitarian regimes and of life under the rule of an
oppressing government. Given the political and social situation of his time, Bowie used
!36
the references and comparisons to the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four to stress the
similarities between fiction and reality. Contemporary political issues, such as fear of
Communism, the Cold War, and the generally tense atmosphere, have been proven to
have shaped the content of the album. Bowie’s songs aimed at criticizing totalitarian
regimes and oppressing societies, and he did so in a highly cynical, sarcastic, and
excessive - one could even say over-theatrical - manner.
!37
5. “LOVE IS OUR RESISTANCE”:
NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR IN SONGS BY MUSE
On the first pages of his band-biography about Muse, Myers (2007: 9) defines the term
‘muse’ and, at the same time, provides a proper characterization of the band. ‘Muse’,
among other things, means “to consider or say thoughtfully,” it refers to “a guiding spirit,
a source of inspiration [and] a poet.” Careful consideration and thoughtfulness can,
without doubt, be found in most of the songs by Muse because their lyrics are highly
thought-provoking. They often criticize politics, societal ills, and (religious) fanaticism (cf.
Myers 2007: 169-170). Essentially, the band’s songs display highly pessimistic images of
the world, mostly because of the band members’ dark perception of global political
events. Regarding the guiding spirit of the band, Myers describes Muse concerts as a
source of inspiration and “a place of worship“ for their fans: “[The band members] have
things to say - more than most - and they say them at full volume, but music is their
medium,” he notes and points toward the band’s stimulating song texts (2007: 11). The
following subchapters will provide some insight into the band’s history, the negative world
view of the singer and songwriter of the band, Matt Bellamy, and, furthermore, discuss
the incorporation of the elements of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four into the band’s song
lyrics.
5.1. Muse: A Short Historical Overview of the Band
The British rock band Muse is one of the most successful bands of the 21st century.
There are three band members: Matt Bellamy is the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and
spokesperson of Muse; Chris Wolstenholme is the bassist; and Dominic Howard the
drummer. The three have shared the same career path for more than 20 years. In 1989
they met at Teignmouth Community College in Devon and the three of them became
close friends soon after their enrolment. They decided to form a punk band, calling
themselves the Rocket Baby Dolls. In 1994, when the band members were about 16
years old, they participated in the Teignmouth Battle of the Bands, a local band contest,
and won a record deal. After acquiring their first recording contract and changing their
name to Muse, the band’s highly successful music career was about to start. At the turn
of the millennium, Muse finally found their distinctive sound, which has been the band’s
trademark ever since (cf. Beaumont 2014: 1-25). Regarding their general musical style,
band-biographer Myers points out that Muse “boldly go where other bands are too cool“
to go and have always been eager to try out new things (2007: 202). He addresses the
fact that the band’s “prog[ressive rock] tendencies have always been tempered by an
understanding of contemporary concepts,” giving the songs - its sounds, its lyrics, and its
themes - topicality and relevance.
!38
The sound of Muse has been shaped by various musical influences and sources. With
regard to their musical style, the British band Radiohead has had a major impact on 9
Muse, as well as on an entire generation of songwriters in the early 21st century. In
literature on the band, they have, in fact, been referred to as “Radiohead-lite” (Culshaw
2009), and “baby Radiohead“ (Myers 2007: 71). The band members themselves state
that their music is similar to and influenced by other, rather eccentric, English bands,
including Genesis, Depeche Mode, and, especially, Queen (cf. Culshaw 2009; Beaumont
2014: 2; Myers 2007: 71). In addition, the American band Nirvana has affected the
band’s approach to their music and lyrics. Beaumont (2014: 15) notes that the highly
successful Nirvana album Nevermind “showed [Bellamy] that music could be violent,
intense and devastating, but at the same time tuneful, immediate, life-affirming and
meaningful. It showed him that music could be an outlet for the more disturbing and
troublesome emotions.” Indeed, one significant characteristic of Muse’s songs is that
their content is disturbing, devastating, and full of violent images. Myers (2007: 19) adds
that “everyone knows that rock’n’roll is nothing if not an aural manifestation of the dark
side,” and he establishes a connection between the band’s cynical world view and the
musical genre in which they perform.
5.2. Bellamy’s Dystopian Ideas and their Manifestation in the Song Lyrics
The mastermind behind the song lyrics of Muse is, without doubt, singer and songwriter
Matt Bellamy. Bellamy had a troublesome, difficult childhood due to the fact that he was a
hyperactive, curious, and sceptical child. As he grew older, Bellamy became interested in
rather irrational things, like predicting the future with techniques that are associated with
black magic or examining the forces and spirits that he thought existed in other spheres.
These interests would become apparent in his later behaviour. By the time the band
became famous, the frontman was behaving mischievously during interviews: for
instance, he was talking about spiders that came from Mars and stating that David
Bowie’s alien alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, was real. Even though it seemed as if Bellamy
was revealing his apparently weird mind, he was, in fact, just creating his public persona.
This new personality has helped him to protect his youth and his privacy ever since, as it
has been difficult for him to cope with his sudden fame and success. Apart from his
fooling around, Bellamy has always been immensely concerned with and worried about
the social wrongs of the world. He strongly believes that the music and the songs that he
and his colleagues create need to reflect the global mood and that they should document
the desperate contemporary state of humanity. After he terrorist attacks in 2001 and the
The band Radiohead is briefly discussed in chapter 6.1 because the lyrics to their song “2+2=5“ are as well 9
based on a particular aspect of the content of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
!39
so-called War on Terror, the band felt an increasing desire to address global politics and
various theories about the world in their song lyrics (cf. Beaumont 2014: 10, 109,
192-197; Myers 2007: 19, 149).
The attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 and the beginning of the War in Iraq in
2002 deeply concerned the band members. As a supporter of conspiracy theories,
Bellamy considered the then US-President George W. Bush to be a warmonger, who
was capable of convincing his people that the Iraqi government possessed weapons of
mass destruction and that the Iraq, therefore, posed an immediate threat to the western
world. Bellamy regarded Bush to be the puppet of a higher and ominous authority, a
group of people who had been making most of the decisions of global impact. The band
became exceedingly disturbed by the fact that - at least from their point of view - the War
in Iraq had been neither widely nor critically discussed in the USA. At the time,
governments all over the world were challenging this display of US power, and many
people took to the streets to emphatically protest against the war. When Muse finally
began to include politics in their song lyrics, they did so by reacting not only critically, but
also emotionally to current events. Beaumont (2014: 191) explains that “Bellamy
watched the war unfold on the news every day with a growing sense of dread, panic and
powerlessness”: a feeling that he wanted to incorporate into his song lyrics (cf.
Beaumont 2014: 191-197; Myers 2007: 169).
In the songs on the albums that have followed since the events of 9/11, Muse have put
their focus on presenting nightmarish visions and portraying apocalyptic and dystopian
images. Myers (2007: 202-203) elaborates on the band’s new-found sources of
inspiration and notes that “as [the band] spent many hours discussing the planet, the
ever-worsening situation in Iraq and the disillusionment with the mechanics of humanity,
their sense of detachment and unease was heightened to new levels - and would provide
plenty of input for the new material.” Additionally, Bellamy’s opinion that mankind was
ruining the planet and looting its natural resources, which would eventually result in the
decay of modern civilization itself, has influenced the content of his song lyrics (cf.
Beaumont 2014: 217). Bellamy has always believed that the band’s songs have to
convey an important message: they should make people aware of the ills of the world,
enlighten them, and enable them to think critically. Beaumont (2014: 198) claims that “[t]o
Matt, music was replacing faith in people, and listening to it was the only thing that made
him feel that there was an underlying force for good in humanity.”
The first album that Muse recorded as a response to world politics is their 3rd studio
album, Absolution, which was released in September 2003. The band’s intention behind
producing it was, primarily, to initiate public discussion about the war in Iraq and to make
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US as well as UK citizens aware of the problems their governments had been causing in
the (eastern) world. The song titles of the album have foreboding and telling names;
including, for instance, “Apocalypse Please,” “Time Is Running Out,” and “Hysteria.”
Absolution is critically acclaimed for its political and social topicality (cf. Beaumont 2014:
198-200; Myers 2007: 175). In 2009, Muse released their 5th album The Resistance. Just
before the production of this album, Bellamy moved to Italy and “[t]he distance gave him
an objectivity as the scandals of 2008 and 2009 unfolded - the banking crisis [and] the
continuing war in Iraq,” which made it easier for him to cope with this situation
(Beaumont 2014: 314). Bellamy left his native country because he felt powerless and,
being away, “it was ever more clear to him that the UK needed a change, that its
democracy was laughable, its media twisted, its Parliamentary systems
outdated” (Beaumont 2014: 314). Beaumont (2014: 318) defines The Resistance as an
album that deals with “romance, rebellion and righteousness,” and it is closely connected
to the topics that were catching Bellamy’s attention at that time - the call for a revolution
against the status quo. In order to make the album’s content as persuasive as possible,
the songwriter refrained from including any conspiracy theories in his songs, and backed
up The Resistance with what he considered to be political facts.
In order to make their fans especially curious, the release of The Resistance turned out
to be an online treasure hunt: as a part of the ‘Project Eurasia’ their fans had to solve
various codes, anagrams, and similar riddles to be able to download the first song “The
United States of Eurasia.” The individual puzzles of this treasure hunt showed similarities
to military encoding and put the album in context with regard to the topic of current war
politics. The name ‘Project Eurasia’ already points to the thematic link between the album
The Resistance and Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four since Eurasia is one of the three
powerful nations in the novel. In fact, Bellamy re-read Nineteen Eighty-Four before
working on this album and it served as a major source of inspiration for him, which is why
various aspects of the novel were eventually incorporated into the songs of The
Resistance. On the album, Bellamy draws many parallels between the society and
politics in Oceania and the contemporary events that were shaking up the world. In
addition, Bellamy is taken with the rebellious romance between Winston and Julia. The
songwriter believes that using love and sexuality as a kind of rebellious act against a
totalitarian regime might also work in a modern society. Beaumont (2014: 315) states
that “the idea of love as a method of resisting or escaping the oppression and corruption
of the 21st Century Western world” took hold in Bellamy’s mind and deeply fascinated
him (cf. Beaumont 2014: 310-322).
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The album The Resistance is the definitely most challenging and uncompromising record
the band has produced as it is a direct call for opposition and rebellion. With regard to
the music on The Resistance, Culshaw (2009) states that “[t]he soundtrack to the
revolution [is] part-metal, part-prog rock, part-classical,” and, therefore, provides the
listeners with various musical influences in addition to the distinct Muse sound. As
mentioned before, Muse dedicates the entire contents of many of the song lyrics to the
themes of Orwell’s novel. Aspects of social uprising, mind control, governmental
surveillance, the distortion of truth and collective memory, and what is considered to be
right and wrong in society are the issues that are dealt within the lyrics apart from the
obvious call for resistance. The song lyrics bring together various themes from Nineteen
Eighty-Four and aspects of daily politics and society, since Muse use references to the
novel to talk about the present global situation. The majority of the allusions to Orwell’s
novel can be found in the songs “Resistance”, “United States of Eurasia”, and “Unnatural
Selection”, which is why a full analysis and interpretation of these three songs is provided
below. Other Muse lyrics that are based on Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four can be found
in subchapter 5.6.
5.3. “Resistance”: Bellamy’s Central Statement
Verse 1
Is our secret safe tonight
and are we out of sight
or will our world come tumbling down?
Will they find our hiding place
is this our last embrace
or will the walls start caving in?
Pre-Chorus
It could be wrong, could be wrong, but it should
have been right
It could be wrong, could be wrong, to let our
hearts ignite
It could be wrong, could be wrong, are we
digging a hole?
It could be wrong, could be wrong, this is out of
control
It could be wrong, could be wrong, it can never
last
It could be wrong, could be wrong, must erase it
fast
It could be wrong, could be wrong, but it should
have been right
It could be wrong could be….
Chorus
Love is our resistance
They'll keep us apart and they won’t stop
breaking us down
Hold me
our lips must always be sealed
Verse 2
If we live a life in fear
I'll wait a thousand years
just to see you smile again
Kill your prayers for love and peace
You'll wake the thought police
we can't hide the truth inside
Repetition of Pre-Chorus
Repetition of Chorus
Verse 3
The night has reached it's end
We can't pretend
We must run
We must run
Its time to run
Take us away from here
Protect us from further harm
Resistance
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The track “Resistance”, the title song of the album, sets the general insurrectionary tone
of the entire song circle revolving around Nineteen Eighty-Four. As the title suggests, the
lyrics to “Resistance” represent Bellamy’s idea of rebellion: in this song the main act of
resistance is (physical) love. According to Beaumont (2014: 319), “the lyrics make a plea
for the love within to always stand in defiance of oppression.” In terms of content, the
song recounts the romance between the protagonist Winston and his lover Julia. The
lyrics present the scene just before the two of them are discovered by the Thought Police
in their hiding place above the junk shop. In very general terms, Winston voices his
doubts about whether their love affair is still secret and safe, but he (self-)assuringly
states that “Love is our resistance“ (chorus line1), and it can therefore never be wrong.
The lyrics follow the form of a monologue in which Winston directly addresses Julia.
Interestingly, over the course of the song the speaker asks various rhetorical questions
which address and highlight his doubts and fears regarding their relationship. The
songwriter of “Resistance” relies heavily on the use of end-rhymes and rhyming couplets,
for example, verse 1 and verse 2 rhyme aaxbby, and the pre-chorus follows the rhyme
scheme aabbcca. Additionally, all of the lines of the pre-chorus start with an anaphora, as
with “It could be wrong, could be wrong”, again to emphasize the speaker’s concern and
inner conflict. Other repetitive devices can be found in verse 3, where lines 2 to 4 begin
with the anaphora, “We“, and lines 3 to 5 end with the epistrophe “run“. Furthermore, in
some cases, alliteration is used, like “Is our secret safe tonight“ (verse 1 line 1), or “If we
live a life in fear“ (verse 2 line1). The different forms of repetition used in the lyrics give
the song a coherent, self-contained character; this important feature also becomes
apparent in the coherent story line of “Resistance“.
In terms of content, verses 1 and 2 focus on the speaker’s doubts and worries about his
’illegal’ love affair. Verse 1 solely consists of rhetorical questions stating, “Is our secret
safe tonight / and are we out of sight / or will our world come tumbling down?” (lines 1-3),
and “Will they find our hiding place / is this our last embrace / or will the walls start caving
in?” (lines 4-6). The first parts of these rhetorical questions present the speaker’s worries
that the Thought Police might detect his and Julia’s secret romance and their hideout.
The last parts of these questions, on the other hand, consider what will happen when the
two lovers are eventually discovered; their romance will be brutally ended as the walls of
their hiding place cave in and they are trapped inside. The first lines of verse 2 pick up on
Winston’s dread of living in constant fear of being discovered. To make sure that their
love remains secret, the protagonist is willing to postpone their rendezvous to a time
when things have changed for the better, stating that he will “wait a thousand years / just
to see you [Julia] smile again” (lines 2-3). But as the verse continues, “Kill your prayers
for love and peace / You’ll wake the thought police / we can’t hide the truth inside” (lines
!43
4-6), Winston points out that their act of resistance might soon reach an impasse
because their crimes have caught the Inner Party’s attention. The phrase “kill your
prayers” in particular stresses the hopelessness of the situation they are in.
The pre-chorus presents Winston’s inner struggle concerning his love for Julia, his new-
found enjoyment of rebellion, and the question of what is right and wrong within a
society. The first two lines say “It could be wrong, could be wrong, but it should have
been right / […] to let our hearts ignite,” and point out that falling in and making love
should never be outlawed as in Oceania. In addition, the pre-chorus emphasizes the
deadlocked situation in which the two lovers are trapped, stating “[…] this is out of control
/ […] it can never last / […] must erase it fast” (lines 4-6). The lines put forward the idea
that Winston and Julia’s only way to escape their misery is to erase any tracks and proof
of their relationship. But, since they are never actually in control of their situation - the
Party watches the lovers’ every step - covering up their crimes is futile. The phrase
“erase it fast” alludes to Winston’s diary entries, which should be destroyed as they are
evidence of the protagonist’s Thoughtcrime. The contents of the pre-chorus, at first,
highlight that the two lovers are not doing anything that might be considered a crime in a
normal society. Yet, because Thoughtcrime and Sexcrime are reviled in Big Brother’s
world, they have to deny themselves this ordinary human behaviour.
The chorus contains the core message of the song “Resistance“, which can also be seen
to represent the essence of the entire album: “Love is our resistance“ (line 1). Bellamy’s
enthusiasm for Winston and Julia’s love affair as the metaphorical act for a more greater
rebellion is clearly emphasized in this line. To him, love that can make even the
dystopian world of Nineteen Eighty-Four collapse can be used in opposition to real
corrupt societies currently as well. From the speaker’s point of view, the uttering “Love is
our resistance” can be read as a personal entreaty to be strong no matter what the future
might bring. The protagonist points out that as soon as the two lovers are captured
“They’ll keep [them] apart and [the Thought Police] won’t stop breaking [them]
down” (line 2). In this statement, Winston is laying out the worst case scenario - which
includes the lovers’ separation and torture. In order to avoid their fate, their “lips must
always be sealed” (line 4), and their secret must be protected with the help of their
shared love. What is more, line 4 might as well be an appeal to neither confess to the
Inner Party at the Ministry of Love nor to verbally agree with the Party line, even under
the most dire circumstances.
Verse 3 depicts the eventual demise of Winston and Julia’s romance. Just as “The night
has reached its end“ (line1), and the darkness that concealed their illegal deeds fades
out, the lovers can no longer hide the truth. Since a discussion with the Thought Police is
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pointless, the speaker realizes “We can’t pretend / We must run” (lines 2-3), because a
quick getaway might be their only chance to escape. The last lines of this verse are
especially interesting because the speaker directly addresses a somehow greater force,
pleading: “Take us away from here / Protect us from further harm” (lines 6-7). Love, in
Bellamy’s opinion, is an overwhelming power; it can therefore be assumed that, as a last
resort, the protagonist of the song is asking for help that might exist in a personalized
form of love. Due to the (physical) experience of love that he receives from Julia over the
course of their relationship, Winston has learned to cope with all the negative things that
made his life miserable. Therefore, it seems comprehensible that Winston’s final
desperate request for help is specifically addressed to the power of love. What is more,
in the last line of this verse, Bellamy shouts and claims “Resistance” so that a direct
connection between love and the act of resistance is established once again.
The dark predictions concerning the lovers’ fates and their eventual doom are supported
by the dramatic sounds that accompany the lyrics. According to Beaumont (2014: 319),
the music of the song “Resistance” contains “ghostly hums“ and an “ethereal sound,”
especially at the beginning of the song, which highlight the foreboding nature of the
lyrics. When the contents of the song shift to the lines in which love is presented as an
act of resistance, the sound of the drums and guitars becomes increasingly more violent
and aggressive. In fact, Bellamy widened the range of his sound effects by using a midi-
guitar that allowed him to sample and modulate unique sounds to his personal
requirements (cf. Korg Kaoss Pad KP2). The use of an aggressive sound can be
explained by the fact that the song’s main aim is to incite uprising and resistance: this
topic is introduced and backed up in the lyrics about the downfall of Winston and Julia’s
love. It could be argued that the depiction of their brutally-ended relationship demands
retaliation for the acts of these oppressive systems. Of course, the songwriter feels that
insurrection against politics is necessary not only in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but also in the
real-life society of the 21st century, which is highlighted by establishing a contextual
connection to Orwell’s dystopia.
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5.4. “United States of Eurasia”: Resistance to US Politics
Verse 1
You and me are the same
We don't know or care who's to blame
But we know that whoever holds the reigns
Nothing will change
Our cause has gone insane
And these wars they can't be won
And these wars they can't be won
Do you want them to go on and on and on?
Why split these states
When there can be only one
And must we do as we're told?
Must still do as we're told?
Verse 2
You and me fall in line
To be punished for unproven crimes
And we know that there's no one we can trust
Our ancient heroes
They are turning to dust
And these wars they can't be won
Does anyone know or care how they begun?
They just promise to go on and on and on
But soon we will see
There can be only one
United States, United States of Eurasia,
Eurasia,…
At the first glance, the title of the song “United States of Eurasia” seems to unite the
names of the most powerful territories of the world: the USA, Europe, and Asia. As a
matter of fact, songwriter Matt Bellamy took some inspiration for this song from the so-
called Trilateral Commission, which was a rather dubious association of some of the
most influential and powerful people in Europe, the US, and Eastern Asia - among them
politicians, bankers, and CEOs of media, pharmaceutical, and oil companies. Even
though this commission was set up decades ago, Bellamy strongly believed that a small
group of people like them pull the political strings in the background of our world, and
that they are responsible for all the negative in the world (cf. Beaumont 2014: 192). Apart
from the connection between the song and the Trilateral Commission, Beaumont (2014:
313-314) associates the term “Eurasia” with Orwell’s novel. He states that
[l]inked to the references to Eurasia in George Orwell’s vision of the ultimate oppressive
society in Nineteen Eighty-Four, the song’s lyrics seem to tell the story of this huge land
mass united, of a Eurasia vs. USA stand-off, of megalomania gone mad. It hinted at a
belief that humanity will forever be at war until all concept of ’country’ is destroyed and we
realize we’re stuck in the same sinking boat.
The structure of the song “United States of Eurasia” resembles a monologue. The
speaker, again the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, uses rhetorical questions to
reflect on the topics presented in the lyrics. What is more, the song “United States of
Eurasia” relies on various forms of internal repetition: end-rhymes - which are imperfect
rhymes to a large extent - are used to establish coherence among the lyrics. In verse 1,
the rhyme scheme aabbbcccxcdd can be identified, while verse 2 - rhyming aabxbcccycz
- is also built of rather imperfect vowel rhymes, like “line - crimes“ (lines 1-2).
Furthermore, the line, “And these wars they can’t be won,” is repeatedly uttered in lines 6
and 7 of verse 1 and in the sixth line of verse 2. Both verses begin with the anaphora
“You and me,” referring to the speaker, Winston, and his addressee, Julia. The lyrics
!46
would also support the assumption that the speaker, as in a political speech, is
addressing his concerns to a much larger audience, like, for instance, the inhabitants of
Oceania.
In terms of content, the lyrics can be divided by the two main topics they address: Firstly,
some of the lines make reference to the notorious ills and political mechanisms that are
found in the society described in Nineteen Eighty-Four. A contextual connection to
Orwell’s dystopia is therefore easily established. Secondly, parts of the lyrics focus on
wars that are permanently, but uselessly, fought because they can never be won. This
circumstance alludes to the wars in Oceania as well as to the early 21st century war
politics of the USA, which always deeply concerned and irritated Bellamy. The songwriter
deliberately refers to Nineteen Eighty-Four and its eternal wars that can’t be won in order
to criticize the US-American War on Terror, which in Bellamy’s eyes is preposterous and
pointless.
In reference to the political mechanisms behind the scenes in Oceania, the speaker
indicates various issues concerning the Inner Party’s reign that are worthy of criticism, in
his opinion. Firstly, the protagonist emphasizes the permanent misuse of political power
and states that “we know that whoever holds the reigns / Nothing will change” (verse 1
lines 3-4). The speaker is aware of the fact that it does not matter whether it is Big
Brother, or any other made-up leader figure, on top of the hierarchy because the politics
and rules have and will always govern society will never change. Secondly, the lyrics
target a number of societal evils: that the people of Oceania are not allowed to live
autonomously is highlighted by the rhetorical question “And must we do as we’re told? /
Must still do as we’re told?” (verse 1 lines 11-12). The lines “You and me fall in [sic!] line /
To be punished for unproven crimes” (verse 2 lines 1-2), stress the fact that the large
majority of Oceania has to defer to an opaque and unfair political system. These lines
critically point out that any attempt to overcome the Party rules is considered to be a
criminal act, though unproven in the eyes of the inhabitants of Oceania, and hence
severely punished. The statement “And we know that there’s no one we can trust“ (verse
2 line 3), gives the impression that as a citizen of Oceania one can never distinguish
between friend or foe, as was the case, for instance, when O’Brien and the owner of the
junk shop seemed to be Winston’s allies, but in the end revealed themselves to be
members of the Thought Police. What is more, the extinction of common history and
collective memory is addressed in the song “United States of Eurasia”. The lyrics say
that “Our ancient heroes / They are turning into dust” (verse 2 lines 4-5), and allude to
the circumstances that, on the one hand, the heroes of the old times as well as any other
vestiges of the past are being eliminated for political reasons, and, on the other hand,
that in the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four there is no room for new heroes.
!47
The remaining lyrics of “United States of Eurasia” elaborate on the permanent state of
war in Oceania and in the real world, respectively. The lyrics emphasize the fact that
“these wars they can’t be won” (e.g. verse 1 line 6), as they “go on and on and on” (e.g.
verse 1 line 8). Furthermore, it is stressed that the reasons and the purposes of these
wars are not known. The speaker asks “Does anyone know or care how they
begun?” (verse 2 line 7), and notes that people are rather indifferent about these issues.
The cause for this lack of interest is the fact that war is not only waged with constantly
changing enemies but also deliberately installed by the Inner Party to control the
inhabitants by implementing permanent dread. Creating fear through warfare and biased
war reporting are concepts commonly used in the non-fictional world as well, as seen in
the US-American War on Terror. The aforementioned lines, “And these wars they can’t
be won / Does anyone know or care how they begun?” could just as easily refer to the
constant and pointless conflicts in the Middle East, which Bellamy strongly condemns. In
the last lines, the song’s message becomes very explicit: “But soon we will see / There
can be only one” (verse 2 lines 9-10). The central statement of this song is that these
wars might go on forever, but in the end only one nation will remain - a concept which
can, in fact, not be applied to Nineteen Eight-Four but only to Bellamy’s dystopian
perception of actual 21st century politics. In Bellamy’s opinion, the nation bound to remain
and to oppress all the other states will be the USA. In order, to counteract this US-
American takeover of the world Bellamy’s intention is to metaphorically unite Europe and
Asia, which is why, in the last lines of the song, he vehemently exclaims: “United States
[…] / of Eurasia” (verse 2 lines 11-12). Without these lines the content of the song would
only point out the evils of the US politics and warfare. But, in fact, these last two lines
and the title “United States of Eurasia” seem to provide a possible solution to the
problem by appealing for a union against the greater enemy USA.
Indeed, among scholars, this interpretative approach to the song is prevalent. According
to Beaumont, the lyrics to “United States of Eurasia” describe the relations between the
three imperial superpowers: USA, Europe, and East Asia. But in his opinion they are not
equal because the USA tries to oppress the two other Great Powers. Putting the song in
relation with the rest of the album, Beaumont (2014: 320) points out that if someone
“wondered what shadowy oppressor [the listeners] were being told to resist in the
previous songs, it was all here: the land mass of Eurasia being urged to unite against the
war-mongering USA. And this was its National Anthem.” Not only the lyrics give the song
it anthemic quality, in fact, it is mainly the epic, musical style of the song that, “United
States of Eurasia” makes people feel like they are listening to an anthem: the sound is a
bombastic mixture of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Paul McCartney’s “Live and Let
Die”, and the Lawrence of Arabia Soundtrack. The employment of an extremely big
orchestra makes the song sound even more vibrant. With regard to the song’s music,
!48
“United States of Eurasia” ends with a special “musical outro” called “Collateral
Damage”: Chopin’s piano piece “Nocturne in E-Flat Minor, Op. 9 No. 2.” is combined with
the programmatic sound of detonating bombs, leaving the listeners with dreadful mental
images as it fades out (cf. Beaumont 2014: 313-320).
5.5. “Uprising”: An Appeal for Revolution Verse 1
Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed
down
And hope that we will never see the truth around
Verse 2
Another promise, another seed
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed
And all the green belts wrapped around our
minds
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
Chorus 1
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Verse 3
Interchanging mind control
Come let the, revolution takes its toll
If you could flick the switch and open your third
eye
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
Verse 4
Rise up and take the power back
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack
They know that their time's coming to an end
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend
Chorus 2
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not enslave us
We will be victorious
Chorus 3
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They can not control us
We will be victorious
As the first track on The Resistance, the song “Uprising” introduces the general mood of
the album. According to Beaumont, the song represents the built-up pressure and
emotions that can be found at an actual uprising: it depicts a crowd of people who are
protesting and shouting in the streets because they have been deceived by their
government. The serious tone of the song portrays issues regarding governmental
conspiracies, the ever-present potential apocalypse, and a union that might lead to a
victory against the oppressors (cf. Beaumont 2014: 318-319; The Resistance Mini-
Review). The core message of the song is that only if the protesters stand united, might
they be victorious in the end. The speaker of the song presents himself as a part of the
!49
revolting crowd and directly proclaims an uprising. As it is influenced by Nineteen Eighty-
Four, the speaker might again be Winston Smith, since he is one of the few people in
Oceania who actually tries to challenge the system.
Like in his other songs, Bellamy makes use of various repetitive devices in the lyrics.
Almost all of the verses contain rhyming couplets aabb, except for verse 3 which rhymes
aabxb. The choruses share an end assonance - “us/ous“ - and most of the lines of the
chorus start with the anaphora, “They will“ (lines 1-3). Furthermore, Bellamy uses of
assonance in only one, outstanding case, which is the line “It’s time the fat cats had a
heart attack” (verse 3 line 2), in order to hammer the message into the listeners’ heads.
In general, it can be said that the song’s salient qualities are the constant repetition of the
same sentence structures, its catchy, march-like rhythm, and the fact that the choruses
sound similar to the protest slogans of chanting football hooligans. Although, its structure
may be simple, the sound of the song is compact, heavy, and additionally backed up by
synthesizers (cf. Beaumont 2014: 319; The Resistance Mini-Review).
As pointed out, the main aim of this song is to create an uprising against the government
or another higher authority, a purpose that is especially supported by the choruses, as
the lyrics clamour: “They will not force us / They will stop degrading us / They will not
control us” (chorus 1 lines 1-3), and “They will not enslave us / We will be
victorious” (chorus 2 lines 3-4). The speaker denounces all the social injustices that
people encounter daily. Apart from the obvious connections to constraint, degradation,
and surveillance - the ills in Oceania - these lines also address the current problems of
people all around the world who live under oppressive political regimes. The lyrics
highlight the fact that bad conditions like these can only be overcome by forming a union
and by joint insurrection against the oppressors. Comparing this form of uprising to the
intended acts of rebellion in Nineteen Eighty-Four, it can be said that Bellamy no longer
puts forward the idea that love between two people can serve as an act of resistance. In
fact, this riot is carried by a violent and outraged union of protestors. In Oceania, a
scenario like this would not have been possible at all.
Although the lyrics of the song “Uprising” do not directly refer to Orwell’s novel, many of
the themes can be connected to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Verse 1 presents how the
speaker perceives the world he lives in. It focuses on the distortion of reality and the
spreading of fear as means of control. “Paranoia is in bloom” (line 1), and kept alive by
resuming “PR transmissions” (line 2). In order to “keep [them] all dumbed down” (line 3),
and to make sure that people “will never see the truth around” (line 4), the regime
manipulates their inhabitants with telescreens and other media. Verse 2 further
elaborates on the characteristics of a controlled society and once more stresses the
!50
issue of manipulation. The first two lines, “Another promise, another seed / Another
packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,” refer to the deliberate implantation of false
information to grow hate and greed - like seeds - in people’s minds. Manipulated seeds
might also refer to a next generation who can be brought up unreflecting in a society that
is packed with lies. This reality can be compared to Nineteen Eighty-Four, where hatred
and fear are aroused by the images released during the Two Minutes Hate. Lines 3 and
4, “And all the green belts wrapped around our minds / And endless red tape to keep the
truth confined,” again display the forceful and manipulative devices of the authorities.
Apart from that, these lines demonstrate that it is difficult to escape any kind of mind
control, because people are metaphorically trapped in a web of lies made of belts and
tapes. Using the specific term “red tape” Bellamy obviously criticizes the strict
bureaucracy of a state, which often complicates official channels and hides actual
politics. In Nineteen Eighty-Four this stern bureaucracy is manifested in the three
Ministries.
In verses 3 and 4 Bellamy once more expresses his urgent appeal for a revolution. It is
stated that instead of letting their minds be controlled by a higher authority, like Big
Brother, everyone should “flick the switch and open [their] third eye” (verse 3 line 3), in
order to clear their thoughts, to start thinking for themselves, and to see the truth more
plainly. It is possible that in this line Bellamy is making reference to Winston, who has
woken up from a trance-like state of mind and has finally started to live, no longer
accepting the lies that the Ministry of Truth is telling him and his fellow citizens. The
remaining lines all proclaim the need for a revolution in which the protestors “should
never be afraid to die” (verse 3 line 5). The people should “take the power back” (verse 4
line 1), since power should be in the safe hands of a majority and not in those of an
oppressive minority. The speaker demands the removal of the government, stating that
“It’s time the fat cats had a heart attack” (verse 4 line 2), and the members of the
authorities have to realize that their regime and their selfish actions have come to an
end. The people in charge - the “fat cats” - have gorged themselves, have lived in
abundance and at the expense of those inferior to them - a fact which is now thwarting
their evil plans and giving them a “heart attack”. The last line of verse 4 once more
stresses that the oppressed people “have to unify” in order to be victorious against their
tormentors and eventually watch their “flags ascend”.
Comparing the song “Uprising” to the general content of the album The Resistance, it is
very straightforward and urgent in its message. Bellamy plainly points out that, in his
opinion, the only chance to better the world is to overthrow the current governments.
Additionally, he confirms his disgust for the US and UK governments and their war
policies. According to Beaumont (2014: 319) however, the song “Uprising” only
!51
represents a “cuddly subversion“ and not a great revolution. He supports his opinion with
the fact that the song allegedly has a “two-sided nature,” which means that Bellamy’s call
for rebellion should, in Beaumont’s eye’s, not be taken entirely seriously, but also with
humour. Apparently, the music video to the song features teddy bears and other toys
which rise up and march against their parliament (cf. 2014: 319). But, apart from the fact
that these images might seem funny, playful, and “cuddly”, they nonetheless display and
visually support the call for the revolution the speaker demands in the lyrics.
5.6. Further Muse Songs Based on Nineteen Eighty-Four
Based on the fact that the entire album The Resistance thematically revolves around
concepts and ideas behind Orwell’s dystopia, some of the other songs of the album have
to be briefly analyzed and put into context with the novel as well. This subchapter
elaborates on the Muse songs “Guiding Light”, “MK Ultra”, and “Unnatural Selection”, as
well as on the song “Citizen Erased”, which is from their earlier album Origin of
Symmetry (2001) but which also has lyrics partly inspired by Nineteen Eighty-Four.
In very general terms, the song “Guiding Lights” is a love song in which a lover
expresses his affection by pointing out how lost he would be without his partner. In
Beaumont’s opinion, the song portrays the love story between Winston and Julia.
According to Beaumont, the scene depicts the time after the lovers’ downfall: their love
affair has already been discovered by the Thought Police and they have been tortured by
the henchmen of the Ministry of Love (cf. 2014: 320). The tone of the song is desperate
since the speaker, who probably is once again Winston Smith, does not know when or if
he will ever see Julia again. The first two verses focus on the lovers’ violent separation.
Verse 3 makes a slight allusion to love as an act of resistance: in the lines “The sunshine
trapped in our hearts / it could rise again” (lines 1-2), the rising sun might represent a
metaphor for the lovers’ uprising against the system. The speaker finishes this thought by
stating that he is “lost, crushed, cold and confused / with no guiding light left inside” (lines
3-4). These lines express the speaker’s hopelessness and desperation since he was
separated from his inspirational, guiding light Julia. What is more, since the sun - the
rising of which represents the figurative act of resistance - has disappeared, the speaker
feels cold and left alone with his rebellious attitude. But “When comfort and warmth can’t
be found / I still reach for you” (verse 4 lines 1-2), because even if the rebellion fails, their
love still prevails. The lyrics of the chorus support this assumption as they say “You’re my
guiding light / when there’s no guiding light left inside / when there’s no guiding light in
our lives” (lines 2-4). His love for Julia has brought at least some light into Winston’s life,
which otherwise would have been entirely pointless and trivial. Love is valued as the
highest power and, therefore, is more important than any successful revolution.
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In the song “MK Ultra,” Bellamy selects certain ideas from Nineteen Eighty-Four and
plainly incorporates them into the lyrics. Beaumont points out that the song is filled with
political paranoia and manipulation. The song title is derived from the secret CIA
research program, ’Project MK Ultra’, that was concerned with interrogation drugs and
other means of mind control. The song depicts a protagonist whose mind seems to have
been hacked by the authorities and who, as a result, starts to lose control of his own
thoughts (cf. Beaumont 2014: 320). The verses focus on the dilemma of thought control
and manipulation, which is forced upon the speaker and his fellow human beings by their
suppressors. The lines, “The wavelength gently grows,” and the “Coercive notions re-
evolve” (verse 1 line 1-2), stress this wilful manipulation of one’s brain activity.
Furthermore, some characteristics of a restricted world view are highlighted, stating that
the “universe is trapped inside a tear” (verse 1 line 3). This single tear might be shed for
all the violence, pain, and sorrow found in an oppressed world. In this small, self-
contained universe an ideology, which “resonates the core” (verse 1 line 4), and the
restrictive rules of the government are predominant. This ideology contains and “creates
unnatural laws” (verse 1 line 5), limiting the inhabitants’ freedom. The eventual aim of the
authorities is to replace “love and happiness with fear” (verse 1 line 6), in order to
consolidate the police state. Apart from this manipulation, “All of history [is] deleted with
one stroke” (verse 2 line 3), and collective memory is erased. Without doubt, one can
find parallels between this scenario - which may or may not have actually been caused
by the CIA’s ’Project MK Ultra’ - and the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Additionally, the
song’s choruses display the protagonist’s critical reaction to the aforementioned living
conditions by using rhetorical questions: the speaker asks “how much deception can you
take / how many lies will you create / how much longer until you break” (chorus 1 lines
1-3), and highlights the fact that soon everyone will inevitably lose control of their lives.
The line “they are breaking through” (e.g. chorus 1 line 5), which is reiterated throughout
the song, alludes to the fact that an authoritative power, like the CIA or the Thought
Police, is breaking into people’s lives and attempting to take over their consciousness.
Once more, aspects of Orwell’s dystopia, especially issues regarding manipulation and
the forced implementation of an ideology, are alluded to. The song ”MK Ultra” serves as
a perfect example of criticizing current and actual political aspects by making direct
reference to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four.
According to Beaumont, the song “Unnatural Selection” is the most extreme on this Muse
album. The song - similar to “Uprising” - calls for actual physical protest which is shown
in the lines “I am hungry for an unrest / Let’s push this beyond a peaceful protest” (e.g.
verse 1 line 1-2). This rebellion aims at being told the truth concerning the roots of the
prevailing social injustices (cf. Beaumont 2014: 320). The song basically criticizes the
two-class society, in which some people are part of the good life of the higher class,
!53
while lower-class people have to fight for their survival. The fact that this class affiliation
is determined by an “unnatural selection” (e.g. chorus 1 line 4), or a “random chance
selection” (chorus 2 line 4), is especially wrong. There is no conceivable explanation for
why some people have to live in a society in which “Injustice is the norm” (verse 3 line 4)
and in which “They’ll laugh as they watch [the lower class] fall“ (e.g. chorus 1 line 1). In
Nineteen Eighty-Four, the question of why certain rules have to be the way they are is
raised as well. Winston, also “want[s] the truth” (e.g. verse 1 line 5) that lies behind the
political mechanisms of Big Brother and his reign. But it is questionable whether “there
[is] a hope that the facts will ever find us” (verse 2 line 2), because these secrets are
guarded by the authorities, the higher class, or the Inner Party, in order to maintain their
power. What is more, the line “Just make sure that you are looking out for number
1” (verse 1 line 3), is particularly interesting because it refers to a distinct leader figure,
like Big Brother. Presumably, this leader is, above all others, responsible for the ills of
society and, on the one hand, might be able to answers all the questions regarding the
unknown facts. On the other hand, “number 1” can be seen as the person that is
especially blameworthy and should, therefore, be overthrown in the first place. But, as is
pointed out in Orwell’s novel and demonstrated by various historical examples, political
ideologies are usually not maintained by any one individual, but rather have to be
supported by the entire party and a system in the background.
The song “Citizen Erased” is featured on an earlier Muse album called Origin of
Symmetry, which was released in 2001. Nevertheless, the title and some of the song’s
lyrics can, without doubt, be connected to Nineteen Eighty-Four. The song describes
how citizens who don’t conform to government rules are erased, which means being
‘vaporized’. This scenario can obviously be linked to Orwell’s novel (cf. Myers 2007:
141). Especially the following lines explain the mechanisms behind the Ministries in
Oceania: “cover up / What shouldn’t be shared / All the truth’s unwinding / Scraping away
at my mind” (verse 1 line 2-5). The objective truth is covered up and any form of a
subjective truth which is not in line with the Party’s ideology is simply not shared and,
therefore, does not exist. Furthermore, the statement “Erase all the memories / They will
only bring us pain” (verse 3 lines 3-4), seems to be directly addressed at the Thought
Police, demanding that they erase any recollection of a happier past. In a time of
hopelessness, memories are painful to think about. According to Beaumont (2014: 125),
the actual inspiration for this song, was Bellamy’s experience of the “agonies of being
interviewed all the time while simultaneously trying not to give too much away or
contradict himself.” Bellamy’s problems with the media could, to some extent, be
compared to Winston’s situation in Nineteen Eighty-Four, as he also tried to cover up his
crimes and not reveal too much in the torture rooms at the Ministry of Love. However, the
most obvious connection between the song and Orwell’s dystopia is the title.
!54
5.7. Dystopia Then and Now: Concluding Thoughts on the Songs by Muse
By incorporating Nineteen Eighty-Four in their song lyrics Muse pursue an agenda
similar to Bowie's: they too mainly use references to Orwell’s dystopia to stress the
problems of contemporary politics. More than 30 years after the release of Bowie’s
Diamond Dogs and 60 years after the first publication of the novel, the political landscape
has changed, the political relations between countries have improved and deteriorated,
but in their essence the problems have remained the same. In many countries, a
powerful minority is in charge over a large majority and makes biased decisions
according to their own needs without thinking about the larger consequences. The
general well-being of the society is thus often compromised. On their album The
Resistance, Muse primarily criticizes such a problematic political situation, denouncing
the war in Iraq at the beginning of the 21st century and those authorities who initiated it
and profited from the pervasive conflict. The entire album The Resistance revolves
around Bellamy’s political agenda and should serve as a wake-up call to every single
listener.
In contrast to Bowie’s rather narrative approach to the events and problems of his own
dystopian world, Bellamy’s wording plainly points out the flaws in contemporary society
and calls for resistance against the current system. In order to highlight the urgency of
his message, Bellamy uses references to the contents and concepts of Nineteen Eighty-
Four and bluntly incorporates them into the song lyrics. One could argue that Bellamy
regards the former US President George W. Bush being the Big Brother of the real world,
because, in his opinion, Bush is mainly responsible for the War on Terror. In fact, similar
to Big Brother, the politics of the then-US President were based on spreading fear among
the people by presenting horrible images of the war in the media. What is more, it is
maintained by some that the US government - probably backed up by the strong lobby of
the US-weapons industry - ‘created’ an arch enemy, the Axis of Evil, and various
conspiracy theories to justify a pointless demonstration of US power (cf. Axis of evil).
These facts led to a war which could never be won. Tired of this dishonesty and
manipulation in politics, the album The Resistance represents the band’s personal,
musical acts of defiance.
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6. FURTHER EXAMPLES FOR NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR IN SONG LYRICS
This diploma thesis has shown that Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four has inspired a range
of artist from varying genres to make use of the author’s ideas. Not only David Bowie and
Muse, but also a variety of other contemporary musicians have built upon the dystopian
and pessimistic themes of the novel. The following three subchapters present further
examples of song lyrics that make reference to or are based on the contents of Nineteen
Eighty-Four. Essentially, one can distinguish between two types of Nineteen Eighty-Four
based lyrics: on the one hand, like Bowie and Muse, other musicians have produced
song lyrics that refer to actual concepts, themes, and ideas from Nineteen Eighty-Four,
and used these allusions to criticize contemporary politics. These lyrics are described in
subchapter 6.1. On the other hand, some musicians have written song lyrics which
incorporate catchphrases and certain topics of the novel into their song lyrics but do not
otherwise allude to the political aspects of Nineteen Eighty-Four. These song texts are
examined more closely in subchapter 6.2. Subchapter 6.3 presents the song lyrics of the
Eurhythmics’ soundtrack to the movie 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother), which was
released in the year 1984. These songs can be considered as a special case of Nineteen
Eighty-Four based lyrics. Most of the songs that are examined below were taken from
an online list of song lyrics that are based on, retell, or make reference to a work of
literature (cf. List of songs that retell a work of literature).
6.1. Nineteen Eighty-Four Based Lyrics that Criticize Contemporary Issues
Similar to the songs by David Bowie and Muse, the songs discussed below make
reference the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and its concepts, themes, and ideas. It can be
said that these connections to the novel are essentially established in order to point
toward the ills of a society: the topics described in the lyrics can be linked to political
issues - like governmental oppression, the abuse of power, and public surveillance - and
the affiliated decay of humanity as we know it. Connecting them to the well-known
dystopian novel, highlights these issues and creates a sense of urgency. The songwriters
utter a warning to their listeners to take care that Nineteen Eighty-Four does not become
reality. What is more, these references serve the effect of pointing out the similarities
between real life and fiction that might already exist. It can be said that the aim of these
artists is, in its essence, similar to Bowie and Bellamy’s political agendas, as most of
them criticize politics by comparing contemporary events to the world of Nineteen Eighty-
Four.
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The song “Welcome to 1984” by the American punk band Anti-Flag criticizes the political
landscape at the time of its release in 2007. The band has always been dedicated to
political activism and to using their lyrics to voice their discontent (cf. Anti-Flag).
Essentially the lyrics of “Welcome to 1984” stress and criticize the ills resulting from any
act of war as well as the consequent decline of democracy and freedom. These
problems are highlighted by alluding to Nineteen Eighty-Four. The lines of the chorus
point out that what the speaker “thought was the New Millennium is 1984 / Mr. Orwell
from the grave, adding fresh ink to the page” (lines 2-3). The lyrics establish a connection
to the novel and its author and, in fact, even highlight the circumstance that Nineteen
Eighty-Four is a piece a literature that will probably never be finished. Additionally, by
comparing the new millennium to the content of the novel, Anti-Flag points out the
parallels between the two. Because the new millennium has brought no changes and the
current situation is like that of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Orwell’s novel mirrors reality.
According to the negative lyrics by Anti-Flag, if Orwell lived today, he perhaps would
have to add new facts to his novel according to the political developments of the 21st
century. The chorus furthermore stresses that “the unpresident declares an endless
war” (line 3), like the war Big Brother implements in Oceania in order to keep the
totalitarian system alive. In addition, the lyrics declare that “War is peace, and freedom is
the police state” (verse 1 line 4), a statement that resembles the Inner Party’s ideology:
“War is peace, Freedom is slavery” (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 27). The line “The
word of god is now the word of hate” (verse 1 line 3), on the one hand, makes reference
to the Two Minutes Hate in Oceania. On the other hand, it compares the leader of the
society to a god, whose manipulative words spread hate and fear among the people and
obviously alludes to the fact that religious and political principles merge and culminate in
pointless acts of war. In general, this song by Anti-Flag obviously includes various
aspects of the world of Big Brother and links them to the present. But since the made-up
term “unpresident” is used, it seems reasonable to believe that the song also revolves
around former US President George W. Bush’s reign and his War on Terror. Apart from
the examples above, the “unpresident,” who “spews his homophobic speech” (verse 2
line 2), is compared to “Hitler on TV” (verse 2 line 1). It can be said that the speaker, in
addition to the text of Nineteen Eighty-Four, compares contemporary political events to
those of “Nazi Germany” (verse 2 line 1), and makes links to other aspects of this fascist
regime. The speaker declares that “the Allies fought a war to end an extremist fascist
law” (verse 2 line 3), but in his opinion this ideology is prevalent in some societies that
are believed to be democracies. Anti-Flag challenge the reasons for the War on Terror
and ask “what all the fuck we fighted [sic!] for” (verse 2 line 4), if totalitarian systems, like
Bush’s administration, still exist. By comparing contemporary politics to Nineteen Eighty-
Four as well as to Nazi Germany, the lyrics are supposed to stir the listeners’ desire to
challenge the prevailing political system.
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The British band Radiohead makes allusions to Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four by using
direct quotations from the novel in their lyrics. As one of the most innovative, progressive,
and provocative bands of recent decades, Radiohead has never refrained from being
political in their songs. Reacting to the US War on Terror in the Iraq and the
powerlessness felt by many within American society, Radiohead released their album
Hail to the Thief in 2003 (cf. Kreps). According to a review by Ott (2003), the album is
“Orwellian”; a statement which seems to be mainly based on the first two verses of the
song “2+2=5”. The crucial part of Nineteen Eighty-Four, to which the title of this song
alludes to, is, first of all, Winston’s diary entry: “Freedom is the freedom to say that two
plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 73).
Towards the end the novel, O’Brien responds to Winston’s declaration by torturing him in
the Ministry of Love and by ramming the Party’s truth into him: Winston has to
acknowledge that two plus two makes five because in Oceania reality is constructed by
the Inner Party’s truths and claims (cf. Orwell Nineteen Eighty-Four: 215). In the lyrics of
“2+2=5“ the protagonist states that “I’ll stay home forever / Where two and two always
makes up five“ (verse 1 lines 3-4), and, “January has April’s showers / And two and two
always makes up five” (verse 2 lines 3-4). These few lines of the song describe a
desperate situation, in which the protagonist of the song is aware of the mendacity of
society and politics. The phrase “January has April’s showers” supports the assumption
that any kind of truth is possible, that truth can be manipulated, and that there is nothing -
neither the seasons of the year nor the logic of mathematics - that one can rely on. But -
just like Winston in Nineteen Eighty-Four - the protagonist of the song is not in a position
to bring about any real change, as two plus two always equals five and not four. Because
Radiohead is critical concerning US politics and their War on Terror, “2+2=5” should be
read as a political rather than a Nineteen Eighty-Four based song. Of course, a
connection to the novel is made in the title of the song and in the quotations that are
used in the verses but, otherwise, the song contains criticism of George W. Bush’s
administration. Lines like, “It’s the devil’s way now” (verse 3 line 1), or “Oh hail to the
thief” (verse 4 line 8) could be references either Bush’s or Big Brother’s ideology and
politics. George W. Bush’s time in office was shaped by corrupt politics which is why, on
the one hand, he can be described as the “devil” because he demonized, for instance,
those who were against him in his War on Terror, referring to these countries as an ‘axis
of evil’. On the other hand, Bush’s major aim during his war in Iraq was to ensure future
oil supplies for the US, which they thievishly and violently acquired (cf. Rajwade 2006:
4863-4864).
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In 1970, the American rock band Spirit released their song “1984” (cf. Spirit (band)). The
title of the song, which is repeated in the first line of the choruses, establishes a first,
direct connection to the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. In addition, the verses talk about a
“brother” (verse 2 line 3), an allusion to Big Brother, and the “classic plastic
coppers” (verse 4 line 1), probably a reference to the Thought Police. Essentially, the
song displays the brother - the manifestation of the political system in Nineteen Eighty-
Four - knocking on people’s doors in order to be let into their houses or their lives,
respectively. The following questions are asked: “Will you let [the year 1984] come? / Will
you let it run your life?” (chorus lines 3-4). According to these lines, it the speaker of this
song worries that the events and scenarios portrayed in the novel will soon inevitably
become reality. The brother tries to persuade people that the “darkness gives you much
more / Than you get from the light” (verse 1 lines 3-4), and thus wishes to ruin society by
spreading his horrible ideology. As in many of the aforementioned song lyrics, the fact
that the brother and the coppers “see you every night“ (verse 4 line 2) is emphasized, an
allusion to the constant surveillance in a controlled society. As soon as the year 1984
arrives, one’s “freedom is dead” (verse 3 line 3). This future scenario is “no game” (e.g.
verse 2 line 3), but rather a serious prediction. That is why people “should stand up and
fight” (verse 3 line 2), in order to maintain their standard of living. Since the lyrics to this
song were written during the Cold War, like Bowie’s album Diamond Dogs, it seems
natural that the band Spirit was anxious about the future. The song “1984” can be
interpreted as a warning not to let totalitarianism take over, as it did in the world of
Nineteen Eighty-Four.
6.2. Nineteen Eighty-Four in other Song Lyrics
In contrast to the songs that use Nineteen Eighty-Four to criticize contemporary political
and social issues, the following lyrics make reference to various other themes of the
novel without any clear connection to contemporary politics. In terms of content, some of
the songs partly seize on certain aspects of the novel and elaborate on them in more
detail within the lyrics. Essentially, allusions to Orwell’s novel are mainly used to
underline the general pessimistic tone of the songs.
The song “Winston Smith Takes It on the Jaw,” by the US band Utopia, retells the story of
Nineteen Eighty-Four to such an extent that it can actually be considered a perfect
summary of the novel. Utopia, a progressive rock band of the 1970s and 1980s, released
their song in the actual year of 1984 (cf. Utopia (American band)). The title of the song -
“Winston Smith Takes It on the Jaw” - in fact, already highlights the contextual link
between the lyrics and Orwell’s piece of literature and, furthermore, points toward the
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main theme of the song: Winston’s resistance against Big Brother, the so-called “jaw.” 10
To make the connections between the song and the novel even more obvious, the band
uses various terms, like “memory hole” or “101”, that directly quote and refer to the
content of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Essentially, the song text makes use of the
chronological, narrative style of the novel: in the first verse, the speaker, Winston Smith,
refers to the bad condition of the controlled society and economy he lives in and points
out that he has “got no razor blades, […] no victory gin / […] no tiny alcove to hide myself
in” (lines 1-2). But, despite his hopeless situation, he meets Julia, the “girl from the anti-
sex youth” (line 4), and establishes a fulfilling, physical relationship with her. In order to
keep their romance a secret, he finds them “a place where there’s no telescreen / And
there’s no hidden mikes and it’s not too unclean” (verse 2 lines 1-2). The novel describes
how Winston and Julia feel almost sure that their crimes will not be discovered, but the
song text points out that “The low” - probably an allusion to either the proles or even to
Winston and Julia - “don’t want to know they tell all with their faces” (verse 2 line 5). The
lyrics by Utopia stress that “the low” do not accept the fact that their secrets are not safe
from the Thought Police but, unfortunately, their ‘guilt’ is written in their faces.
Furthermore, Winston begins to realize the dangers of his romance and wonders if he’ll
be able to see Julia again or if the two lovers will be captured soon. Foreseeing the
future, Winston states that “they will take the book [his diary] away from me / So let them
catch me talking in my sleep” (verse 2 lines 8-9), and he seems to be rather indifferent
about his fate. Winston’s insight that he apparently “never really understood the
law” (verse 2 line 10), makes him challenge Big Brother, “So Winston Smith takes it on
the jaw” (verse 2 line 11). Then, Winston addresses Julia, stating, “let’s do what we want,
it makes no difference now / […] we’re dead anyhow” (verse 3 lines 1-2). If Winston and
Julia are captured, they will be severely punished, kicked “out of the party” as well as
“bust […] to parole” and finally hauled “off to 101” (verse 3 lines 3+5). The two lovers are
brainwashed and their memories are erased, as the Thought Police stuff “both into a
memory hole” (verse 3 line 4). This torture goes on until they finally surrender. But,
despite these risks “Winston Smith takes it on the jaw” (verse 3 line 8), and rises against
Big Brother and the Inner Party. By retelling these events from and facts about the novel,
the band Utopia stresses Winston’s resistant attitude against the higher power. Once
more, the act of love is used as the primary means of resistance and to “take it on the
jaw”.
As mentioned in the chapters on David Bowie’s songs, Dogget referred to Big Brother and his “savage lure” as 10
his “savage jaw“ because many people tend to mishear this particular line in Bowie’s “1984”. It is reasonable to assume that the band Utopia also misheard Bowie’s original lyrics and based their song on this mondegreen “savage jaw.”
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A further lyrical example that has taken its inspiration from the themes of Orwell’s
Nineteen Eighty-Four is the song “The Future Is Now” by the US rock band The
Offspring. The song was released in 2012 on their album As Days Go By, which puts its
general focus on the transience of life. The song “The Future Is Now” examines the
theme of death, but examined more closely, it becomes clear that the song makes many
references to Nineteen Eighty-Four (cf. Stanciu 2012; Weber 2012). The most obvious
connection is the line “Flashback 1984” (verse 1 line 5) which points to the fact that the
contents of “The Future Is Now” retell events of the novel in retrospect and thus transfer
Orwell’s dystopia to the present. In fact, the line, “Running down a spiral” (verse 2 line 1),
as well as the title of the song stress the general, recurring nature of history. The first
verse describes a rebellion which is initiated by a “thought that starts a riot” (line 7). A
thought that has this effect can be compared to committing Thoughtcrime in Nineteen
Eighty-Four. Additionally, aspects of surveillance and the protection of one’s privacy are
addressed in the lines, “Now you see me, now you don’t” (verse 2 line 9), and, “Turn off
the lights / They’ll get inside of you” (verse 4 lines 1-2). The fact that in a world full of
darkness the “skies are blue inside” him (verse 4 line 3), an allusion to the speaker’s
illegitimate thoughts and deeds, is problematic because those who do not stick to the
rules of a society always stand out of the crowd, as does Winston in Oceania. The line
“They’re coming after me now” (verse 1 line 8), points out the consequences of this
Thoughtcrime since it describes the protagonist’s prosecution by the Thought Police.
Elaborating on this topic, chorus 1 describes what is bound to happen after one is
eventually captured and taken to the Ministry of Love. Addressing a Party member,
perhaps O’Brien or even Big Brother himself, the speaker asks: “Will you take what’s in
my head? / And erase me when I’m dead?” (lines 1-2), alluding again to brainwashing
and the erasure of one’s memory. Being dead can, in this case, also refer to the death
and elimination of the protagonist’s former rebellious spirit, comparable to how Winston’s
spirit died after he was tortured at the Ministry of Love. Another interesting phrase can be
found in pre-chorus 2, where it says “Life is just god’s game” (line 1). From the novel’s
point of view, “god” can be read as an allusion to a god-like Big Brother, the highest
authority of Oceania, who plays with and controls the lives of his inhabitants. The line
essentially stresses the hopelessness of escaping one’s fate in a totalitarian society like
this.
In 2009, the band Thrice, a US rock band, released a song called “Doublespeak”. In an
interview about their album Beggars, the singer and songwriter of the band, Dustin
Kensrue, stated that he generally takes his ideas from literary influences and sources,
which, in the case of the song “Doublespeak” is without doubt Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-
Four (cf. Khan 2010; Thrice). The title of the song “Doublespeak” is a Newspeak word
and thus establishes the first connection to Orwell’s novel. Though this expression is not
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actually used in the novel, it is similar to the concept of Doublethink, which refers to the
government’s control of reality in Oceania. Content-wise, the song “Doublespeak”
focuses on a protagonist who adapts himself to the prevalent living conditions by keeping
his “toes on the party line” (verse 2 line 4). A direct connection to Nineteen Eighty-Four is
established by describing aspects of Doublethink, or Doublespeak, respectively:
surveillance, and betrayal. In verse 1, the speaker states: “I drug my heart with
doublespeak / All my misgivings disappear / It helps to keep my conscience clean” (lines
1-3). These lines point out how the protagonist is dependent on the reality controlling
mechanisms of Doublespeak, like a drug, in order to be able to cope with his doubts
about the world he lives in. Even though he is distracted by Doublespeak, he is alert to
his surroundings, stating, “I’m always careful what I hear” (line 5). The protagonist
pretends to be taken with Doublespeak, but essentially he is desperately trying to find out
the truth behind this concept. The protagonist of this song shows obvious similarities to
Winston Smith, who is also eager to find out the secret behind the system of Big Brother.
In fact, the line, “The ends will justify the means” (verse 1 line 4), can be compared to Big
Brother’s ideology that “[t]he Party seeks power entirely for its own sake” (Orwell
Nineteen Eighty-Four: 227). In both cases, the lines do not give away the truth that lies
behind the political system of Oceania. The first line of the pre-chorus, “I don’t wanna
know who really pulls the strings,” refers to the controlling forces behind society. The
protagonist would like to ignore or deny the fact that someone like Big Brother in
Nineteen Eighty-Four is in charge of leading his world. Nevertheless, he keeps his “toes
on the party line,” trying not to cross it and to keep to its rules, perhaps ironically stating
“There is nothing wrong dear, don’t think twice” (lines 4-5). In terms of content, the lyrics
mainly focus on the psychological problems, like mind-control, paranoia, and deceit that
the protagonist encounters on a daily basis. The song does not necessarily narrate the
life of Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, but it is conceivable that the people of
Oceania would express doubts and attitudes like those mentioned above. As the song
alludes to life in a society in which the inhabitants’ minds are controlled by Doublespeak,
and which is ruled by a Party whose “ends will justify the means,” there is a clear
connection to the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and the ideas it represents.
Another example of lyrics based on Nineteen Eighty-Four is the song “Talk Shows on
Mute” by the American band Incubus. This song was released on the band’s album A
Crow Left of the Murder in 2004 (cf. Talk Shows on Mute). As indicated by the title of the
song, its general contents allude to, amongst others, being on and watching television.
Interestingly, some lines of “Talk Shows on Mute” establish a connection between the
narration of the song in the present and the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. The chorus,
“Come one, come all / Into 1984” (lines 1-2), invites the audience to follow the
protagonist to the year 1984. Similar to the aforementioned lyrics by The Offspring, this
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song’s text stresses the fact that its content resemble a flashback to the events of the
novel. However, besides the direct reference to the title, the song hardly alludes to
Orwell’s dystopia. Essentially, the verses provide the listeners with an image of a fake
society, consisting of people with an “‘Impress me’ personality” (verse 1 line 5), who live
in the “Comfort of America” (e.g. verse 2 line 4). Verse 5, “You’re so much more /
Endearing with the sound turned off” (lines 5-6), might refer to the telescreens in
Nineteen Eighty-Four, which are a nuisance since they cannot be turned off at all. But it
seems more natural to view these lines as criticism of television in general, since the title
of the song is “Talk Shows on Mute”. Because the lyrics of the song can be examined
from various points of view, one interpretation could indeed establish a thematic
connection to Nineteen Eighty-Four. Apart from the direct reference to “1984” in the
chorus, and the above-mentioned criticism of television, there is hardly any lyrical
evidence that would support this assertion. Interestingly, while the key words in the lyrics
partly allude to George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the music video to the song “Talk
Shows on Mute” depicts a world in which animals, behaving like humans, dominate the
world. Thus, the band Incubus can also be seen as making reference to one of Orwell’s
former novels, Animal Farm , written in 1945 (cf. Talk Shows on Mute). 11
6.3. The Nineteen Eighty-Four Movie Soundtrack
In 1984, the band Eurythmics released their album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother),
the film soundtrack to a film adaption of Nineteen Eighty-Four. In general, just few of the
song lyrics relate to the contents of the novel: most of the tracks are instrumental only or
solely repeat the same phrase throughout the entire song. Only the three songs
examined in this section actually deal with the content of the novel. In order to
emphasize the close relationship between their lyrics and Nineteen Eighty-Four,
Eurythmics use direct quotations from the novel, as can be seen, for instance, in the
lyrics of “Doubleplusgood”. What is more, all of the song titles make reference to the
novel, as they are the musical themes to certain scenes, like the songs “Room 101” and
“Ministry of Love”. As one of the most successful musical duos of the 1980s, singer Annie
Lennox and musician Dave Stewart were famous for their rhythmic, electronic beats, but
not really for the lyrics of their songs (cf. Erlewine; 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother).
Because of the fact that the main aim of these lyrics is to support the different scenes of
the movie adaption with music, the poetic qualities and the interpretative opportunities for
Orwell’s animal fable retells the history of the Russian Revolution 1917 that eventually led to the emergence of 11
the Soviet Union. It has been argued that Nineteen Eighty-Four might, in fact, be the thematic and historical continuation of Animal Farm (cf. Lea 2001: 7-9).
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the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) are scarce. For this reason, the Eurythmics’
contribution to Nineteen Eighty-Four based lyrics is not as remarkable as those of David
Bowie or Muse.
The song “Doubleplusgood” is a musical representation of a news sequence, which is
directly and entirely quoted from the novel, read by a female announcer (Orwell Nineteen
Eighty-Four: 26). In verse 1, the announcer describes the course of the war, how the
“forces in South India have won glorious victory” (line 3), and that these events might
“bring the war within measurable distance of its end” (line 5). Verse 2 consists of memos
written in Newspeak, telling the person who receives them - in this case perhaps Winston
himself - how to rewrite newspaper articles in order to erase and distort memories of the
past. The different choruses of the songs are repetitions of the terms “Doubleplusgood”
and “Doubleunplusgood”, which are the Newspeak words for ‘very good’ and ‘very bad’.
The song itself does not provide the listener with much information about the novel as
such, but it gives a general impression of Newspeak and how news is spread and used
as a means of manipulation in Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The song “Julia” describes Winston and Julia’s romance, and basically focuses on the
question of what the future might bring for the two lovers. They ask themselves “Will we
still be there?” (e.g. verse 4 line 1), in autumn, “When the leaves turn from green to
brown” (verse 1 line1), in winter when “icy breezes chill the air” (verse 2 line 2), and in
spring when “everything is new again” (verse 3 line 3). The speaker describes the
steadily deteriorating conditions but, nevertheless, a slight hope for change in the future
is voiced since one day the world will be “new again.” The song lyrics continue by
pointing out the two doomed lovers’ fear that their dangerous living conditions in Oceania
will not change, but “everything [will] be just the same” (verse 3 line 3). Regarding the
lyrics’ communicative situation, it can be said that Winston forcefully and repeatedly asks
the crucial question of whether a suitable future is possible or not, but there is no answer.
Winston can only overcome the fear of what the answer to this question may be with the
help of Julia; either Julia herself is the answer or she may know it. This assumption can
be based on the fact that throughout the song Julia’s name is repeated by the backing
vocals.
Another song from the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) is called “Sexcrime.”
Despite the title, the lyrics hardly cover any aspect of Sexcrime. The chorus mentions the
term, but the underlying concept is not explained. Verse 1 makes reference to Julia and
Winston’s hiding place in the woods, their “wintery home,” in which they feel safe and
unnoticed (line 4). But in Oceania “there’s always someone in” (verse 1 line 5), meaning
it is impossible to avoid being watched by Big Brother and the Thought Police. In verse 3,
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the speaker, probably Winston, states “I’ll pull the bricks down / One by one / Leave a big
hole in the wall / Just where you are looking in” (lines 1-4), and surrenders to the
omnipresent observers. These lines highlight the pointlessness of hiding oneself and
ironically proclaim that by leaving “a big hole in the wall” the protagonist is so desperate
that he will even cooperate with the enemy. Since surveillance is a key aspect of the
politics in Oceania one could also simply “face the wall” (verse 2 line 1), and face Big
Brother, who is always looking in. In a highly forlorn state of mind, the protagonist damns
his existence and wishes that he could “[be] unborn” (verse 2 line 3), and “unliving
here” (verse 2 line 4). These lyrics reflect the fact that living conditions in Oceania are
obviously too much to bear.
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7. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
This thesis has aimed to demonstrate why and how contemporary singers, songwriters,
and musicians make use of Nineteen Eighty-Four based lyrics in their songs. In general,
it can be said that due to the timelessness and the relevance of Orwell’s novel, especially
with regard to political and social issues, it is hardly surprising that for the past 45 years
various musicians have drawn on Orwell’s dystopian ideas and incorporated them into
their song lyrics. Incidentally, the first group to make use of the contents of Orwell’s novel
was the US band Spirit in 1970. The themes of Nineteen Eighty-Four which have been
most frequently quoted or referred to in song lyrics are aspects of totalitarianism and
dictatorships, of life under surveillance in a police state, of the generation of fear via
permanent wars and images shown in media, as well as of the protagonists’ love affair as
an act of resistance. At their roots, many of the artists share a similar agenda, which is
why resembling metaphors and allusions to Nineteen Eighty-Four can be found in their
song lyrics.
This thesis has endeavoured to show that most of the song lyrics it analyzes serve to
highlight and criticize the contemporary political and societal ills. In fact, Orwell’s
Nineteen Eighty-Four has a similar aim since the author himself was eager to stress and
denounce the cruel living conditions during and briefly after WWII. It can thus be said that
the songwriters who have based their lyrics on this novel, and thereby have pointed out
the resemblance between the fictional world and reality, are following in Orwell’s
footsteps and, in a way, are continuing his legacy. In general, it is interesting to see how
the use of Orwell’s dystopia has shifted from being a means of political propaganda
briefly after its publication to an effective means of criticism against unjust politics today.
The song lyrics that originated at the time of the Cold War, like those on Bowie’s album
Diamond Dogs, mostly aim at criticizing totalitarianism and dictatorship, since the fear of
Communism and the threat of a nuclear disaster was foremost in people’s minds.
Bowie’s songs foretell a doomed mankind, whose downfall resulted from totalitarianism,
supported by metaphors alluding to Nineteen Eighty-Four. In a way, these Nineteen
Eighty-Four based lyrics utter a warning not to let the content of the novel become reality.
In the present, Nineteen Eighty-Four based song lyrics of the 21st century no longer
criticize the communist system, as it no longer exists in the same form, but rather
denounce the measures taken to fight terrorism during the reign of former US President
George W. Bush. Apart from Muse, the bands Radiohead and Anti-Flag also use their
songs to point out how the War on Terror and its depiction in the media both spread fear
and manipulated US citizens. By comparing these contemporary events to Orwell’s novel
!66
Nineteen Eighty-Four, these musicians aim to enlighten people and provoke critical
thinking. On their album The Resistance, Muse has taken these ideas a step further as
they call for resistance against the prevailing political system.
In conclusion, it can be stated that, while it might at first seem surprising that so many
different artists from the pop, rock, and punk scenes have used Orwell’s novel as the
basis for their song lyrics, their reasons for doing so are by all means understandable.
Once more, it becomes clear that the themes of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four are
timeless and always relevant. In their song, the band Anti-Flag highlights that “Mr. Orwell
from the grave” might have to add “fresh ink to the page,” since the themes and incidents
of his dystopian vision of the world have not yet been exhausted, nor will they ever be.
For this reason, it is reasonable to expect, or even predict, that in the future Orwell’s
novel might serve as an inspiration for generations of musicians and songwriters to
come.
!67
8. BIBLIOGRAPHY
8.1. Primary Sources
Songs Lyrics
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!68
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[2016, Feb. 23rd].
Printed Literature
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8.2. Secondary Sources
Printed Literature
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Interplay of Lyrics, Vocals and Performance.“ In: Eoin Devereux, Aileen Dillane and
Martin J. Power, eds. David Bowie. Critical Perspectives. Routledge Studies in Popular
Music 6. New York: Routledge. 263-279.
!69
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Revisited. Totalitarianism in our Century. New York: Harper & Row Publishers Inc. 57-71.
Beaumont, Mark (2014). Out of this World. The Story of Muse [2008]. London: Omnibus
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the World.“ In: Rachel Carroll and Adam Hansen, eds. Litpop. Writing and Popular Music.
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Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. The Definitive History of the Most
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Howe, ed. 1984 Revisited. Totalitarianism in our Century. New York: Harper & Row
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+ B o w i e & h l = d e & s a = X & v e d = 0 a h U K E w i 8 z s H 3 s o b M A h W I 0 x Q K H d d -
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Mississippi. 122-133.
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!73
8.3. Appendix: Lyrics
The lyrics are taken from the pages as cited in the bibliography and, in some cases, misspellings have
been slightly adapted by me.
Anti-Flag (2007). “Welcome to 1984.“
Verse 1
Who would Jesus bomb? Yeah, who would Jesus
kill?
The double talk is past surreal
The word of god is now the word of hate
War is peace, and freedom is the police state
Can't you see the writing on the wall?
Democracy lays trampled on the floor
You better believe that
Chorus
Hell yeah, I'm confused for sure
What I thought was the New Millennium is 1984
Mr. Orwell from the grave, adding fresh ink to the
page
As the unpresident declares an endless war
Welcome to 1984
Verse 2
Feels like Nazi Germany and Hitler on TV
As the unpresident spews his homophobic
speech
Didn't the allies fight a war to end extremist
fascist law
So tell me now what are the fuck we fighting for?
Verse 3
I just can not take it anymore
Democracy lays trampled on the floor
Man, isn't freedom great
Repetition of Chorus
Verse 4
Now we've got armies of peace, armed to the
teeth
Delivering death to make the world a better place
So celebrate the weapons spending, say a toast
to Armageddon
Raise some hell, we're all headed straight to hell
Repetition of Chorus
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2001). “Citizen Erased.“
Verse 1
Break me in, teach us to cheat
And to lie, cover up
What shouldn't be shared
All the truth's unwinding
Scraping away at my mind
Please stop asking me to describe
Chorus
For one moment
I wish you'd hold your stage
With no feelings at all
Open minded
I'm sure I used to be so free
Verse 2
Self expressed, exhausting for all
To see and to be
What you want and what you need
The truth's unwinding
Scraping away at my mind
Please stop asking me to describe
Repetition of Chorus (2x)
Verse 3
Wash me away
Clean your body of me
Erase all the memories
They will only bring us pain
And I've seen, all I'll ever need
!74
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). “Guiding Lights.“
Verse 1
Pure hearts stumble
in my hands, they crumble
Fragile and stripped to the core
I can't hurt you anymore
Verse 2
Loved by numbers
you're losing life's wonder
touch like strangers; detached
I can't feel you anymore
Verse 3
The sunshine trapped in our hearts
it could rise again
but I'm lost, crushed, cold and confused
with no guiding light left inside
You were my guiding light
Verse 4
When comfort and warmth can't be found
I still reach for you
but I'm lost, crushed, cold and confused
with no guiding light left inside
Chorus
You're my guiding light
You're my guiding light
when there's no guiding light left inside
when there's no guiding light in our lives
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). “MK Ultra.“
Verse 1
The wavelength gently grows
Coercive notions re-evolve
A universe is trapped inside a tear
it resonates the core
creates unnatural laws
replaces love and happiness with fear
Chorus 1
how much deception can you take
how many lies will you create
how much longer until you break
your mind's about to fall
and they are breaking through
they are breaking through
they are breaking through
we are losing control
they are breaking through
they are breaking through
they are breaking through
now we are falling
we are losing control
Verse 2
Invisible to all
The mind becomes a wall
All of history deleted with one stroke
Chorus 2
how much deception can you take
how many lies will you create
how much longer until you break
your mind's about to fall
and they are breaking through
they are breaking through
they are breaking through
now we are falling
we are losing control
!75
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). “Resistance.“
Verse 1
Is our secret safe tonight
and are we out of sight
Or will our world come tumbling down?
Will they find our hiding place
is this our last embrace
or will the walls start caving in?
Pre-Chorus
It could be wrong, could be wrong, but it should
have been right
It could be wrong, could be wrong, to let our
hearts ignite
It could be wrong, could be wrong, are we
digging a hole?
It could be wrong, could be wrong, this is out of
control
It could be wrong, could be wrong, it can never
last
It could be wrong, could be wrong, must erase it
fast
It could be wrong, could be wrong, but it should
have been right
It could be wrong could be….
Chorus
Love is our resistance
They'll keep us apart and they won’t stop
breaking us down
Hold me
our lips must always be sealed
Verse 2
If we live a life in fear
I'll wait a thousand years
just to see you smile again
Kill your prayers for love and peace
You'll wake the thought police
we can't hide the truth inside
Repetition of Pre-Chorus
Repetition of Chorus
Verse 3
The night has reached it's end
We can't pretend
We must run
We must run
Its time to run
Take us away from here
Protect us from further harm
Resistance
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). “Uprising.“
Verse 1
Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed
down
And hope that we will never see the truth around
Verse 2
Another promise, another seed
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in
greed
And all the green belts wrapped around our
minds
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
Chorus 1
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Verse 3
Interchanging mind control
Come let the, revolution takes its toll
If you could flick the switch and open your third
eye
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
Verse 4
Rise up and take the power back
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack
They know that their time's coming to an end
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend
Chorus 2
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not enslave us
We will be victorious
!76
Chorus 3
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They can not control us
We will be victorious
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). "United States Of Eurasia“
Verse 1
You and me are the same
We don't know or care who's to blame
But we know that whoever holds the reigns
Nothing will change
Our cause has gone insane
And these wars they can't be won
And these wars they can't be won
Do you want them to go on and on and on?
Why split these states
When there can be only one
And must we do as we're told?
Must still do as we're told?
Verse 2
You and me fall in line
To be punished for unproven crimes
And we know that there's no one we can trust
Our ancient heroes
They are turning to dust
And these wars they can't be won
Does anyone know or care how they begun?
They just promise to go on and on and on
But soon we will see
There can be only one
United States United States of Eurasia, Eurasia,
…
Bellamy, Matthew / Muse (2009). “Unnatural Selection“.
Chorus 1
They'll laugh as they watch us fall
The lucky don't care at all
No chance for fate
It's unnatural selection
I want the truth
Verse 1
I am hungry for some unrest
I want to push this beyond a peaceful protest
I wanna speak in a language that they'll
understand
Dedication, to a new age
Is this the end of destruction and rampage?
Another chance to erase then repeat it again
Pre-Chorus
Counter balance this commotion
We're not droplets in the ocean
Repetition of Chorus 1
Verse 2
No religion or mind virus'
Is there a hope that the facts will ever find us
Just make sure that your are looking out for
number 1
I am hungry for an unrest
Lets push this beyond a peaceful protestI wanna
speak in a language that you will understand
Repetition of Pre-Chorus
Chorus 2
They'll laugh as they watch us crawl
The lucky don't share at all
No hope for fate, its a random chance selection
I want the truth
Verse 3
Try to ride out the storm
Whilst they'll make you believe,
That they are the special ones, (we have not
been chosen)
Injustice is the norm
You won't be the first and you know you won't be
the last
Repetition of Pre-Chorus
Chorus 4
They'll laugh as they watch us fall
The lucky don't care at all
No chance for fate
It's unnatural selection
I want the truth, I want the truth
I want the truth, I want the truth
!77
Bowie, David (1974). “1984“
Verse 1
Someday they will get you now you must agree
The times they are a telling
And the changing isn't free
You've read it in the tea leaves
and the tracks are on TV
Beware the savage lure of 1984
Verse 2
They'll split your pretty cranium
And fill it full of air
And tell you that you're eighty
But brother you won't care
You'll be shooting up on anything
tomorrow's never there
Beware the savage lure of 1984
Come see, come see remember me?
We played an all night movie role
You said it would last
But I guess we enrolled in 1984, 1984
Verse 3
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
Beware the savage lure of 1984
1984,…
Bowie, David (1974). "Big Brother"
Verse 1
Don't talk of dust and roses
Or should we powder our noses?
Don't talk of last years capers
Give me steel, give me steel
Give me pulsars unreal
Verse 2
He'll build a glass asylum
With just a hint of mayhem
He'll build a better whirlpool
We'll be living from sin
Then we can really begin
Bridge
Please saviour, saviour show us
Hear me, I'm graphically yours
Chorus
Someone to claim us - someone to follow
Someone to shame us - some brave Apollo
Someone to fool us - someone like you
We want you Big Brother - Big Brother
Pre-Chorus
I know you think you're awful square
But you made everyone and you've been
everywhere
Lord I think you'd overdose if you knew what's
going down
Repetition of Chorus
David Bowie (1974). “Candidate.“
Verse 1
I’ll make you a deal
Like any other candidate
We’ll pretend we’re walking home
‘Cause your future’s at stake
My set is amazing
It even smells like a street
There’s a bar at the end
Where I can meet you and your friend
Someone scrawled on the wall
I smell the blood
Of les tricoteuses
Who wrote up scandals
In other bars
Verse 2
I’m having so much fun
With the
Poisonous people
Spreading rumours and lies and stories
they made up
Some make you sing
And some make you scream
One makes you wish
That you’d never been seen
But there’s a shop on the corner
That’s selling papier mache
Making bullet proof faces
Charles Manson Cassius Clay
!78
If you want it boys
Get it here thing
So you scream out of line
I want you I need you
Anyone out there any time
A tres butch little number whines
Hey dirty I want you
When it’s good
It’s really good and when it’s
Bad I go to pieces
If you want it boys
Get it here thing
Verse 3
Well on the street where you live
I could not hold up my head
For I put all I have in another bed
On another floor in the back of a car
In a cellar like a church with the door ajar
Well I guess we must be looking for a different
kind
But we can’t stop trying till we break up our
minds
Till the sun drip blood on the seedy young
knights
Who press you on the ground while shaking in
fright
I guess we could cruise down one more time
With you by my side it should be fine
We’ll buy some drugs and watch a band
Then jump in a river holding hands
Bowie, David (1974). “Candidate (Demo).“
Verse 1
Inside every teenage girl there's a fountain
Inside every young pair of pants there's a
mountain
Inside every mother's eyes is Tommy Tinkrem's
bed
Inside every candidate waits a grateful dead
Verse 2
I make it a thing, when I'm on my own to relieve
myself
I make it a thing, when I gazelle on stage to
believe in myself
I make it a thing, to glance in window panes and
look pleased with myself
Yeah, and pretend I'm walking home
Verse 3
I took it so bad, I sat in the correction room
Took me a fag, and a kick in the moon
Well, I ain't gonna suck no radar wing
Because inside this tin is tin
Would you like to techno-plate cause I'm your
candidate
Oh yeah
Verse 4
It's a matter of life
And the way you walk, you've got a brylcream
queen
It's a matter of tact
In the things you talk, that keeps his passport
clean
A matter of fact
That a cock ain't a cock on a twelve inch screen
So i'll pretend i'm walking home
Verse 5
You don't have to scream a lot to keep an age in
tune
You don't have to scream a lot to predict
monsoons
You don't have to paint my contact black
Now i've hustled a pair of jeans
Do I have to give your money back when I'm the
Fuhrerling?
Verse 6
I'll make you a deal
I'll say I came from earth and my tongue is taped
I'll make you a deal
You can get your kicks on the candidate
I'll make you a deal
For your future's sake, I'm the candidate
Let's pretend we're walking home
Chorus
Uh-huh, uh-huh
I'm the candidate
I'm the candidate
Vote now for the candidate
!79
Bowie, David (1974). “Future Legends.“
Verse
And ... in the death - as the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare - the shutters lifted in
inches in Temperance Building - high on Poachers Hill and red mutant eyes gazed down on Hunger City -
no more big wheels - fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats and ten thousand peoploids split
into small tribes coveting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers - like packs of dogs assaulting the glass
fronts of Love Me Avenue - ripping and re-wrapping mink and shiny silver fox - now leg warmers - family
badge of sapphire and cracked emeralds - any day now - the year of the Diamond Dogs
"This ain’t Rock ‘n Roll -this is Genocide“.
Bowie, David (1974). “Rebel Rebel.“
Verse 1
You've got your mother in a whirl
She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl
Hey Babe, your hair’s alright
Hey Babe, let’s go out tonight
You like me and I like it all
We like dancing and we look divine
You love bands when they're playing hard
You want more and you want it fast
They put you down, they say I’m wrong
You tacky thing
You put them on
Chorus
Rebel Rebel you’ve torn your dress
Rebel Rebel your face is a mess
Rebel Rebel how could they know
Hot tramp, I love you so
Verse 2
You’ve torn your dress
Your face is a mess
You can’t get enough but enough ain't the test
You’ve got your transmission and a live wire
You’ve got your cue lines and a handful of ludes
You wanna be there when they count up the
dudes
And I love your dress
You’re a juvenile success
Because your face is a mess
So how could they know?
I said, how could they know?
Verse 3
So what you wanna know
Calamity's child, chi-chile, chi-chile
Where'd you wanna go?
What can I do for you?
Looks like you've been there too
'Cause you've torn your dress
And your face is a mess
Ooo, your face is a mess
Ooo, ooo, so how could they know?
Eh, eh how could they know?
Eh, eh
Bowie, David (1974). "We Are The Dead.“
Verse 1
Something kind of hit me today
I looked at you and wondered
If you saw things my way
People will hold us to blame
It hit me today, it hit me today
Verse 2
We're taking it hard all the time
Why don't we pass it by
Just reply you've changed your mind
We're fighting with the eyes of the blind
Taking it hard taking it hard yet now
!80
Verse 3
We feel that we are paper choking on you nightly
They tell me, Son, we want you be elusive
But don't walk far
For we're breaking in the new boys
Deceive your next of kin
For you're dancing
Where the dogs decay defecating ecstasy
You're just an ally of the leecher
Locator for the virgin king
But I love you in your fuck-me pumps
And your nimble dress that trails
Chorus 1
Oh dress yourself my urchin one
For I hear them on the rails
Because of all we've seen, because of all we've
said
We are the dead
Verse 4
One thing kind of touched me today
I looked at you and counted
All the times we had laid
Pressing our love through the night
Knowing it's right knowing it's right
Now I'm hoping someone will care
Living on the breath of a hope to be shared
Trusting on the sons of our love
That someone will care, someone will care
But now we're today's scrambled creatures
Locked in tomorrow's double feature
Heaven is on the pillow
Its silence competes with hell
It's a twenty-four-hour service
Guaranteed to make you tell
Verse 5
And the streets are full of pressmen
Bent on gettin' hung and buried
And the legendary curtains
Are drawn round baby bankrupt
Who sucks you while you're sleeping
It’s the theater of financiers
Count them fifteen round the table
White and dressed to kill
Chorus 2
Oh caress yourself my juicy
For my hands are all but withered
Oh dress yourself my urchin one
For I hear them on the stairs
Because of all we've seen, because of all we've
said
We are the dead
We are the dead
We are the dead
Eurythmics (1984). “Doubleplusgood.“
Verse 1
Attention, your attention, please
A newsflash has this moment arrived from the
Malabar front
Our forces in South India have won a glorious
victory
I am authorized to say that the action we are now
reporting
May, well bring the war within measurable
distance of its end
Here is the newsflash
Chorus 1 (4x)
Plusgood
Doubleplusgood
Plusgood
Doubleplusgood
Verse 2
Doubleplusgood
Times 17.3.84 bb speech mal reported Africa
rectify
Times 19.12.83 forecasts 3 YP 4th quarter
83 misprints, verify current issue
Times 14.12.84 mini plenty mal quoted,
chocolate rectify
Times 3.12.83 reporting bb day order
doubleplusungood
Repetition of Chorus 1 (4x)
Chorus 2
Doubleplusgood
Doubleplusungood
Doubleplusgood
Doubleplusungood
D-d-double, d-d-double, d-d-double
Repetition of Chorus 1 (4x)
!81
Chorus 3
Doubleplusungood
Doubleplusungood
D-d-doubleplus, d-d-doubleplus, d-d-doubleplus
D-d-doubleplus, d-d-double, d-d-double, d-d-
double
Doubleplusungood
D-d-double, d-d-double, d-d-double
D-d-doubleplusungood
Bridge
Your attention, please
Your attention, please
Repetition of Chorus 1 (fade out)
Eurythmics (1984). “Julia.“
Verse 1
(Julia) When the leaves turn from green to brown
And autumn shades come tumbling down
(Julia) To leave a carpet on the ground
Where we have laid
Verse 2
(Julia) When winter leaves her branches bare
And icy breezes chill the air
(Oh Julia) The freezing snow lies everywhere
My darling, will we still be there?
(Oh Julia)
Verse 3
(Julia) When spring rejoices down the lane
And everything is new again
Will everything be just the same
Will we be there?
(Oh Julia)
Repetition of Verse 1
Repetition of Verse 2
Verse 4
(Julia) Will we still be there?
Will we still be there?
(Oh Julia) Will we still be there?
Will we, will we, will we?
Will we, will we?
(Julia) Will we, will we?
(Julia) Will we, will we
Will we still be there?
Will we, will we
Will we still be there?
(Julia) Will we
Will we be there?
Will we, will we
Will we still be there?
Will we
Will we still be there?
Eurythmics (1984). "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four).“
Verse 1
Sex crime, crime
Can I take this for granted
With your eyes over me?
In this place, this wintery home
I know there's always someone in
Chorus 1
Sex crime, sex crime
Nineteen eighty four
Nineteen eighty four
Verse 2
And so I face the wall
Turn my back against it all
How I wish I'd been unborn
Wish I was unliving here
Chorus 2
Sex crime, sex crime
Sex crime, sex crime
Nineteen eighty four
Nineteen eighty four
Verse 3
I'll pull the bricks down
One by one
Leave a big hole in the wall
Just where you are looking in
Chorus 3
Sex crime, sex crime
Nineteen eighty four
Nineteen eighty four
Nineteen eighty four
!82
Incubus (2004). "Talk Shows On Mute.“
Verse 1
Take a bow
Pack on powder
Wash 'em out with buzzing lights
Pay an audience to care
"Impress me" personality
Verse 2
Still and transfixed
The electric sheep are dreaming of your face
Enjoy you from the chemical
Comfort of America
Chorus
Come one, come all
Into 1984
Yeah, three, two, one
Lights, camera, transaction
Verse 3
Quick, your time is almost up
Make all forget that they're the moth
Edging in towards the flame
Burn into obscurity
Verse 4
Still and transfixed
The electric sheep are dreaming up your fate
And judge you from the card castle
Comfort of America
Chorus
Come one, come all
Into 1984
Yeah, three, two, one
Lights, camera, transaction
Verse 5
Your foundation is canyoning
Fault lines should be worn with pride
I hate to say it but
You're so much more
You're so much more
Endearing with the sound turned off
Radiohead (2003). "2 + 2 = 5.“
Verse 1
Are you such a dreamer
To put the world to rights?
I'll stay home forever
Where two and two always makes up five
Verse 2
I'll lay down the tracks
Sandbag and hide
January has April's showers
And two and two always makes up five
Verse 3
It's the devil's way now
There is no way out
You can scream and you can shout
It is too late now
Bridge (4x)
Because you have not been
Payin' attention
Payin’ attention
Payin' attention
Payin’ attention
Oh
Verse 4
I try to sing along
I get it all wrong
'Cause I'm not
'Cause I'm not
I swat em like flies
But like flies the buggers keep coming back
But I'm not
Oh hail to the thief
Oh hail to the thief
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
But I'm not
Verse 5
Don't question my authority or put me in the dock
'Cause I'm not
'Cause I'm not
Oh, go and tell the king that the sky is falling in
When it's not
When it's not
When it's not
Maybe not
Maybe not
!83
Spirit (1970). “1984.“
Chorus 1 (2x)
1984
Knockin' on your door
Will you let it come?
Will you let it run your life?
Verse 1
Someone will be waiting for you at your door
When you get home tonight
Ah yes, he's gonna tell you darkness gives you
much more
Than you get from the light
Verse 2
Classic plastic guards well they're your special
friend
He sees you every night
Well he calls himself the brother but you know it's
no game
You're never out of his sight
Repetition of Chorus 1
Verse 3
It's time you started thinking inside your head
That you should stand up and fight
Oh just where will you be when your freedom is
dead
Won't you listen tonight?
Verse 4
Those classic plastic coppers, they are your
special friends
They see you every night
Well they call themselves protection but they
know it's no game
You're never out of their sight
Chorus 2 (2x)
1984
Knockin' on your door
Will you let it come?
Will you let it run?
The Offspring (2012). "The Future Is Now.“
Verse 1
This city’s made of diamonds
And tomorrow glass will grow
On the freedoms that divide us
They’re coming after me
Flashback 1984
Now who’s knock-knocking at your door?
A thought that starts a riot
They’re coming after me now
Pre-Chorus 1
Life is not the same
I am one
But sparks turn into flames
Chorus 1
Will you take what’s in my head?
And erase me when I’m dead?
Cause the future is now
And now I’m disappearing
The day has turned to night
Can you save me from the light?
Cause the future is here
And this is how I disappear
Verse 2
Running down a spiral
With the light of better men
Shouting progress is survival
Take one last look and see me
Now you see me, now you don’t
No vow to break
No string of hope
My hero, your pariah
They’re coming after me now
Pre-Chorus 2
Life is just god’s game
I am one
But sparks turn into flames
Chorus 2
And you get what you deserve
When revenge is what you serve
Cause the future is now
And now I’m disappearing
I’ll sink into the night
And I’m turning off the lights
Cause the future is here
And this is how I disappear
!84
Verse 3
So the end’s what you make it
And that’s what you’re looking for
This is the future
The future is now
Bridge
Disappear, I disappear
I disappear, I disappear
Verse 4
Now turn off the lights
The skies are blue inside you
Turn off the lights
They’ll get inside of you
Repetition of Chorus 1
Thrice (2009). “Doublespeak.“
Verse 1
I drug my heart with doublespeak,
All my misgivings disappear.
It helps to keep my conscience clean.
(The ends will justify the means,)
But still I’m always careful what I hear.
Pre-Chorus
I don’t wanna know who really pulls the strings,
Just as long as it’s not you or me.
Chorus
There’s a jackboot toe tap keeping time,
while the children dance and play.
Honey, if you think you’ve seen a crime,
you just look the other way.
Verse 2
I slowly carve my soul away.
Piece by piece I sacrifice.
To comfort and peace of mind
(I keep my toes on the party line.)
There’s nothing wrong dear, don’t think twice.
Pre-Chorus
I don’t wanna know who really pulls the strings,
Just as long as it’s not you or me.
Repetition of Chorus (4x)
There’s a jackboot toe tap keeping time,
while the children dance and play.
Honey, if you think you’ve seen a crime,
won't you look the other way.
Repetition of Verse 1
Utopia (1984). “Winston Smith Takes it on the Jaw.“
Verse 1
We got no razor blades, we got no victory gin
I got no tiny alcove to hide myself in
To say things weren't good would not be an
untruth
But I just met a girl from the anti-sex youth
We get up in the morning for physical jerks
We might pass in the hall as we're going to work
Verse 2
I have found us a place where there's no
telescreen
And there's no hidden mikes and it's not too
unclean
While the high remain high
And the middle change places
The low don't want to know they tell all with their
faces
She might sit afront of me for the two minutes
hate
I might see her again if it's not already too late
So they will take the book away from me
So let them catch me talking in my sleep
I guess I never really understood the law
So Winston Smith takes it on the jaw
Verse 3
So let's do what we want, it makes no difference
now
When the thought police find us, we're dead
anyhow
Kick us out of the party and bust us to parole
Then they'll stuff us both into a memory hole
So let them haul me off to 101
Public confessions of everything we've done
Of everything I heard and everything I saw
When Winston Smith takes it on the jaw
!85