Neighborhood #2 (Laika)

It's common knowledge that Arcade Fire named the album on which this song appears Funeral because they had lost several close relations during the recording. But I think those losses sparked a more general contemplation of the contribution of the older generations and how they both affected and were affected by the passage of time in the twentieth century. The Arcade Fire often uses their music to make sociopolitical statements, and nowhere is this more evident than in the "Neighborhood" series, in which each song seems to reference a different time period in modern history.

In this light, "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)" is about the Cold War era. Alexander (which, as someone already mentioned, is a very common name in Eastern Europe) represents the oppressed youth who rebelled against communism, perhaps attempting to flee to the West, thus severing ties with his family.

The lyrics are written from a child's point of view because the public was similarly infantalized under the communist regime, forced to submit to the will of "Big Brother." Like the ambivalent Soviet populace, which was caught for so many years between fighting for individual liberty and supporting the propaganda of the state, the singer initially encourages Alex to rebel ("Come on, Alex, you can do it") but is also torn by feelings of loyalty to the state and perhaps resentment of Alex for daring to turn his back on the "old ways" and escape: "For a year we caught his tears in a cup/And now we're going to make him drink it." Although his family partly admires and envies his determination, they're bitter that he's making them the target of police interest ("When daddy comes home you always start a fight/So the neighbors can dance in the police disco lights").

The Eastern European rebel interpretation is further supported by the reference to Laika, who, as everyone correctly noted, was the dog sacrificed for "the common good" of the Soviet people and the glory of their government. Subordination of individual rights for the sake of society was a key principle of communism, and the song taps into this, obliterating the line between Alex's well-being and that of his "comrades": "It's for your own good,/For the neighborhood."

The song also captures the suspicious, sometimes superstitious, and ultimately hopeless atmosphere in which Russia bred its communist revolution. In an era in which looking the wrong way at an official statesman could have you deported to a Siberian prison, the people quickly learned that "if you want something, don't ask for nothing," and "if you want nothing, don't ask for something." In other words, don't ask questions, don't draw attention to yourself, and don't expect justice or clemency from the state. But even as the government attempted to squelch loyalties to any outside authority, the Russian people continued to uphold their longstanding tradition of superstition and mysticism. Vampires, for instance, struck very real terror into the hearts of many Eastern Europeans, and someone who was different may well have been "demonized," whispered to be under evil influences, whether earthly or otherwordly.

The video for this song provides conclusive evidence for the above interpretation. As some others have commented, it features quite a bit of Eastern European imagery, including a monstrous skull labeled "Mother" (as in "Mother Russia"?) leading a firing squad against the would-be defector, Alex. Notice also the Old World village, the use of the Cyrillic alphabet, the heavy use of the color red (the color of communism), and the Stalin-esque posters.

Like many others here, I think that Arcade Fire may also be drawing a parallel between the communist regime and the behavior of the U.S. toward dissenters, especially in light of the content of the other "Neighborhood" songs. (See my comments on the other songs for further comparisons.)