I've interpreted these lyrics to be about fashionable totalitarian politics. Whether you turn to the left (socialism) or the right (fascism), the goon squad is coming to town - as had happened multiple times during the 20th century alone prior to this song. The brand new talk, Orwell's Newspeak, isn't very clear with vague and malleable definitions designed to corrupt the common language.
Nowadays, Newspeak in the West emanates from globalist orthodoxy, and various strands of tribal 'identity' politics, but the direction of almost all social policy decisions based on it is the same: the goon squad will be coming to town. In Bowie's country of birth, for example, dawn raids for heresy (under the guise of anti "hate") are already commonplace.
One of Bowie's most interesting efforts, still highly relevant to today, and will remain so for as long as such political fashions come and go.
I've interpreted these lyrics to be about fashionable totalitarian politics. Whether you turn to the left (socialism) or the right (fascism), the goon squad is coming to town - as had happened multiple times during the 20th century alone prior to this song. The brand new talk, Orwell's Newspeak, isn't very clear with vague and malleable definitions designed to corrupt the common language.
Nowadays, Newspeak in the West emanates from globalist orthodoxy, and various strands of tribal 'identity' politics, but the direction of almost all social policy decisions based on it is the same: the goon squad will be coming to town. In Bowie's country of birth, for example, dawn raids for heresy (under the guise of anti "hate") are already commonplace.
One of Bowie's most interesting efforts, still highly relevant to today, and will remain so for as long as such political fashions come and go.