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.
You try to hide the fact hidden from yourself
Your own favorite entertainer is none other than the one we call you
And you need the others to fortify your disgust
For the worst of us, to the rest of us
Entertain the thought that we are still alive
Entertain the notion of impending doom
Entertain our worst suspicions and our fears
Just pull us in and take us down
I hear a mighty cheer
Your faith could not be any stronger
In your head the stage is set
A product of what we're being fed
Oblivious by design, not susceptible to any mind
I can take what's being given
I can down whatever comes
I will do what you deem necessary
My fear compels me
No more fictitious needs
I will not be made a mockery
No more chaos seed
I am not what you're supposed to see
Without a sense of danger everything is lost
In the name of entertainment we are doomed
Your own favorite entertainer is none other than the one we call you
And you need the others to fortify your disgust
For the worst of us, to the rest of us
Entertain the thought that we are still alive
Entertain the notion of impending doom
Entertain our worst suspicions and our fears
Just pull us in and take us down
I hear a mighty cheer
Your faith could not be any stronger
In your head the stage is set
A product of what we're being fed
Oblivious by design, not susceptible to any mind
I can take what's being given
I can down whatever comes
I will do what you deem necessary
My fear compels me
No more fictitious needs
I will not be made a mockery
No more chaos seed
I am not what you're supposed to see
Without a sense of danger everything is lost
In the name of entertainment we are doomed
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More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Taken from the Live in Montreal bootleg, Mikael says this song is about mass media and all of the BS it feeds us. He announces the song with that message. Here is the full quote: "Alright people we got a really heavy song for you right now, from the Character album ...about the madness of mass media and the fucking stupid amounts of information we're being fed constantly. We don't really like that. This is a song about it, it's called 'The Endless Feed.' "
I love this song. I've always listened to it without questioning it until I finally decided to read the lyrics themselves here.
Dark Tranquility is one of the best Dark Metal bands I've ever heard. What's with the low of popularity here?
Love this song, one of my favorites on Character. Also what is this song really about, entertainment business?
P.S. love the part where it goes :"Oblivious by design..."
The song is asking for us to stop lying to ourselves.
"Your own favourite entertainer is none other than the one we call you" We are deluding ourselves, called in the song 'entertaining', playing on some of the other meanings of the word entertain.
"in your head the stage is set a product of what we’re being fed" Once again, we have been deceiving ourselves. But only, it seems, because of lies in our environment (the media or popular culture perhaps).
The song says that we put too much faith in our self-delusions, and that we must see the truth behind our lies.
As for who the 'I' in stanzas 3, 6 and 7 is, I have no idea. It could possibly be the singer, possibly your conscience, whatever. I'll leave that to someone else.
"Entertain the thought that we are still alive" this line reminds me of KsE's song "alive or just breathing?" meaning we don't live for ourselves anymore, everything is becoming artificial even emotions with all the media mass pollution, drugs, etc. So are we alive? or just a shell thats breathing.
I wish I really knew what this song was about... its my favorite on the album. All I can get is from the first verse, and the chorus. Basically what I think it means is that people are so focused on themselves anymore and don't "entertain the fact that" other people are still alive. Once it gets to the second verse I have no clue what its about :/. And that epic bridge.... I dont get it at all :(