This song is the entire Reagan Era, spelled out for anyone paying attention. ("Making Flippy Floppy" is the other brilliant Byrne comment on era it was made in---when thugs and sociopaths like Ed Meese, Alexander Haig and James Watt were running the show.)
I always heard Byrne saying not "Hi hi hi hi hi hi" but "High high high high high high" as in the glorification of the nation state and the desperate clinging to the hoary idea of World Dominance. It's a embodiment of the Nuremberg mindset that came over much of America in the 1980's, exemplified best by the mass hysteria of "patriotism" at the 1984 Olympics.
Notice Byrne in "Stop Making Sense", while singing "Swamp"; he's subtle about it, but at one point he raises his arm in a modified fascist salute, while singing the "High high high high high" chorus.
It also doesn't hurt that this is an absolutely stunning piece of music too.
This song is the entire Reagan Era, spelled out for anyone paying attention. ("Making Flippy Floppy" is the other brilliant Byrne comment on era it was made in---when thugs and sociopaths like Ed Meese, Alexander Haig and James Watt were running the show.)
I always heard Byrne saying not "Hi hi hi hi hi hi" but "High high high high high high" as in the glorification of the nation state and the desperate clinging to the hoary idea of World Dominance. It's a embodiment of the Nuremberg mindset that came over much of America in the 1980's, exemplified best by the mass hysteria of "patriotism" at the 1984 Olympics.
Notice Byrne in "Stop Making Sense", while singing "Swamp"; he's subtle about it, but at one point he raises his arm in a modified fascist salute, while singing the "High high high high high" chorus.
It also doesn't hurt that this is an absolutely stunning piece of music too.
Just brilliant.