Demi Lovato used the medium she is most comfortable with to address her discontent towards the current administration of the United States of America. The song, titled “Commander in Chief,” touches on topics such as racial discrimination, police brutality, and mainly the blind-eye towards the Coronavirus COVID-19 situation in the USA.
As per the current Constitution of the United States of America, the sitting President is the Commander in Chief for the Army and the Navy of the United States. Hence, this song is directly aimed towards Donald Trump, the sitting President of the USA as of the song’s release.
As of this article, the USA leads the charts in the number of COVID-19 patients at 8.2 million, and 220,000 plus total deaths. The country also leads the charts in daily new deaths at 839+ deaths per day. These statistics show how the government and authorities have failed to contain the virus after almost a year since it started.
Billie Eilish’s brother FINNEAS is a producer on the song. Demi Lovato premiered the song live at the Billboard Music Awards 2020 held on October 14, 2020.
Watch “Commander in Chief” Video by Demi Lovato
“Commander in Chief” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Verse 1
Demi Lovato does not hold back in this song aimed at the Trump Administration, which, according to the singer, has failed in managing many aspects of the country. She complains that the current administration works very selfishly for their personal gain and thinks nothing of the countrymen.
Demi Lovato does not say that she is the one suffering from the misadministration. She is just one of them, who has a bigger voice than most that suffer brutally. She calls herself the ‘lucky one’ in all this mess. Incidents relating to police brutality and racial discrimination is at a very high and a visible level. And there is no voice for these people who suffer. COVID-19 pandemic has taken over 200,000 lives in the USA, and the Trump Administration still advocates ‘business as usual’ policy.
Demi Lovato questions the head of this administration if they get off on seeing people suffer! Ouch!
Chorus
Demi Lovato despisingly talks to the Commander in Chief of the United States of America. She asks how does he sleep at night doing the things, or rather not doing anything about the various social issues going around him. Demi wonders if the Commander knows of the pandemic taking almost 1,000 lives a day in the USA because she cannot believe that a human being would turn a blind eye towards such devastation.
Demi Lovato also brings up the murder of George Floyd by the Minneapolis police department on May 26, 2020. Floyd was arrested, cuffed, and was made to lay on the street while one police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck which caused severe breathing issues which aided in his death. This inhumane murder prompted thousands of people to protest towards the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement all through America. The Trump administration took severe and aggressive military response towards the protestors.
Eerily, Demi asks Trump how does he feel to be able to breathe, which is a direct reference towards George Floyd’s famous last words “I can’t breathe,” as he lay dying under the knee of the police officer.
Verse 2
In the second verse of the song, Demi Lovato carries on the mockery of the President who retreated to the bunker at the White House when some protestors showed in front of the White House. The President was mocked as the ‘Bunker Boy‘ following this incident.
As the President lays hidden in his bunker, Demi Lovato says the fights for justice carries on in the streets.
‘Taking a knee’ is a popular way of protesting towards something peacefully. Demi says she and most other citizens of the USA, are taking a knee towards the Commander in Chief’s reign.
“Commander in Chief” by Demi Lovato is a brutal eye-opener towards the 2020 administration of the United States of America.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Check out the complete lyrics and further meaning breakdown on Genius.