When I first got the pre-released Mina Loy from Billy’s new album I couldn’t wait to hear it, not only because I’m a massive fan of Billy and the Pumpkins but also because I had studied art in high school and could remember hearing the name previously. I have finally got around to analysing this amazing song and its many layers of history, love and Futurism.
Mina Loy was a Futurist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Futurists were people who explored all mediums in the arts - painting, poetry, music, acting etc. They defined the new artistic and literary styles that emerged in the decades before the early 1900’s as artists who rebelled against the late 19th century norms of depiction and literary form, in an attempt to present what they regarded as an emotionally truer picture of how people really feel and think, (much the same as Billy and the Pumpkins.) She received most recognition for her modernist poetry after her death.
This explains the name behind the album TheFutureEmbrace, in reference the Futurism and Modernism. Knowing this, there are so many ways you could look at this song. Now a poet himself Billy obviously studied or admires Loy’s poetry and it is as if he is paying tribute to her and the other Futurists. Reading the lyrics I think Billy is either writing as though he has placed himself in that time period, as if he too were a Futurist, or from the perspective of Mina Loy herself. In my opinion it’s the former.
“They want to kill us all, innocents, wounded souls” refers to Futurists often being criticised and ridiculed in earlier years for their revolutionary work, people resented and hated futurists and their principals, which included a passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. They espoused a love of youth, speed, power and technology. The car, the plane, the industrial town were all legendary for the Futurists, because they represented the technological triumph of man over nature.
“I resolve to never change, I so vow to never yield” obviously refers to the Futurists vowing to never change or yield to pressure. “Can I give my old heart to you?” Could be interpreted a few ways, I get the impression that it is a question Mina Loy is asking of Billy, I also get this impression from the line “I’m just one wish away from you ‘kid’” as if Mina is saying this to Billy. It is hard to explain, but to me it is almost as if Billy has conceived an imaginary relationship with Mina Loy. However, I also read that she did have a husband so it could also refer to him.
Almost fanatical, Futurists glorified modern warfare as the ultimate artistic expression and their intense nationalism, which is evident throughout the second verse:
“Its plain the wars have won” more glorification of the World Wars, specifically World War One.
“The days of judgement rise, For innocents, wounded souls” Futurists called the love of the past "pastism", and those who advocated it "pastists", it was even said they attacked these people at their exhibitions. This refers to the pastists demise.
“How could they know? They’re burning cold” I think here Billy is saying that those who are stuck in the past are ignorant of Futurists ways.
“Paranoias be they may” They hold the Futurists in contempt and have an extreme, irrational distrust of them.
“I resolve to never change” despite all this they will never change their ways.
Yeah… that’s enough, lol. Well if u read all that well done, I personally think it is pretty interesting and crazy to think that people used to think like this, and it demonstrates Billy’s genius in his ability to incorporate it into a song. There’s lots of other ways you could look at it, but this is just some good background info to get people started, as like so many of Billy’s songs, this one has many levels and meanings behind it.
When I first got the pre-released Mina Loy from Billy’s new album I couldn’t wait to hear it, not only because I’m a massive fan of Billy and the Pumpkins but also because I had studied art in high school and could remember hearing the name previously. I have finally got around to analysing this amazing song and its many layers of history, love and Futurism.
Mina Loy was a Futurist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Futurists were people who explored all mediums in the arts - painting, poetry, music, acting etc. They defined the new artistic and literary styles that emerged in the decades before the early 1900’s as artists who rebelled against the late 19th century norms of depiction and literary form, in an attempt to present what they regarded as an emotionally truer picture of how people really feel and think, (much the same as Billy and the Pumpkins.) She received most recognition for her modernist poetry after her death.
This explains the name behind the album TheFutureEmbrace, in reference the Futurism and Modernism. Knowing this, there are so many ways you could look at this song. Now a poet himself Billy obviously studied or admires Loy’s poetry and it is as if he is paying tribute to her and the other Futurists. Reading the lyrics I think Billy is either writing as though he has placed himself in that time period, as if he too were a Futurist, or from the perspective of Mina Loy herself. In my opinion it’s the former.
“They want to kill us all, innocents, wounded souls” refers to Futurists often being criticised and ridiculed in earlier years for their revolutionary work, people resented and hated futurists and their principals, which included a passionate loathing of ideas from the past, especially political and artistic traditions. They espoused a love of youth, speed, power and technology. The car, the plane, the industrial town were all legendary for the Futurists, because they represented the technological triumph of man over nature.
“I resolve to never change, I so vow to never yield” obviously refers to the Futurists vowing to never change or yield to pressure. “Can I give my old heart to you?” Could be interpreted a few ways, I get the impression that it is a question Mina Loy is asking of Billy, I also get this impression from the line “I’m just one wish away from you ‘kid’” as if Mina is saying this to Billy. It is hard to explain, but to me it is almost as if Billy has conceived an imaginary relationship with Mina Loy. However, I also read that she did have a husband so it could also refer to him.
Almost fanatical, Futurists glorified modern warfare as the ultimate artistic expression and their intense nationalism, which is evident throughout the second verse:
“Its plain the wars have won” more glorification of the World Wars, specifically World War One. “The days of judgement rise, For innocents, wounded souls” Futurists called the love of the past "pastism", and those who advocated it "pastists", it was even said they attacked these people at their exhibitions. This refers to the pastists demise. “How could they know? They’re burning cold” I think here Billy is saying that those who are stuck in the past are ignorant of Futurists ways. “Paranoias be they may” They hold the Futurists in contempt and have an extreme, irrational distrust of them. “I resolve to never change” despite all this they will never change their ways.
Yeah… that’s enough, lol. Well if u read all that well done, I personally think it is pretty interesting and crazy to think that people used to think like this, and it demonstrates Billy’s genius in his ability to incorporate it into a song. There’s lots of other ways you could look at it, but this is just some good background info to get people started, as like so many of Billy’s songs, this one has many levels and meanings behind it.