The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success. The members met and played in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001. The band renamed itself Billy Talent after running into legal trouble with the old name. It was then that Kowalewicz's connection with an employee of Warner Music Canada's A&R department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Since then, Billy Talent has made three multi-platinum records in Canada and continues to expand their success overseas; this included touring for 20 months supporting their second album. They released their third album, Billy Talent III, in 2009, and their fourth album, Dead Silence, in 2012. Dead Silence was followed up by a full UK tour throughout October and November 2012. To commemorate the longevity since the release of their first studio album, the band has released a greatest hits album entitled Hits in 2014. In 2015, they began to prepare material for their fifth studio album. Just before entering the studio, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk decided to sit out the recording sessions while he continued his longstanding battle with multiple sclerosis. Fellow Canadian Jordan Hastings was quickly recruited to play as Solowoniuk's studio stand-in, and, in early 2016, the group completed work on Afraid of Heights, which was released in July of that year. The band's most recent album is Crisis of Faith, released in January 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Talent
Studio albums
Billy Talent (2003)
Billy Talent II (2006)
Billy Talent III (2009)
Dead Silence (2012)
Afraid of Heights (2016)
Crisis of Faith (2022)
Surprise Surprise
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They wrote the book, on how to sell it
From cigarettes, to skinny jeans
You got the money, they got the means
Oh you upper class daughters, and working class sons
It's hard to save a dollar, the way the world runs
It won't be so ironic when your daddy is broke
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
And this revolution has been brought to you by
Just gotta stop, so you can mimic
The tortured artist, the jaded cynic
The latest gadget, is just a gimmick
Another sucker, born every minute
Well I'm sick of this town, bringing me down
A vast world epidemic all around
I'm sick of this town, bringing me down
A lost generation trying to act profound
Oh you upper class daughters, and working class sons
It's hard to save a dollar the way the world runs
We got a counterculture you can buy of a shelf
If you're losing your identity to somebody else
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
And this revolution has been brought to you by
Those who seek to think we don't care
And those who seek to think we're not aware
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
Call the ranks,
Call the ranks,
Call the ranks
Oh you working class daughters, and upper class sons
It's hard to save a dollar the way the world runs
We're the target market of a corporate hoax
Our generation is a fucking joke
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
And this revolution has been brought to you by
Those who seek to think we don't care
And those who seek to think we're not aware
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
The song "Surprise Surprise" by Billy Talent is a social commentary on consumerism and its effects on society. The lyrics suggest that people often buy into trends and fads without considering the consequences or the motives of corporations that market these products. The first verse establishes the theme of the song, with references to the fashion industry and tobacco companies, as well as class distinctions. The second verse expands on this idea, with references to technology and the pressure to conform to certain lifestyles. The chorus emphasizes the idea that people are better off when they are not trying to fit into a mold or conform to what they think society expects from them.
The lines "It's hard to save a dollar, the way the world runs" and "Our generation is a fucking joke" suggest that younger generations are particularly vulnerable to consumerism and marketing, and are not able to save money due to the high cost of living. However, the final lines "Call the ranks" suggest a call to action, urging listeners to become aware of the situation and resist conformity.
Overall, the song highlights the darker side of consumer culture and encourages listeners to think critically about the choices they make and the motives behind them.
Line by Line Meaning
You got the look, but not the credit
Your appearance is good, but your achievements aren't recognized
They wrote the book, on how to sell it
Others dictate what you should buy and how they can sell it to you
From cigarettes, to skinny jeans
You are influenced to buy anything, from tobacco to fashion trends
You got the money, they got the means
You have the money to buy, but companies have the resources to advertise
It's hard to save a dollar, the way the world runs
Saving money is a challenge with how the society is built
You're the target market of a corporate joke
You are the intended consumer of a gimmick designed by companies
It won't be so ironic when your daddy is broke
You will not find it funny when your father runs out of money because of these corporate tricks
Surprise surprise, surprise surprise
The lyrics are ironic, and the point made might not be a surprise
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
You might have bought merchandise for superficial reasons
And this revolution has been brought to you by
The dissent expressed in the song is because of the current state of society
Just gotta stop, so you can mimic
You are influenced to impersonate artists and cynics
The tortured artist, the jaded cynic
The artist and the cynic have become unhappy and are expressing this through their behavior
The latest gadget, is just a gimmick
New technological devices are often tricks to get you to buy something new and updated
Another sucker, born every minute
People often repeat mistakes over and over again
Well I'm sick of this town, bringing me down
The current societal trends depress the singer
A vast world epidemic all around
The malaise described in the song is prevalent everywhere
I'm sick of this town, bringing me down
The town is causing the lyrics creator to be sorrowful
A lost generation trying to act profound
The generation is described as aimless and pretending to be insightful
We got a counterculture you can buy of a shelf
There is a fake version of the counterculture being sold, stamped with approval by companies
If you're losing your identity to somebody else
People are often influenced into following trends and mimicking others
You're much better looking when you're in disguise
You might look presentable, but your thoughts might be superficial
Those who seek to think we don't care
People might pretend like they do not care or are not aware
And those who seek to think we're not aware
People might assume that the lyrics creator does not understand the nuances of the world
Call the ranks,
This is a rallying cry to band together and fight against societal inadequacies
Oh you working class daughters, and upper class sons
The lyrics refer to people of all economic backgrounds and both genders
Our generation is a fucking joke
The singer is disillusioned by the current generation's culture
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON SOLOWONIUK, BEN KOWALEWICZ, IAN D'SA, JON GALLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Y
billy talent is the only band that i can name that has been around for more than 10 years that has kept their same sound and has not resorted to mainstream/pop/autotune sounds
Lexa Sae de Moph
They have evolved during all these years to sound even better, they are fucking great. I love this album, it's so full of energy.
Niklas Ahrens
Well, böse Onkelz, I'd say ACDC even if some songs aren't the same they where, well u2 I think, man I can't come up with more rn😂
Zombiefusion 367
i know right
John Doe
it's really sad when that happens. I loved Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory and Meteora, but Minutes to Midnight was their debut into mainstream music and everything after that was just normie pop rock. I haven't heard anything as unique as Hybrid Theory ever since.
B&J Shots
Almost 20 now
Atlas
I just wish their music was heard by more people cuz their band is very very good one of the best Rock bands out their in this generation of music imo
AbyssRaider
But if they got more popular and went mainstream...
We may have another situation like Linkin' Park. Shudders
CommanderSwedePlays
2-5 mill views per vid is pretty big dude...
Sorcerer Pod
AbyssRaider Yea, completely agree with you. All I hear in my school is people talking about how "Wasteland" and other songs are their very best and I´m just sitting in the back listening to Qwerty, One step Closer, Faint and such songs... I really hope Billy Talent won´t go down that path