The song’s meaning is plain and simple for those who understand the dark underbelly of the music industry. The song is about the band’s members (and any other artist for that matter) unable to break free from the overwhelming control and domination to which they’re being subjected by the industry’s higher ups, with them feeling utterly trapped and helpless. In fact, the disturbing video of the song makes it clear that this control seems to take the form of severe torture (mk ultra) to bring about total dissociation of the band’s personalities (it even can’t get any more obvious in the video: Morten’s core personality is shown trying to tear at / break free from his artificial “musician” persona/artificially created ego); torture is also shown in the form of spinning orbits (known to induce hypnosis), feeling drugged (core personality is shown collapsing to the floor) and perception of distorted reality (not knowing what’s real or not, individual is shown seeing half his body clear while the rest blurred and in different proportions; think Alice in Wonderland when she sees herself bigger than her surroundings), and helplessly tied to other band members who are also blindfolded from head to toe and trying to break free aimlessly. The video ends with the image of the tortured man/core personality (tied to sticks and crying out in pain) finally splitting and now “awoke” to a new world (new persona created). This song is about every musician who sells his soul to the industry and that’s why A-ha sang this particular song in an award ceremony attended by countless artists that night. In fact, the majority of A-ha’s songs narrate the aftermath of them selling their souls to the industry, and revolve around the themes of their regret, torture, helplessness, rebellion, etc.).
AndreaAA17on June 22, 2018 Link
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