Goldfrapp moved around England a lot, lived in squats and more than dabbled with drugs. In the US, 'White Horse' is often a metaphor for Cocaine; in the UK, it's Heroine. Also, it's very rarely known by people who don't dwell in the underground, that a 'bagel' is a bag of Heroine (£10 - £25); a term commonly used in the Midlands and Northern England by users. It can also mean spliff. I'm pretty sure she says 'Whinny Bagel', not 'Winnebago'- which, despite numerous definitions, makes nottawhollotta sense. A whinny (high-pitched horse neigh), pretty much establishes it's heroine.
Anyone who's familiar with heroine, knows it's not usually a party drug. It makes you feel fine (as Lou Reed said; but not much beyond that). It's an A1 pain-killer, as well as immunising you from any sense of fear, horror, sadness or concern for the world around. This is the video's theme.
But this slightly concealed interpretation is itself a metaphor... Some pretty clever lyrics and references with many possible interpretations... But it's not about a disco, taking heroine or riding a horse: It's about the desire for pure transcendent joy; experience of actual worth:- An extreme rarity.
@hipsterchi This is an excellent way to understand it. I was looking for meaning in the music video and this makes a ton of sense in that regard. The way that she is dressed to kill shows how she feels but the world around her is actually hideous and repulsive. This is completely on point with a life of heroin addiction.
@hipsterchi This is an excellent way to understand it. I was looking for meaning in the music video and this makes a ton of sense in that regard. The way that she is dressed to kill shows how she feels but the world around her is actually hideous and repulsive. This is completely on point with a life of heroin addiction.
Goldfrapp moved around England a lot, lived in squats and more than dabbled with drugs. In the US, 'White Horse' is often a metaphor for Cocaine; in the UK, it's Heroine. Also, it's very rarely known by people who don't dwell in the underground, that a 'bagel' is a bag of Heroine (£10 - £25); a term commonly used in the Midlands and Northern England by users. It can also mean spliff. I'm pretty sure she says 'Whinny Bagel', not 'Winnebago'- which, despite numerous definitions, makes nottawhollotta sense. A whinny (high-pitched horse neigh), pretty much establishes it's heroine. Anyone who's familiar with heroine, knows it's not usually a party drug. It makes you feel fine (as Lou Reed said; but not much beyond that). It's an A1 pain-killer, as well as immunising you from any sense of fear, horror, sadness or concern for the world around. This is the video's theme. But this slightly concealed interpretation is itself a metaphor... Some pretty clever lyrics and references with many possible interpretations... But it's not about a disco, taking heroine or riding a horse: It's about the desire for pure transcendent joy; experience of actual worth:- An extreme rarity.
@hipsterchi This is an excellent way to understand it. I was looking for meaning in the music video and this makes a ton of sense in that regard. The way that she is dressed to kill shows how she feels but the world around her is actually hideous and repulsive. This is completely on point with a life of heroin addiction.
@hipsterchi This is an excellent way to understand it. I was looking for meaning in the music video and this makes a ton of sense in that regard. The way that she is dressed to kill shows how she feels but the world around her is actually hideous and repulsive. This is completely on point with a life of heroin addiction.