Numb, But I Still Feel It

General CommentI recommend reading the artists’ interpretation that someone previously mentioned as it added a lot of insight. Personally I found this song to be really creative free form of jazz and electronic smashed into a pop concept structure that intersected a lot of musical and lyrical genres. Unlike the guy who felt it was a stab at SJWs, I felt it was more an ode to those still fighting for those issues that seemed to be “fixed” but that are still worth fighting for, since clearly racism and sexism haven’t been “fixed” in the cultural mindset, even if, in some small way, they’ve been addressed in the legal mindset of the US/the world. I felt that it’s a pretty sincere acknowledgement that a lot of these issues are difficult to fight against because the general population of the US/ developed countries is under the impression that there’s no real problem, and the band is still fighting against these issues despite lack of popular support, because it is still relevant and still matters, although it’s hard to get buy in due to the majority believing everything is “fine” for oppressed classes they don’t belong to. Other things, like family and career, take precedent, so it’s hard to address these things while still meshing with the larger society they need to be a part of to care for their families.

TLDR: They want to do more, but don’t want to commit to rebellion because they have families to take care of and lives to tend to.

The allusion to aliens in the video I found especially prescient, because that was a real concern in 1966, but also because it’s an “other” that all humans can relate to. Overall, it’s a very visceral overture that’s enjoyable despite political beliefs or group membership.

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