The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Don't paint us the perfect picture
We have visions of our own
Don't give us the safe interpretation we want,
We want to know the ugly truth
We're not down to die and be this typecast culture
We're not down to die and be the faceless soldiers
Don't sell us the perfect image
We'll struggle to find out ourselves
We want the unpopular challenge we want,
We want to test our intellect
We have learned this devotion we are programmed,
Conditioned senseless,
Senseless emotions
We have lost our desire
To think alone we're not down
We have visions of our own
Don't give us the safe interpretation we want,
We want to know the ugly truth
We're not down to die and be this typecast culture
We're not down to die and be the faceless soldiers
Don't sell us the perfect image
We'll struggle to find out ourselves
We want the unpopular challenge we want,
We want to test our intellect
We have learned this devotion we are programmed,
Conditioned senseless,
Senseless emotions
We have lost our desire
To think alone we're not down
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I think the overall meaning of this song is that how people are stupid how they try to fit in when all they really need to do is be themselves. Don't paint us the perfect picture, we have visons of our own-I think this is saying that they don't need other groups telling them how they should see thongs and that they can hove their own opinions Don't give us the slick interpratation, we want to know the awful truth-I see this as saying that they don't need people to cover things up and they want the truth even if it's bad We're not down to die, and be this typecast culutre...faceless soldier-They think if they fit intoo the typecast culture they won't matter as individuals and they just become faceless soilders and they see this like it is actually dying Don't sell us the perfect image, we'll stuggle to find ourselfs-They don't need anybody to make them what the arn't and they'll be themselfs though sometimes it's hard with the typecast culture We want the unpopular challenge- Saying that they will do what they want and how most people are too lazy to find themselfs so they just try to fit in We want to test our intalect....we want to think alone- They want to see what they really know and they don't want to look dumb the the typecast culture and they want to think for themselfs and come up with their own veiws and whatnot There's my interpretation of this song tohugh I felt at times stating the obivous but oh well I'm still kinda new to this
I agree Ueley, great interpratation! I think it's all about wanting the freedom to escape and not be fed by all the lies, wanting freedom of choice... something that seperates and identifyes them from the rest of the world.
yes, exactly all of it. This was one of the only songs snapcase put on Mtv (that I saw anyway) and I think that was pretty fitting of them
i agree with ueley, and even after 6 years (when i was into this record) i think designs of automotion is one of the greatest hc records and typecast modulator is my favourite song, and back in the days that the term straight edge made sense to me, this song was my anthem and ueley's interpretation coincide with my interpretation of sxe and for me this song was about that, also knowing the band's position about the subject it made sense to me. and this was probably the reason that i could live without the label sxe, like this song doesn't have that expression there...
btw the video is so bad