“Roadkill” by The 1975, from their latest album ‘Notes on a Conditional Form,’ is one of a kind. The song encompasses some absurd humor which is almost geeky and not in tune with the usual stuff from the band.
Matt Healy, the frontman of the band spoke with Music Week about his new album. In this interview he talked about the humorous aspect of the album and this song;
“If the album isn’t funny, it’s deeply earnest or about my deepest fears and anxieties. Playing On My Mind and Roadkill are probably my funniest songs.”
But what does “Roadkill” actually mean? Let’s dive in and find out.
Listen to “Roadkill” by The 1975
In the first verse of the song, Matt Healy brings up the age-old debate of his sexual orientation–a question raised by fans and critics alike. However, Matt has never explicitly spoken out about his sexuality before. In these lyrics, he drops in a homosexual slur to add more fuel to the ongoing fire.
Matt also sings about his career and what kind of a toll it puts on his head. But he cannot help it because it is his and his band’s means of living. The bigger and more successful they become, the higher and harder the stresses grow too. He says that he keeps losing his weight because of this stress.
In the hook of the song, Matt talks about getting “mugged” by media and critics about his music. This adds even more pressure. So however collected he might appear on the outside, it is not for us to judge how he is operating on the inside!
Wait, what’s funny about this song?
Well, this is exactly what Matt spoke about in the above interview. The message is quite daunting as it is evident with the above explanation. But he uses some light words and comical presentation to losen the gravity of the message and hence the lyrics seem funny.
In the second verse, Matt might be talking about his inner-most feelings of settling down with somebody, someday. He walks around, getting stoned, from one concert to another. It keeps his belly fed and roof strong. But he is aware that he is not going to find love in this way. He is not going to be able to hold his own child in this routine of things!
The outro of the song is as dark as it gets. The singer contemplates his options between a gun and a knife. For his own protection, he says. And we will believe that for now!
Let us hear what you think about “Roadkill” by The 1975 in the comments below. A song with actual sataire? or sataire covering up a dark and twisted reality of the singer?
Check out the complete lyrics on Genius.