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.
The blue pill opens your eyes
Is there a better way
A new religion prescribed
To those without the faith
The hero holding a knife
And blood is not enough
Is it too late to go back?
Is it too late to go?
There's no one here
And people everywhere, you're on your own
Let's see if I'm hearing this right
Is it just I should take
And never endings are glad
To carry out the dead
Your idols burn in the fire
The mob comes crawling out (take us down and out)
I'm reclaiming their minds
Destroying everyone
There's no one here
And people everywhere, you're all alone
Is there a better way
A new religion prescribed
To those without the faith
The hero holding a knife
And blood is not enough
Is it too late to go back?
Is it too late to go?
There's no one here
And people everywhere, you're on your own
Let's see if I'm hearing this right
Is it just I should take
And never endings are glad
To carry out the dead
Your idols burn in the fire
The mob comes crawling out (take us down and out)
I'm reclaiming their minds
Destroying everyone
There's no one here
And people everywhere, you're all alone
Lyrics submitted by OwnPersonalDemon, edited by Jamface, DRider
Better Living Through Chemistry Lyrics as written by Nick Oliveri Josh Homme
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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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.
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"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
about the title: "The phrase "Better Living Through Chemistry" is a variant of a DuPont advertising slogan, "Better Things for Better Living...Through Chemistry." DuPont adopted it in 1939 and was their slogan until the 1980s when the "Through Chemistry" bit was dropped; in 1999 it was replaced by "The miracles of science".
This phrase became popular as culture shifted from mod to hippie in the later half of the 1960s. Protesters would show up for a rally, perhaps to protest a chemical plant, wearing DuPont propaganda buttons, which bore this slogan, while high on LSD, Quaaludes or other man-made drugs.
Protests in the 1960s didn't all revolve around the Vietnam War. Dow Chemical and DuPont were common targets, as people disliked the "artificiality" they represented, not to mention the fact that DuPont did manufacture napalm. But food preservatives, industrial pollution, nuclear establishments, and the prohibition of drugs were also common topics of protests.
The phrase "Better Living Through Chemistry" was used on products that were not affiliated with DuPont to circumvent trademark infringement. This transmutation is now more commonly used than the original. This statement is used for commentary on several different topics, from the promotion of illegal drugs, to the praise of chemicals and plastics, to the criticism of the same, sarcastically.
This phase is sometimes associated with Aldous Huxley's book Brave New World, though it does not actually appear in the text of the book." *From Wikipedia.com
by the way Better Living Through Chemistry is also the name of FatBoy Slims 1996 album.