Bored in the USA

the anthem for disillusioned millenials

One thing that's interesting about this song is that it evokes the emotion of a confessional, depressing, song, but with lyrics that aren't exactly "depressing" so much as pessimistic, with somewhat of a political message, and yet that actually makes the song all the more interesting.

The first stanza takes us through a metaphorical lifetime: Rising, finding material possessions to define oneself, going into debt, being replaced by children (political commentary). None of these are opinions or feelings, they're just a really negative way to look at conventional American life.

The second stanza takes a pessimistic perspective toward a romantic relationship, presumably.

The line, "Is this the part when I get all I ever wanted?" alludes to the American dream, which the singer dismisses even in the same sentence.

The chorus brings us to "Bored in the USA," obviously a play on "Born in the USA," but with a sharp and emotionally charged political bent. The politics become blatant in the final stanza, to the point of parody, lamenting educational value and subprime loans, not to mention the side-effects of whatever you'll need to listen to this song -- all with the added irony of a laugh-track behind it.

After this, the song descends into its lamentation of being Bored in the USA, which, given the assertions of the song, seems both legitimate but probably temporary. The narrator is in a state of suffering that the song dodges around -- we know this through the pessimism, but also through his calls to Jesus, a plea sincere enough in vocal performance to justify the ironic asides. Save me President Jesus.

I wonder if Tillman read Jean-Paul Sartre's essay entitled "American Cities." Here's an excerpt: "I have spent Sundays in the American provinces that were more depressing than Sundays anywhere else; I have seen those suburban 'colonial style' inns where, at two dollars a head, middle-class families go to eat shrimp cocktails and turkey with cranberry sauce in silence while listening to the electric organ. One must not forget the heavy boredom that weighs over America." Of course, as most Americans know who've spent any time abroad, the USA is an incredibly boring place.

compare/contrast: http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858788797/