Jump to content

The 1975 (song)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bilorv (talk | contribs) at 12:02, 3 January 2021 (more concise and more accurate (e.g. it's not true that the "The 1975" opened each of the first three albums because it was three different songs of that title, not one); refs not needed in the lead). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"The 1975"
Song cover, horizontal and vertical text reading The 1975 and Notes on a Conditional Form.
Song by the 1975
from the album Notes on a Conditional Form
Released24 July 2019 (2019-07-24)
RecordedJune 2019
Genre
Length4:55
LabelDirty Hit
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)
  • Greta Thunberg
Producer(s)
  • George Daniel
  • Matthew Healy
Audio with lyrics
"The 1975" on YouTube

"The 1975" is a song by the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 24 July 2019,[a] while included on the album as the opening track in May of the following year. The band previously opened each of their albums with a song titled "The 1975" that featured the same lyrics; however, the fourth version deviates from this pattern. In it, environmental activist Greta Thunberg calls for civil disobedience and direct action, both personal and political, in response to climate change, in a modified version of her own speech "Our House Is on Fire" from the 2019 World Economic Forum.

The song was recorded in June 2019. Proceeds went to the grassroots movement Extinction Rebellion; the song's release coincided with measures by the 1975 which had the described aim of reducing their environmental impact, including reprinting new designs over older, unsold merchandise. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who praised its emotional impact, the message and the transition on Notes on a Conditional Form from the song into the lead single "People".

Background

photo
Greta Thunberg is featured on the track

In 2017, the 1975 announced their third studio album would be titled Music for Cars.[6] On 31 May 2018, the band announced that Music for Cars would instead be an "era" of two albums, which were recorded together.[7][8] The first album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, was released on 30 November 2018.[9] The second, Notes on a Conditional Form, was later released on 22 May 2020.[10] "The 1975" is the opening track on the latter.[11]

The song features Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg. In August 2018, Thunberg began skipping school on Fridays to protest outside the Swedish Riksdag (parliament) with a sign reading "Skolstrejk för klimatet" ("School strike for the climate"). This sparked a global school strike for climate movement in November 2018.[12] She recorded "The 1975" in Stockholm, Sweden in late June 2019. Aged 16 at the time, she was the first featured artist on a recording by the 1975 other than the band members.[2]

The song was produced by the label Dirty Hit, which was founded by the 1975's manager Jamie Oborne.[2] Oborne and lead vocalist Matty Healy stated that "bigger artists" than them turned down an opportunity to work with Thunberg.[11][13] Healy later said that the band wanted to make "the most modern statement" on the opening track, and that he wanted Thunberg to "exist formally" in pop culture.[14][15] Oborne first attempted to contact Thunberg via Instagram, but he was unsuccessful. He was later introduced to her father Svante Thunberg.[13] Thunberg said of the track, her first musical work, that she was "grateful to get the opportunity to get [her] message out to a broad new audience in a new way".[2] Healy said that meeting Thunberg was "such an inspiration".[16]

Composition

"The 1975"
The final lines of the song, in which Thunberg calls for civil disobedience.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Each of the band's first three albums begin with a brief song called "The 1975", with the same set of lyrics, beginning "Go down / Soft sound". On Notes on a Conditional Form, this pattern is broken.[17] Lasting 4 minutes and 57 seconds,[18] a protest song opens the album, featuring a spoken word performance by Thunberg, with a backing of ambient music.[2][16][19] The lyrics call for civil disobedience and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate change, based on the January 2019 speech "Our House Is on Fire", which Thunberg delivered at the World Economic Forum.[8][16][20]

"The 1975" marks a shift by the 1975 to more explicitly political messages.[1] It follows political songs from A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, "Love It If We Made It"—about contemporary political events—and "I Like America & America Likes Me"—about American gun control.[21] Healy described the song as "quite beautiful superficially", but also "quite sad, quite pretty" and "quite ominous".[14]

Release and promotion

The words Extinction Rebellion beneath an hourglass symbol on a green background
Placard used by Extinction Rebellion, which received proceeds from "The 1975".

"The 1975" is the first track on Notes on a Conditional Form, and the first of the songs to be released, on 24 July 2019. As they have done in the past, the band deactivated their social media accounts shortly before the song's release.[22][23][24] It was initially intended to be released alongside the album, but after its recording in June 2019, it was decided that the song should be released earlier.[2][11]

At Thunberg's request, proceeds from "The 1975" were donated to the grassroots movement Extinction Rebellion.[2] Spokespeople from Extinction Rebellion praised the track, saying that "music has the power to break through barriers".[11][25][26] The song's release occurred contemporaneously with the record label and band taking measures aiming to reduce their environmental impact,[2][11][27] such as Dirty Hit replacing plastic materials with paper.[28] The band hired an eco-management company for performances.[29]

The 1975 played recordings of the song to open the band's encore throughout performances in 2019 and 2020. Such performances included at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2019,[30] the BB&T Pavilion in New Jersey in November 2019,[31] and shows at the Manchester Arena and London O2 Arena during February 2020.[32][33] The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruption of planned appearances following Notes on a Conditional Form's release, such as an event at London's Finsbury Park in July 2020, where the 1975 planned to implement a number of environmental measures.[34][35]

Critical reception

Critical reviews following the song's initial release were mostly positive. On 27 July 2019, Consequence of Sound named the song their favourite of the week. Sean Lang from the publication praised that lead vocalist Matthew Healy let Thunberg deliver the speech, rather than trying to deliver the message himself, and lauded Thunberg for her delivery of a difficult message. Lang called the song a "surprising, refreshing risk".[36] Madison Feller of Elle complimented the song as "pretty stunning", saying that it gave her chills.[37] Laura Snapes from The Guardian praised the 1975 for using their platform to highlight a woman's voice.[38] The Telegraph's Al Horner called the track "surprising and inspiring" and "brutally, rebelliously stark".[1] Jake Kerridge of The Telegraph praised it as the "most terrifying" spoken word pop music since the 1984 anti-nuclear war song "Two Tribes", by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Kerridge lauded Thunberg, saying that she "help[ed] bring back the protest song in all its terrifying glory".[19] However, Ellen Peirson-Hagger of the New Statesman panned a perceived lack of involvement by the band in their own song, both in its composition and in acting upon its message.[27]

The song also received positive commentary in its context as the opening song on Notes on a Conditional Form. Several critics praised the transition between "The 1975" and the more hardcore track "People", including Claire Shaffer of Rolling Stone and Lizzie Manno of Paste.[39][40] Insider's Callie Ahlgrim similarly lauded that "the effect is exquisite".[41] Matt Collar of AllMusic reviewed the song as "heartfelt" and a "moving introduction" to the album.[42] Writing for Insider, Courteney Larocca praised that it "sets [the album] immediately apart" from the 1975's previous releases.[41] Claire Biddles of The Line of Best Fit commented that the "introspective and coy" background music brings more "gravitas" to Thunberg's speech.[43] Manno called the song a "stirring speech that makes an unwavering case for radical change" but questioned its "artistic purpose" on the album.[40]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes,[44] and Pitchfork.[45]

  • George Daniel – keyboards, mixing, producing, programming, strings, writing
  • Jonathan Gilmore – engineering
  • Matthew Healy – keyboards, producing, writing
  • Robin Schmidt – mastering
  • Greta Thunberg – vocals, writing

References

Notes

  1. ^ While some publications including The Daily Telegraph,[1] The Guardian[2] and Spin[3] consider the song to be a single, others such as Rolling Stone[4] and the BBC[5] have written that it is not.

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Horner, Al (25 July 2019). "Is The 1975's Greta Thunberg single a woke gimmick, or the sound of the future?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Snapes, Laura (25 July 2019). "'Time to rebel': Greta Thunberg adds voice to new song by the 1975". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  3. ^ Burks, Tosten (24 July 2019). "The 1975's New Song Is a Speech About Climate Change". Spin. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  4. ^ Spanos, Brittany (24 July 2019). "The 1975 Enlist Climate Change Activist Greta Thunberg for Self-Titled New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  5. ^ "The 1975: Greta Thunberg writes climate essay for new album". BBC. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  6. ^ Gordon, Jeremy (27 April 2017). "The 1975 Announce New Album Music for Cars". Spin. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Beats 1 on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  8. ^ a b "The 1975: Greta Thunberg writes climate essay for new album". British Broadcasting Corporation. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  9. ^ "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships CD". The 1975 Store. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  10. ^ Shaffer, Claire (30 March 2020). "The 1975 Postpone 'Notes on a Conditional Form' Release Date (Again)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  11. ^ a b c d e Jones, Damian (12 August 2019). "The 1975 claim "big artists" didn't want to work with climate activist Greta Thunberg". NME. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  12. ^ Lush, Amelia (9 July 2019). "From Greta Thunberg to Sally Morgan: 10 books to help kids come to grips with climate crisis". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Greta Thunberg's 1975 feature 'rejected by big artists'". BBC. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Notes On a Conditional Form by The 1975". Apple Music. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  15. ^ Daniell, Mark (22 May 2020). "The 1975's Matty Healy talks new LP, Greta Thunberg and life under lockdown". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Guy, Jack (25 July 2019). "Greta Thunberg has recorded a song with The 1975 calling for a climate change rebellion". CNN. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  17. ^ Helman, Peter (24 July 2019). "The 1975 – "The 1975"". Stereogum. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  18. ^ The 1975 (24 July 2019). The 1975 – The 1975 (video). YouTube. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  19. ^ a b Kerridge, Jake (28 July 2019). "Greta Thunberg helps bring back the protest song it all its terrifying glory". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  20. ^ Strauss, Matthew (24 July 2019). "The 1975 Share New Song With Climate Activist Greta Thunberg: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  21. ^ Schramm, Molly (25 July 2019). "The 1975 Release Politically Charged Opening Track from Notes on a Conditional Form". Paste. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Here's everything new you need to know about the 1975's 'Notes On A Conditional Form'". Dork. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  23. ^ Spruch, Kirsten (24 July 2019). "The 1975 Deactivate All Social Media Accounts After Posting Mysterious Teaser". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  24. ^ Goeman, Collin (24 July 2019). "The 1975 Delete Social Media Accounts, Spark Fan Speculation". Alternative Press. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  25. ^ Richards, Will (25 July 2019). "Extinction Rebellion respond to The 1975's new song with Greta Thunberg: "Music has the power to break through barriers"". NME. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  26. ^ McNern, Ronan (25 July 2019). "Thank you Greta Thunberg & The 1975 – "Everything needs to change"". Extinction Rebellion. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  27. ^ a b Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (25 July 2019). "Greta Thunberg features on a new track by The 1975 – but it doesn't sit right with me". New Statesman. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  28. ^ Greenwood, Douglas (25 July 2019). "Greta Thunberg and The 1975 Have Made a Song Together". i-D. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  29. ^ Agnew, Megan (10 May 2020). "Interview: The 1975's Matty Healy on drug addiction, Greta Thunberg and isolation". The Times. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  30. ^ White, Adam (24 August 2019). "The 1975, Reading Festival review: Anger, sincerity and Greta Thunberg brought together by the UK's most brilliantly odd band". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  31. ^ Almeida, Nicole (20 November 2019). "Live Review: It's Time To Rebel With The 1975". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  32. ^ Goggins, Joe (28 February 2020). "Review: The 1975 at Manchester Arena". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  33. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (24 February 2020). "A well-practised, confident show from The 1975 at the O2 Arena". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  34. ^ Cooke, Chris (28 January 2020). "The 1975 announce super eco-friendly Finsbury Park show". Complete Music Update. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  35. ^ Moore, Sam (6 May 2020). "The 1975 cancel massive Finsbury Park show over coronavirus crisis". NME. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  36. ^ Lang, Sean; Blackard, Cap (27 July 2019). "Top Song of the Week: The 1975 Take Surprising and Refreshing Risks With "The 1975"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  37. ^ Feller, Madison (26 July 2019). "The 1975 and Greta Thunberg Released the Song of the Scary Hot Summer". Elle. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  38. ^ Snapes, Laura (25 July 2019). "Hot and bothered: why Greta Thunberg joined the 1975". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
  39. ^ Shaffer, Claire (21 May 2020). "The 1975's 'Notes on a Conditional Form' is a Meandering Search for Meaning". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  40. ^ a b Manno, Lizzie (20 May 2020). "The 1975 Are Far Too Ambitious on Notes on A Conditional Form". Paste. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  41. ^ a b Ahlgrim, Callie; Larocca, Courteney (22 May 2020). "The 1975's 'Notes on a Conditional Form' has absolutely no skips — but that doesn't mean it's perfect". Insider. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  42. ^ Collar, Matt. "Notes on a Conditional Form - The 1975". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  43. ^ Biddles, Claire (18 May 2020). "The 1975 fall prey to their own self-indulgent trap". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  44. ^ Notes on a Conditional Form (liner notes). The 1975. Dirty Hit. 2020. DH00754.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  45. ^ Minsker, Evan; Strauss, Matthew (22 May 2020). "The 1975 Share New Album Notes on a Conditional Form: Listen and Read the Full Credits". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_1975_(song)&oldid=998024212"