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iamfuckhead · 3 months ago

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United by Music lyric and mv analysis

I’d say this song is Joost’s reflection on Eurovision and his experience with it (as is the whole album Unity), specifically on the “internationally unified” message that Eurovision/the EBU wants their contestants to set forth; but as Joost and Tommy Cash show in this satire, you simply can’t get the peace and unity that Eurovision wants by taking both sides individually; you can’t have both, and making these musicians the symbols and face of this, hypocritical and frankly low-effort, message, harms them.

First thing, I enjoyed this song a lot. I thought the vocals and lyrics were fun, and I really enjoyed the music video (nice job, Tim Rudle!). So the title of the song is taken straight from Eurovision’s slogan “United by Music” (okay buddy), and Tommy Cash and Joost are about to show us how they and the people of the world are United by Music!

INTRO:

In the very opening of the video, there is a cartoon pigeon getting his cig lit as he starts to smoke it. Pigeons are a symbol of peace and allathat, but the image of a pigeon, specifically the pigeon as a symbol of peace, is ridiculous and funny. We hear a pitter-patter warlike drum beat as the pigeon begins to speak. He says,

“For millions of years, the World Peace Committee has had one mission: to establish peace, love, and unity. But, despire countless efforts, they have failed. The world remains divided and hope is fading. They only have one option left.”

Millions of years? The World Peace Committee? Civilization, and even biologically modern humans, haven’t been around that long; and though there is a World Peace Council, this committee just seems like a generic kinda half-assed org. It’s exaggerated. The camera pans to the members of this World Peace Committee: a Jared Leto-looking guy as PEACE, a modern-looking Mother Mary with a nose piercing and baby Jesus as LOVE, and some suited-up general guy (probably the EBU/Eurovision) as UNITY. The camera then focuses on a guy in an apron crying profusely, but the camera pans down to show that he’s just cutting onions. FAKER! I’m unsure of who the Jared Leto PEACE guy is meant to represent, but LOVE and UNITY are pretty clear. So basically these are the people who– apparently! –so dearly want PEACE, LOVE, and UNITY (what a weird mash-up of people!). But it’s all insincere because no, they’re not partnering with Mother Mary, and this apron dude is crying because of onions.

Baby Jesus continues after the smoking pigeon, saying

“MR. KLEIN, CASH, ATTENTION!”

This absolutely stacked committee has failed, so they, specifically BABY JESUS, are calling to… MUSICIANS?! for help. The army drum beat is now loud and stomping and serious (peace, love, and unity are serious issues!). Joost and Tommy are addressed by their last names, all professional the way media people do. Joost and Tommy enter wearing jesters’ outfits as they march up to the World Peace Committee. They get a stamped paper with their mission, that is to “MAKE LOVE, PEACE, AND UNITY NOW,” from PEACE Jared Leto. Their jesters’ outfits show they’re just entertainment, and not meant to be anything serious for the higher-ups.

Obviously, this is them making fun of the absurdity of the way Eurovision portrays their message: all these super powerful people have failed, despite their best efforts, at unity, and the world’s only hope is musicians. Joost and Tommy say BULLLLLSHIIIIT.

We also get the PRE-CHORUS:

“We want peace, they want war (da-da-da, da-da-da-da) Rich stay rich, poor stay poor (da-da-da, da-da-da-da)”

Seemingly, the voice of the committee. The committee (EBU) wants peace; they (who?) want war. This statement is very divisive and reductive, as it places a target on some nebulous “they” group. Saying something like, “Eurovision is the one that wants peace, and some other group that we can’t even identify or say much about is what stands in the way!” and as all their talk of peace happens, the rich continue to stay rich, and the poor continue to stay poor. The voice of Eurovision in these lyrics and their entire movement seems (to me) to be intentionally reductive of the true political conflicts occurring, and also as a distraction to prevent the public from pointing the finger to the real cause of war and conflict, capitalist greed (as Rosa Luxemburg and many others said and continue to say, you’re only going to get disarmament with the fall of capitalism). Eurovision is a distraction meant to misplace effort for peace, the same way BP (British Petroleum, oil company) funded and popularized the individual “lifestyle carbon footprint” to distract the public from realizing that the main contributor to the climate crisis is corporations like them.

But Joost and Tommy are made the face of the movement anyway. They’re dressed in white peace clothes in the unity-mobile, as Joost twiddles his thumbs nervously, and they drive through a crowd of ridiculous-looking angry punks and seething goons (goon, lol). If only the anger of the world were that simple, EBU!

They press the unity button together, and the music begins.

CHORUS: TOMMY CASH

“I want to fly to Kyiv, and go to Moscow I wanna vote Kamala and I wanna vote Trump”

As soon as Tommy Cash gets the first lyric outta his mouth, the car backs up, and we pass by the same crowd of punks and goons who are now happy! and dancing! Wow, I guess music does solve everything, thanks Eurovision!

But there is a clear reference to Russia and the nation’s invasion of Ukraine. Then, of course, the United States 2024 Election. But we see the pattern here that both “sides” of these conflicts are taken: he wants to go to Kyiv AND Moscow, he wants to vote for both Kamala Harris AND Donald Trump. There’s not really any meet in the middle (I don’t like meet in the middle BS, it’s just another option for navigating these politics) or neutrality, but advocacy for both. But in reality, you can’t go to both Kyiv and Moscow (I mean, maybe?), as an American I know, you definitely can’t vote for two candidates (unless you’re so motivated to commit voter fraud and want to just cancel out your votes). Both very polarizing political topics right now. I remember seeing some people getting upset about the Trump and Kamala lyric… brah you’re probably 14 but cmon use your brain so you can develop into a more perceptive and thoughtful person.

He continues,

“I wanna be sober and I wanna take a bump I wanna take the piss, but I gotta take a dump”

Little explanation needed. You can’t do coke and be sober (is coke straight edge X?). You can’t piss and shit at the same time. Yeah yeah.

VERSE 1: JOOST

“Fuck the EBU, I don't want to go to court The less get less and the more get more”

The first line is a clear reference to his disqualification at Eurovision and the charges, later dropped, against him (I’ll get deeper into that in my future analysis of Why Not???). “The less get less and the more get more” is very similar to the lyric in the PRE-CHORUS: “Rich stay rich, poor stay poor.” Additionally, he references the same idea a few times in “Why Not???�� I think it is all a reference to the way EBU treated him, specifically how they just abandoned him. As he personally experienced with his disqualification, the less continue to get less, so that the more get more. By this, I mean that I think the Israeli media’s latching onto Joost and harassment of him shows that internally, they were also trying to pressure Eurovision into disqualifying him. I am entirely certain that if the Israeli media (and probably their government, too) had not been pressuring Eurovision, then Joost would not have been disqualified. The disqualification of Joost was such an overreaction because in reality, Eurovision bent to serve Israel and disqualified him for them, only using the incident as an excuse.

“But fuck that shit, I just want the hardcore I wanna buy a Samsung in the Apple Store”

But Joost says “fuck that shit” meaning he’s over the incident and doesn’t care, specifically Eurovision’s unjust treatment of him. He continues that he just wants “the hardcore.” On this line, I have two different interpretations. Meaning 1 is that “hardcore” is a reference to the music style, and that he wants to go back to making music (as in being involved with Eurovision again). Meaning 2 is that he wants a hardcore that would allow him to put this all behind him and not actually care about things. I think either way, the message is that he’ll put his care and concerns behind him to go back to music and the Eurovision message. But of course, this is a satire, and it sends the message that though Eurovision (and others) would like him to just not give a shit about Eurovision’s corruption and go back to being involved with him, that’s ridiculous and he won’t do it.

And now the verse has shifted from anger at and critique of Eurovision in the first two lines, to indifference and engagement with Eurovision in the last two, as Joost now aligns with Eurovision’s hypocritical message and wants to “buy a Samsung in the Apple Store”

VERSE 2: TOMMY CASH

“I'm not a good rapper, that's the reason that I sing (Yeah) I'm not a good singer, that's the reason that I rap (Yeah) I used to love McDonald’s, but I'm never going back I know that I'm white, but I wish that I was—”

Aligning with many of the other phrases, the first two lines are a paradox. He’s not a good rapper so he sings, he’s not a good singer so he raps. It could also be getting into him as a musician (I don’t know much about Tommy Cash) maybe people say he’s bad at singing and rapping.

The line on McDonald’s is a reference to the widespread McDonald’s boycott because of the company’s support of the IDF (McDonald’s gave free meals to IDF soldiers during the genocide, and recently the company bought back its Israeli restaurants). It keeps in pattern with his other witty phrases referencing mutual exclusivity: he loves McDonald’s, but he’s never going back. But it also makes me think of the McDonald’s boycott as a means of easy and often performative activism for some. There was such an emphasis on it (not saying you shouldn’t boycott lol) that much more important means of support for the Palestinian people and resistance against the genocide got swept over the rug. A lot of people focused on boycotting McDonald’s because it was easy and relatively simple to them politically (same with Starbucks) but now I’ve seen tons of people stop giving a shit and going back to the places they once claimed to boycott. The next line, “I know that I’m white, but I wish that I was–” does strengthen in my head that he is referencing the performance of the boycott activism. The censored part is obviously “Black,” and might seem like a tone deaf line if you take it at face value. Remember, it’s a satire! Saying that even though you’re white, you wish you were Black is definitely tone deaf and just an incredible misunderstanding of how to advocate for Black people, I bet you can imagine a person in your life who would say those things. That’s the type of person Tommy Cash is making fun of, those people that are all ignorant and lazy in their activism, and don’t actually give a shit and just do it for the external look and reception. I feel like you get a good amount of that lazy Neo-liberal activism from people –would we call them celebrities?– that would have the relative fame to perform at Eurovision and those types of things.

I’m not saying Tommy Cash is taking a hyperspecific stance on how public figures boycott McDonald’s yada-yada, I’m just analyzing the words he sings and bringing up my opinions on what I believe he references. I try not to engage in any of that social celebrity typa stuff, I mostly listen to Punk music, this is a big swerve for me.

VERSE 3: JOOST

“And do you ever think that the world would be so safe That the people never die and nobody got AIDS I wanna smoke a cigarette, but also hit a vape I like to keep it straight, but I also like it gay”

Joost, in the voice of somebody fully believing in Eurovision and their message, is asking Tommy Cash or the listeners about this peaceful, unified world they’re fighting for. It’s like he’s daydreaming of it. But his (again, not genuine) dream world is kinda funny: “That the people never die and nobody got AIDS.” People are always gonna die, and people have already gotten AIDS. This dream world feels disingenuous, fake, and half-assed. It feels like Eurovision’s message.

He continues with another scenario of wanting it both ways: a cigarette and a vape, keeping it straight but also gay. They’re fun and witty lines!

I almost forgot about the fire music video! As this is all happening, Joost and Tommy Cash are participating in a photoshoot with Dan Koens as a stereotypical big-time photographer. Joost and Tommy are dressed in white and sacred behind a heavenly sky background. At some point, they even release doves (cut to the doves not flying into the air, but on the ground). This is referencing Eurovision’s media work with pumping out photoshoots, and also how they depict the musicians as the saviors and only hope for unity.

OUTRO:

“When I wake up in the morning, I wanna sleep The people need the money — economy Joost Klein, Tommy — that's unity This song is so funny, it's not that deep”

The first two lines are our last paradoxical/oxymoronic phrases, but this time, Joost and Tommy complete each other’s sentences. Everyone understands the reference of waking up in the morning but still wanting to sleep, but maybe this could relate a bit more to their positions as performers in Eurovision. Not wanting to go out and perform on stage, or not wanting to perform as a symbol for Eurovision’s message. But people need the money; their performances all have other people’s money on the line. Pressure to make money for the big people.

Their voices feel more genuine in this outro, compared to the rest of the song. Seems like they’re referencing the unity between themselves (Joost and Tommy Cash), instead of this made up hypocritical BS unity that Eurovision spouts.

They end it off with, “this song is so funny, it's not that deep.” So I’ve got a few ideas on this last line. Some people read it as “oh, don’t analyze the song at all” but that’s dumb. I think it’s more that the stuff they’re making fun of and bringing into discussion, they’re doing it playfully, and don’t want people to act like those are their exact formal opinions and statements on the matter. Sometimes musicians will fully get into the fame and money and stop acting like real people and just a clean puppet for others, while other musicians want to maintain their autonomy and privacy, don’t want to just become a voice to spread somebody else’s message, and have to fight to be treated as people.

In the outro, Tommy Cash is dressed in black robes, and Joost is in white, and they are in the same room of the World Peace Committee (yellow sky background). Joost takes one flower out of the bouquet in Tommy’s arms and places a flower into the barrel of the giant tank. The image is a reference to the famous photograph Flower Power by Bernie Boston. The photograph shows a protester placing a flower into the barrel of a soldier’s rifle at a protest against the Vietnam War.

This barrel is aiming straight at Joost, and he braces as the tank shoots him. He falls to the ground, and his blood forms a heart around his head. Tommy gets onto the floor with him, and their black and white robes form the Yin-Yang symbol.

I would say the tank is the World Peace Committee’s, as it takes place in the same room as the intro. Isn’t it ironic that the committee for PEACE, LOVE, and UNITY has got such a big tank? Joost’s placing the flower in the barrel was another act of peace against violence, the same way he spoke for peace out of a place of care against violence. But Joost has gone against the Committee/EBU, so now they aim their tank at him. Very much a reference to how Eurovision turned on him, and absolutely abandoned him, at a moment’s notice.

The Yin and Yang symbol is big in Taoism. The black and the white represent opposing but complementary forces. Duality duality. I think that the Yin-Yang symbol showcases too much genuine complexity and interconnection to refer to the political message of Eurovision, and Eurovision is just BS. Maybe it references the quality of Tommy and Joost’s friendship, specifically in relation to Eurovision? I’m still thinking about it.

Looking back, I think I missed the angle of the public’s treatment of their opinions, so I might add to that later.

Let me know what you think!

#Joost #joost klein #Unity #united by music #songlyrics #songmeaning #tommy cash #analysis #music #gabber #droomgroot

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