Incubus
- Drew Goodmanson
- Sep 1, 2004
- Series: Music
Incubus sounds familiar. If you don't know this band, I'd say their sound reminds me of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have the same energy, vibe and delivery. I've been eavesdropping on a few of Incubus' songs. I am glad to see Incubus write songs that are filled with more meaning than much of the pop music being released today. In particular, I've enjoyed their song 'Talk Shows on Mute' and 'Megalomaniac' from their new album A Crow Left Of The Murder and 'Warning' from the Morning View album (2001).
The new album A Crow Left of The Murder has several songs that seem to speak sociologically and politically. The first song has some looking at "Megalomaniac" as a reference to George W. Bush. Brandon Boyd, the lead singer, has avoided saying who it is specifically but says, he prefers "when lyrics are distinct enough that you can tell generally what's going on and appreciate it, and vague enough that you can apply your own meaning to it".
It is easy to see why people would say he is speaking of Bush though. The video connects war with gas prices and constantly tells the 'megalomaniac' to step down. Incubus also included subtle message about Christianity. These are the very beliefs Bush holds to. In 'Megalomaniac' after a message of the U.S. being brainwashed as part of the megalomaniac's corporate towers and structures the words 'Jesus Saves' are on neon signs, it later shows a book titled, the "holy buy bull". Boyd includes many images of Christianity in the few videos I've seen.
In the song 'Talk Shows on Mute' Brandon Boyd pays homage to George Orwell's book '1984'. 1984 is a darkly satirical political novel and love story by George Orwell. A tragedy, the story takes place in a nightmare world in which the ever surveillant State enforces perfect conformity among citizens through indoctrination, fear, lies and ruthless punishment. (Further homage is in the video as the world is run by animals that use humans to entertain them which connects with Orwell's other book Animal Farm.) 'Talk Shows on Mute' seems to make a commentary both on the big brother future/present and also our current culture of hopeless and mindless consumerism in America.
Again, it is appreciated when songs are actually trying to say something that we can look at. (I'm still trying to write a review of gangsta rap but there is only so much you could draw out of comments about bitches and ho's.)
The song that I wanted to look at further is called "Warning", which struck me in it's simplicity and heartfelt message. It reads...
Bat your eyes girl, be otherworldly,
count your blessings, seduce a stranger.
What's so wrong with being happy?
Incubus poses the question, "what is so wrong with being happy"? The pursuit of happiness occupies a vast majority of our culture's time. The paradox of happiness is that the more we try to be happy, often the less happy we become. In the last year alone, statistics stated that U.S. doctors wrote 213 million prescriptions for antidepressants. Ironically enough, the more time we devote the more we seem to be failing in our pursuit of happiness.
Warning continues...
I suggest we learn to love ourselves before it's made illegal.
When will we learn? When will we change?
Just in time to see it all fall down.
Pick up any magazine, tv show or tune into any radio station and eventually you'll find someone talking about loving ourselves or self-esteem. Society wants us to look within, to "love ourselves before it's made illegal". Loving ourself sounds right and innocent. Wouldn't everything be better if we all had a higher self-esteem and loved ourselves?
The bottom line is that it is because of our 'love for ourselves' that we struggle with happiness. When we love ourself anytime things go wrong, life is challenging or people do not treat us the way we want, our happiness is rocked. We desire to be treated preferentially and this will always cause us to be let down. We will continually be depressed and unhappy.
The Bible gives us a different answer. It says that we are all wicked. This flies in the face of society that says we are good and to deal with problems often mean addressing our self-esteem and loving ourself. Nowhere in Scripture does it teach or advice people to seek the answers by looking within themselves. Instead we are told to distrust our own hearts (Jer 17:9), because out of it come many evils. As believers we must recognize that much of what is called issues such as self-esteem, looks, codependency, mid-life crisis – these infirmities are not much more than the pains of selfishness and ultimately sin.
The whole Christian life is built upon dying to self and serving God and serving people. We are to get our eyes off of ourself and fix our "eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Rather than bolstering our egos, we are to think of ourselves soberly and rationally, according to the guide God has given us -- the Word clarified and applied by the Holy Spirit. In that view of ourselves we are to put off the old self and put on the new man created in Christ Jesus. If and when we put on the new man we will be loving and esteeming Him, not loving and esteeming our self. And we will be loving and esteeming one another. It is as we follow these teachings that we are promised the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
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