Internet Killed the Video Star

I believe there are multiple messages in this song. Basically the scene has changed but the game is still the same. When rock and roll became popular, everyone jumped on board because it was the new cool thing. The song is relating that to the current generation. The majority listen to a genre not because it is amazing, but it is the cool thing to do, like mindless zombies unable to decide for themselves. It also conveys that all hope is not lost however, as there are many open minded people who still explore other music and still listen to rock and roll. The zombie line in the song is indicative of the fact that "classic rock" is still popular. This is my take on the whole scenario.

On a side note, in contrast to the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" to which this song pays homage, I believe the revolution this time is much more significant. Music videos did not have near the impact that the internet did on the entire music scene, or the world for that matter. The internet truly gave the power of control to the people.

The song is about the cyclical nature of musical taste, and how certain styles come into vogue over and over. While the "Video killed the radio star" reference is obvious, you need to check out "Losing My Edge" by LCD soundsystem to really get the stakes here, particularly the part:

"I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an arpeggiator and are throwing your computer out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yaz record.

I hear that you and your band have sold your guitars and bought turntables. I hear that you and your band have sold your turntables and bought guitars.

I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know."

I guarantee that's where the Limousines got the line "They trade those guitars in for drum machines and disco balls" - but it's only half of the line - they're not concerned with the future when they'll trade the drum machines back in for guitars.

But really, this song is a celebration of getting to make fun, electronic based pop music, while recognizing that the tide will eventually shift and rock will make a comeback "like a zombie." It's a cycle, even if we don't think of it like that - this is pointed out by the line "we think we've seen it all" - we think that the music of our present age is the begin-all, end-all.

For example, you have the classic Rock heyday of the late '60s and early '70s (the "glory days are gone" is a Bruce Springsteen reference) followed by the rise of fun but shallow dance music - disco in the '70s - and then electronic pop experimentation of the '80s (think Prince, Soft Cell, Flock of Seagulls type stuff). Then rock made a comeback in the grunge movement in the early '90s (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins) but was followed by the boy bands/Britney/Christina type pop in the late '90s — but returned in bands like The White Stripes, the Killers, Jet, Franz Ferdinand, etc. - but for the last 3 years its been pretty dominated by the electronic sound again and that dreadful autotuning.

Of course, this timeline ignores other genres - notably hip hop, rap, punk, indie - and ignores many important bands that were doing something different and cool in those other eras, but my point is that rock has been pronounced dead several times only to "dig itself back up again" like a zombie because of the excesses of dance music. The dance music and electronica is fun and people get into it for a while, but then get tired of the fakeness, artificiality and lack of substance - Then we want something more authentic, so rock will come back again in a different form. But the song is about celebrating what's going on now, even though we'll probably look back on it a lot like we do the '80s. We'll say, man that poppy dance music was fun at the time, but I will shoot myself if I have to listen to one more song with autotuned vocals or over-the-top electronic boops and beeps.

I believe this song has a few meanings, such as.

1. As bjn714 said people are scared to do there own thing and were all mindless zombies

2. But at the same time its about people doing there own thing cause if ya listing when he say Don't bother telling them that drum machine ain't got no soul. It's how the kids arent doing what you want them to or listen to what you want them to there doing there own thing.

3. But at the same time there not trying to explore the musical world of rock and roll. There ruling it out. But the singer when he talks about being a horrible dancer and such hes talking bout how hes not scared to try though.

4. We all need to explore different types of music cause we will neevr know what we like till we try.

To me this song is depressing and hopeful at the same time. On one hand, they're saying that the Internet has indeed killed the way music used to be and has changed us as a generation (everyone thinking they're important and "everything we're doin no ones' ever done before"). But on the other, they're saying that because the Internet has brought information to the people in a way nothing ever did before, kids are now feeling free to discover music they wouldn't necessarily have if pop music was still entirely in the hands of MTV, and that at heart music fans will still have the same heart, even if the music doesn't. We're more free but less free at the same time because of the Internet, which I think is a really interesting observation.

I believe that this song is really about how the music industry isn't in control of the main stream music scene anymore. Radio almost created the Rock and Roll genre. With the creation of the internet though teens are able to choose which music they truly enjoy to listen to. This takes the control out of the hands of the music industry and thus the radio and puts in the hands of the consumers or the listeners via the internet.

Although the music industry will forever try to take control of the music scene again, the internet has given so much power to the listeners that it's impossible for them to get as much control back as they originally had.

I agree with a lot of the comments and the song definitely toys with a few different themes.

The one thing that stood out for me was how ironic the song is. I would say this song/group definitely falls into the Electropop genre along with bands like MGMT and Foster the People. I bring this up because it points to the fact that these guys are probably using a drum machine and other computer-generated beats/sounds.

They're definitely aware of this fact which gives the song a bit more depth. I don't know, I think if you boil this song down it's a guy talking about a shift in musical interest and how he (while lamenting the fact) is moving with the industry and his fans; because, after all, we're all still rockers at heart (sex, drugs and rock-n-roll).

And of course there is a definite reference to the song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. A song that shared many of the same themes this song seems to forward, but of a different time-period.

Correction in the lyrics:

In the very first verse it is "I try to tell them 'hey, that drum machine ain't got no soul.' "

"radio" is misspelled, plus it's missing the word "OK" at the end of the line "Singing glory days are gone but everything's" ...

This song is about how Rock and Roll is dead. Everyone nowadays listens to hip hop. Hip hop is the biggest thing. Look at any top selling list, iTunes, Amazon, Billboard. There are hardly any rock charts there now.