The existence of a higher power is not a doubt to some, but is a beacon of conflict for others. In this analysis, I'll be focusing on two artists; Marina Diamandis & The 1975's Matty Healy- specifically Happy and If I Believe you by the pair respectfully.
The presence of themes of religious conflict in relation to identity and direction of purpose have always been present in The 1975's lyrics. Matty Healy's struggle with religion has been talked about multiple times, to an extent where you could probably make a playlist of songs by the band without needing to search too hard. Songs like Antichrist are fan favorites due to the amount of raw emotion that coddles the (true to nature, pretentious) lyrics- the band has never had any issues expressing political as well as religious opinions in their music.
Marina plays things on a lower radar, involving her heritage and culture's themes in her album concepts, such as Greek Gods and Goddess / the elements of Classical Greek tragedies. She also makes multiple connections to her opinions on Christianity, lyrics such as "I'm not afraid of God But I'm afraid of Man," in Savages. That being said, both these artists claim themselves to be atheist.
So what is it about Happy and If I Believe you that sparks so much intrigue? Marina has stated that the song is assessed as more spiritual than religious to her, and she claims she alludes to her departed loved ones watching over her in specific lyrics, while Matty has made it extremely explicit that the song is 100% about his conflict with religion.
-You can listen to each song here:-
Here are the lyrics to the song Happy;
Couldn't relax, couldn't sit back And let the sunlight in my lap I sang a hymn to bring me peace And then it came, a melody
It felt so sweet, it felt so strong It made me feel like I belonged And all the sadness inside me Melted away like I was free
I found what I'd been looking for in myself Found a life worth living for someone else Never thought that I could be, I could be Happy, happy
Don't go out much at all I've never been the type to call I realize to be happy Maybe I need a little company
So now you know, you know it all That I've been des-desperately alone I haven't found the one for me But I believe in divinity
I found what I'd been looking for in myself Found a life worth living for someone else Never thought that I could be, I could be Happy, happy
I believe in possibility I believe someone's watching over me And finally I have found a way to be Happy, happy
From the concrete to the coast,
I was looking for a Holy Ghost,
Like the land joining the sea,
Happiness, It followed me
I believe[...]
While these are the lyrics to If I Believe You;
I've got a God-shaped hole That's infected And I'm petrified of being alone now It's pathetic, I know
And I tossed and I turn in my bed It's just like I lost my head (lost my head)
And if I believe you Will that make it stop? If I told you I need you Is that what you want?
And I'm broken and bleeding And begging for help (there's no use singing a song) And I'm asking you Jesus, show yourself
I thought I'd met you once or twice But that was just because the dabs were nice and opening up my mind Showing me consciousness is primary in the universe
And I had a revelation I'll be your child if you insist I mean if it was you that made my body You probably shouldn't have made me atheist But, oh, I'm a lesbian kiss I'm an evangelist And if you don't want to go to hell then miss, you better start selling this
Yeah
And if I believe you Will that make it stop? If I told you I need you Is that what you want? And I'm broken and bleeding And begging for help (there's no use singing a song) And I'm asking you Jesus, show yourself
If I'm lost then how can I find myself?(x6)
_
If you haven't listened to either song, I'd suggest doing so, but if you don't want to do that, just refer to the lyrics above.
Songs such as these that contain notions to divinity grasp a ledge most label 'sensitive'. Conflict with religion is something most people experience in one way or another; issues with finding faith, issues with agreeing, issues with understanding, issues with the community involved. To most, accepting a religion brings a sense of ease or comfort for many, many reasons; the one I'll be looking at today is the sense of identity and feeling of direction that is either present or absent.
When comparing the two songs, Happy seems like the sequel to If I Believe You; a song of acceptance of whichever sort of spirituality or religion the singer chooses to rely on.
I found what I'd been looking for in myself
Found a life worth living for someone else
Never thought that I could be,
I could be Happy, Happy
At first glance, Marina's message appears to be that she's accepted a level of faith in a higher power- the artist herself stated that the main message is not her acceptance of basic religion, but the acceptance of spiritual guidance which she elaborates on using Biblical terms. This specific lyric in comparison to If I Believe You's outro-
If I'm lost then how can I find myself
-highlights an aspect of self discovery that is present in the search for faith. The 'ease' found with the acceptance of believing appears to be linked with soothing an internal turmoil- Marina's discovery of happiness in knowing that her loved ones are watching over her, versus Matty's prominent conundrum of feeling alone and lost without something solid to grasp. The ending of If I Believe You is where the sense of a wobbly identity comes into play, although there are other parts of the song that allude to Healy's personality not exactly fitting in with the 'teachings' of any religion.
I'll be your child if you insist I mean if it was you that made my body
You probably shouldn't have made me atheist
But, oh, I'm a lesbian kiss
I'm an evangelist
These lyrics, specifically I'm a lesbian kiss, shine a spotlight on the singer's idea that he as a person is something religion takes issue with.
The concept of religion easing the violent tide of an unstable or 'lost' personality or idea of the self is prevalent in both songs- Marina's lyric "I found what I was looking for in myself" in direct comparison with "If I'm lost, how do I find myself?" makes for very intriguing conversation;
By lost, does Healy referring to those who say you are lost without religion? If what Diamandis discovered was in her all along, is she saying that the sense of identity and purpose so often connected to religion exists on its own accord inside us?
Matty Healy in particular has always elaborated on the 'void' he has felt in his life, trying to fill that with people, drugs, sex, music, and eventually explored religion; thus songs such as antichrist, but also the opening line "I've got a God-shaped hole," referring to that void.
We can safely identify his question on finding himself as a line with two sides, no doubt meaning both versions of the interpretation. Mainly because he does this a lot.
Placing these two songs side by side creates the contrast of answer and question, although the answer is only sufficient to one; why can one person find solace in the absence of religion while the other struggles? These are questions that of course have no definitive answer, very in character for the way this topic generally goes. Finding purpose/identity in life through religion or the lack there of is subjective to each persons self discovery.
If you haven't heard the songs yet, please do give them a listen; you can find links above, which will take you to youtube- The 1975 are known for only releasing a handful of songs to the public while keeping most on their records/ paid streaming services, but the live version of If I Believe You is on youtube as well (linked above). However, if listening to the song in its studio version is important to you, check out Anghami for a free listen to any of the band's music at the price of a few ads.
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