'Trapped in a prism, in a prism of light
Alone in the darkness, darkness of white
We fell in love, alone on a stage
In the reflective age'
The first verse refers to the relationship between the narrator and his lover. It's trapped in technology, and doesn't translate into the real world. Maybe they speak freely on social networks, and are too shy in real life. Darkness of white represents how dull it is to announce your love on the series of flashing lights that is your monitor.
'I thought I found a way to enter
It’s just a Reflektor (It's just a Reflektor)
I thought I found the connector
It’s just a Reflektor (It's just a Reflektor)'
The chorus is the most fascinating part of the song. The narrator thought that if he used social networking, he could form a relationship without the risk of humiliation or embarrassment. He was wrong though. The Reflektor represents how alone he really is. His computer may give the illusion that he is talking to someone, but he is actually just sending them little Facebook messages. He is alone with his reflection in the monitor.
'Now, the signals we send, are deflected again
We're still connected, but are we even friends?
We fell in love when I was nineteen
And now we're staring at a screen'
Real love is not subject to glitches, and bugs. Facebook, however, is (the signals they send are deflected again). They're communicating, (connected), but does this count as friendship? How do we define friendship in the 'Reflective Age'. The last two lines of this verse back this up.
'Will I see you on the other side?
We all got things to hide'
Behind your monitor, you don't have to be you. Is his lover who she is in real life, or just who she wants to be? The advantage of talking online is that you are not you, just a tiny square picture and a group of sentences. You can hide what you want.
'All right, let's go back
Our song escapes on little silver discs
Our love is plastic, we'll break it to bits
I want to break free, but will they break me?
Down, down, down
Don't mess around'
Couples talk about 'our song' as something significant to them, and who they are together. The concept has been downsized to something you can burn to a CD and play it anywhere. Does this mean it loses all importance? Their love is plastic, like their computers. Such a finite and replaceable substance. It's not indefinite, it only survives as long as they both have a computer. (I want to break free, but will they break me?) Of course, he knows that their's more to love than sending cute instant-messages, but he's devolved to be a person behind a screen, scared of the real world breaking him.
I'm sad to say I can't explain the part about 'the Resurrector'.
As for the video, this fits nicely with my interpretation.
At the start we see the band don their masks, the masks obviously showing themselves but bigger. These masks represent how they want to be seen by people communicating with them via social networks.
Throughout the video, the band members are heading towards reflective surfaces such as the lake. I think these shiny objects represent the Reflektor, or the computer.
One thing I find interesting, but is probably meaningless, is the disco ball attached to the front of the car. As we know, the band members are constantly hunting down reflective surfaces. Maybe the disco ball shows that they are constantly driving forwards, trying to achieve true love via the 'Reflektor'.
At some point in the video they find the huge shiny disco ball that is the Reflektor, worshipping it. They send their signals with huge mirrors, and the reflective man sends them via a satellite dish. They are finally happy. They have found the connector.
But then they see it. Their reflection in the monitor. Not the person they have been online, but the real them, and they have to come to terms with how alone they are, and how dishonest they have been to themselves.
They bury the real them, the people they grew up as (the baby dolls), the people they have been for their entire lives in a reflective coffin. And they become happy to lie to themselves, devoting themselves to the Reflektor.
They even visit the Reflektor at night by torchlight. They do not leave it alone for a second.
An interesting part is when the Reflektor is brought towards the camera, reminding the viewer that right now, they are using the Reflektor.
The final shot shows how artificial they have made themselves.
I can appreciate a good interpretation. Those last parts about the coffin I never would have realized. But I'm still confused as to the significance of the man made of mirrors. Is it someone who has been looking into the Reflektor so long, that he has "become" the Reflektor? It makes sense to me, but I feel his almost dejected body-language means more.
I can appreciate a good interpretation. Those last parts about the coffin I never would have realized. But I'm still confused as to the significance of the man made of mirrors. Is it someone who has been looking into the Reflektor so long, that he has "become" the Reflektor? It makes sense to me, but I feel his almost dejected body-language means more.
'Trapped in a prism, in a prism of light Alone in the darkness, darkness of white We fell in love, alone on a stage In the reflective age'
The first verse refers to the relationship between the narrator and his lover. It's trapped in technology, and doesn't translate into the real world. Maybe they speak freely on social networks, and are too shy in real life. Darkness of white represents how dull it is to announce your love on the series of flashing lights that is your monitor.
'I thought I found a way to enter It’s just a Reflektor (It's just a Reflektor) I thought I found the connector It’s just a Reflektor (It's just a Reflektor)'
The chorus is the most fascinating part of the song. The narrator thought that if he used social networking, he could form a relationship without the risk of humiliation or embarrassment. He was wrong though. The Reflektor represents how alone he really is. His computer may give the illusion that he is talking to someone, but he is actually just sending them little Facebook messages. He is alone with his reflection in the monitor.
'Now, the signals we send, are deflected again We're still connected, but are we even friends? We fell in love when I was nineteen And now we're staring at a screen'
Real love is not subject to glitches, and bugs. Facebook, however, is (the signals they send are deflected again). They're communicating, (connected), but does this count as friendship? How do we define friendship in the 'Reflective Age'. The last two lines of this verse back this up.
'Will I see you on the other side? We all got things to hide'
Behind your monitor, you don't have to be you. Is his lover who she is in real life, or just who she wants to be? The advantage of talking online is that you are not you, just a tiny square picture and a group of sentences. You can hide what you want.
'All right, let's go back Our song escapes on little silver discs Our love is plastic, we'll break it to bits I want to break free, but will they break me? Down, down, down Don't mess around'
Couples talk about 'our song' as something significant to them, and who they are together. The concept has been downsized to something you can burn to a CD and play it anywhere. Does this mean it loses all importance? Their love is plastic, like their computers. Such a finite and replaceable substance. It's not indefinite, it only survives as long as they both have a computer. (I want to break free, but will they break me?) Of course, he knows that their's more to love than sending cute instant-messages, but he's devolved to be a person behind a screen, scared of the real world breaking him.
I'm sad to say I can't explain the part about 'the Resurrector'.
As for the video, this fits nicely with my interpretation.
At the start we see the band don their masks, the masks obviously showing themselves but bigger. These masks represent how they want to be seen by people communicating with them via social networks.
Throughout the video, the band members are heading towards reflective surfaces such as the lake. I think these shiny objects represent the Reflektor, or the computer.
One thing I find interesting, but is probably meaningless, is the disco ball attached to the front of the car. As we know, the band members are constantly hunting down reflective surfaces. Maybe the disco ball shows that they are constantly driving forwards, trying to achieve true love via the 'Reflektor'.
At some point in the video they find the huge shiny disco ball that is the Reflektor, worshipping it. They send their signals with huge mirrors, and the reflective man sends them via a satellite dish. They are finally happy. They have found the connector.
But then they see it. Their reflection in the monitor. Not the person they have been online, but the real them, and they have to come to terms with how alone they are, and how dishonest they have been to themselves.
They bury the real them, the people they grew up as (the baby dolls), the people they have been for their entire lives in a reflective coffin. And they become happy to lie to themselves, devoting themselves to the Reflektor.
They even visit the Reflektor at night by torchlight. They do not leave it alone for a second.
An interesting part is when the Reflektor is brought towards the camera, reminding the viewer that right now, they are using the Reflektor.
The final shot shows how artificial they have made themselves.
I can appreciate a good interpretation. Those last parts about the coffin I never would have realized. But I'm still confused as to the significance of the man made of mirrors. Is it someone who has been looking into the Reflektor so long, that he has "become" the Reflektor? It makes sense to me, but I feel his almost dejected body-language means more.
I can appreciate a good interpretation. Those last parts about the coffin I never would have realized. But I'm still confused as to the significance of the man made of mirrors. Is it someone who has been looking into the Reflektor so long, that he has "become" the Reflektor? It makes sense to me, but I feel his almost dejected body-language means more.