“The Adults Are Talking” is the first track on The Strokes’ 2020 album ‘The New Abnormal.’ The opening track of the album follows a common theme among the other tracks of the album–challenging the ‘men’ in power in the society. The band asks listeners to not become a part of this class of society.
‘The New Abnormal’ is the sixth studio album by The Strokes, released on April 10, 2020. The album contained singles such as “At the Door” and “Bad Decisions.” The album follows a theme of highlighting the contemporary issues of modern society.
In the lyrics of “The Adults Are Talking,” The Strokes try to elaborate the difference among the ‘nobles’ and the ‘commons’ in society. ‘The Adults,’ in the title of the song, can be believed to be these higher ups in the society who deem themselves to be the more important class in society. Much like ‘the adults’ get to talk over the ‘children’ in a house, these higher ups rule over the ‘commons.’ And it has become the norm!
The song can also be interpreted as the division between the politicians and the general population.
Listen to “The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes
The Strokes also surface the bitter side of this story–the perspective of this mighty class of the ‘commons.’ They think that the ‘commons’ are the ‘problem’ of the society. The Strokes say that they can’t help it if they think like that.
However, it is also a fact that everyone wants to climb on to this echelon of the society. Maybe it looks freeing or redeeming, but the facts are that most ‘commons’ want to get into this higher rank. The Strokes kindly ask their listeners not to go there because they will never return again. And they will never be grounded again.
This higher echelon is a place where the ‘wrongs’ feel right. It’s a twisted reality and the actual reality is harsh. So no wonder that everyone wants to get there. But there are consequences of being in this upper class–karma!
In the outro of the track, The Strokes take a shot at the ‘stockholders’ too. It might seem random, but it’s not. A stockholder is a person owning a certain portion of a company. Usually, the stockmarket is a place known to be filled with greedy and hungry souls for money. But this might not be the case all the time.
Let us know what you think about “The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics and further song meaning breakdown on Genius.