Born and raised in Massachusetts, Lopatin is the son of Russian Jewish emigrants from the former Soviet Union, both with musical backgrounds. Some of his first experiments with electronic music were inspired by his fatherâs collection of dubbed jazz fusion tapes and his Roland Juno-60 synthesizer, an instrument that has since been used extensively by Lopatin in the studio and on-stage. Lopatin attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts before moving to Brooklyn, New York to attend grad school at Pratt Institute, studying archival science. During that time, he became involved in Brooklyn's underground noise music scene.
In January 2017, a collaboration between Oneohtrix Point Never and FKA twigs was confirmed. In 2017, Oneohtrix Point Never provided the soundtrack for the film Good Time, directed by Ben & Josh Safdie. He won the Soundtrack Award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for his work on the film, which included a collaboration with singer Iggy Pop entitled "The Pure and the Damned." The film's soundtrack was released via Warp on August 11, 2017.
Animals
Oneohtrix Point Never Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And observe all the animals
I try not to laugh
'Cause I know
It's the end of us
I fry from the heat
But the sun
We run from our death
When we cum
Are we really free?
Primal rage
Life in a cage
It's nothing
(I can live)
You sit in your throne
You decide
"Off with his head"
She kneels at your feet
She feels cold;
"Something more to eat?"
Queen dies in her sleep.
There's no time
King must not weep
We look at our phone
Every morning
Battery is dead
Kiss the sky
Tear in your eye
It's nothing
I can live without
The song "Animals" by Oneohtrix Point Never is a commentary on the primitive nature of human beings despite their advanced technological advancements. The lyrics describe how humans are similar to animals despite their position at the top of the food chain. The singer observes the animals around him or her, amusement trying to suppress laughter because the animalistic behavior is an indication of the end of humanity. The heat, meanwhile, might be the effect of the sun on the planet or the result of the end of humankind because of its destructive nature. The lyrics suggest that when humans come, they leave destruction in their path, and it is not possible to be free from the consequences.
The lyrics refer to humans living in a cage, which is a reference to their constrained existence in modern society. Society restricts people's true nature, which is to be primal and free. Society has created structures, systems, and hierarchies that constrain individual freedom, highlighted by the reference to the throne and the idea of "off with his head." The lyrics also suggest that humans have become dependent on the technology around them, to the point where it runs their lives. The mention of the battery being dead is ironic because, while human beings have advanced technologically, they have ended up being alone and isolated.
Line by Line Meaning
We sit on the side
We are mere spectators, watching others' lives unfold before us
And observe all the animals
We watch as others succumb to their primal instincts and natural tendencies
I try not to laugh
I suppress my amusement at the folly of others
'Cause I know
Because I am aware
It's the end of us
Their actions will lead to our destruction
I fry from the heat
I am overwhelmed by the intensity of my surroundings
But the sun
But the source of my discomfort
Isn't killing me
Is not the cause of my demise
We run from our death
We flee from that which will ultimately kill us
When we cum
At our most vulnerable
Are we really free?
Do we have any control over our fate?
Primal rage
The uncontrollable fury of the natural world
Life in a cage
Trapped in an existence beyond our control
It's nothing
It holds no meaning or value
You sit in your throne
You hold power and control over others
You decide
You dictate the actions of those below you
"Off with his head"
Punishment for those who have crossed you
She kneels at your feet
Subservient and obedient to your will
She feels cold;
Devoid of warmth or humanity
"Something more to eat?"
The desire for power and domination extends to all aspects of life
Queen dies in her sleep.
Even the most powerful and privileged are not immune to death
There's no time
No time for mourning or regret
King must not weep
A leader must remain strong and unrelenting, even in the face of tragedy
We look at our phone
We are consumed by technology and the digital world
Every morning
Every day, without fail
Battery is dead
Rendered powerless and helpless without technology
Kiss the sky
Reach for the impossible
Tear in your eye
Emotionally moved by the beauty of the unattainable
It's nothing
It is only an illusion
I can live without
I do not need to possess or achieve this impossible ideal
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
LaGuerre19
"We sit on the side
And observe all the animals.
I try not to laugh
'Cause I know
It's the end of us.
I fry from the heat
But the sun
Isn't killing me.
We run from our death;
When we cum
Are we really free?
Primal rage.
Life in a cage
It's nothing
(I can live)
You sit in your throne
You decide
"Off with his head"
She kneels at your feet
She feels cold;
"Something more to eat?"
Queen dies in her sleep.
There's no time.
King must not weep.
We look at our phone
Every morning.
Battery is dead.
Kiss the sky.
Tear in your eye.
It's nothing
I can live without.
EchoFlame42
If I remember correctly, he said in an interview that this song's conceptual goal was to convey both the idea and feeling of if one were to be observed by a being of higher intelligence like an advanced Cyborg/Alien that were to be so above our level of understanding-- that it wouldn't even bother to interact with you (even if it had the capability of killing you). It would be essentially beneath them to invest interest due to how quickly they would assess you and still want nothing to do with you in the end. Like deciding not to squash an ant.
Although that may be the fundamental context of the song's concept, it's a very reflective theme that ties into depression and the existential things we can end up thinking about that makes us feel like inevitably small and insignificant beings in the universe.
Imagine all the struggles in your mind through your entire life just instantly recognized by a higher intelligence and deemed strange, contradictory, and ironic to the bigger picture when it's viewed by someone/something with much higher perception....
In this case of being observed as a species that only has so much time to live in the first place--it's ironic to think that many of us still use that time up overthinking, stressing, and contemplating horrible things that would end up cutting our limited experience of life off short. Especially when we could be reacting to our lives differently by living to our fullest potential and doing the most we can in our living moments.
It's a depressing thought to realize your life would be looked over, ignored, or even deemed insignificant to a higher intellegence...However, its also intriguing to reflect upon this perspective in realizing what a gift of life we have, even if it's limited, and how we should choose to spend this life wisely instead of suffering and/or causing our own self-destruction.
Makes you wonder why we haven't been visited by higher intelligence in the first place. Maybe they already realize how our race as a whole sees and reacts to our inevitable death and temporary suffering when our lives are only a blink of an eye in the history of the universe. Possibly once our human race matures and mutually agrees to use our lives to benefit the quality of life here on Earth, the chances of higher intelligent lifeforms visiting us (if they exist) would be much higher.
Narcissist Margarine
It feels like everything I'm scared of. Growing old, unaccomplished. Still holding onto a delusional fantasy of youth, outwardly appearing desperate to my peers. My hair is greying, my clothes can't mask my insecurity. I turned into "that guy", the one we all joked we'd never let ourselves become, silently fearing the reality that maybe we would, and all we had to combat our fears were empty promises that "we were better than that". Sad. Lonely. Beaten down by life. Living in a grey house in a grey room and sleeping in a bed with uncomfortably cheap covers. And the worst part? We all knew that the only reason we would ever let this happen is our own complacency. Did I try hard enough? Did I ever try at all? I had everything in the world and all the time I could have asked for but I did nothing with it. Every moment is a moment too late. There was never a flash of realization, a sudden glimpse into what you had become. There was instead a long drawn out cry in the form of a single thought. You know the one. The one you pushed back in your head while you drank, or slept, or worked your 9-5. While you put off your goals or resigned yourself for the last time to failure. While you attempted to hopelessly grasp the fading embers of joy that you once could feel so warm against your body. That fleeting sensation. It's that one thought you conditioned yourself to neglect through years of being unable to face the pain. The pain of your existence meaning less and less in a world that's increasingly cruel and unforgiving. The pain of losing your passion. The pain of change. Of time passing. Of the recognition that yes, this is it. There is no more hidden behind the curtain. The full picture is in abstract and is what you make of it, nothing more or less. So what did you make of it?
Now that curtain is closing. And that thought is the only one you have anymore.
Did I try hard enough?
Am I happy?
Did I make it count?
And you reading this. I know it's easy to point at this and call it all sorts of things. Pointless, stupid, hopelessly edgy. I don't want your approval anyway. I just want you to be honest with yourself in a way that I've never been able to be: Would you point and laugh at this because it's stupid? Because it's easy to laugh at someone opening up emotionally? Because if you laugh, you distance yourself from this loser who clearly isn't happy? If so, what does that say about you? Maybe what I said hurt in a way that you don't like to think about, or maybe you felt nothing. Both are fine. I laughed at people trying to open up before, people talked about things that I "already knew". I didn't need someone to tell me life is hard and unfair. So I laughed at them, and in laughing I said "I'll never become that unhappy person, because I'm better than that". I'm sure what I said isn't news to you at all, but before you turn your head and roll your eyes, ask yourself those questions. Don't push them back anymore. Don't laugh or shrug it off. Do something. Also, thanks.
EchoFlame42
@myenteric plexus Although that may be the fundamental context of the song's concept, it's still a very reflective theme that ties into depression and the existential things we can end up thinking about. So in a way, it's a mix of both.
Imagine all the struggles in your mind through your entire life just instantly recognized by a higher intelligence and deemed strange, contradictory, and ironic to the bigger picture when it's viewed by someone/something with much higher perception...
In this case of being observed as a species that only has so much time to live in the first place--it's ironic to think that many still use that time up overthinking, stressing, and contemplating horrible things that would end up cutting their limited experience of life short when they could be reacting to their lives differently by living to their fullest potential in the moment.
It's a depressing thought to realize your life would be looked over, ignored, or even deemed insignificant to a higher intellegence...However, its also intriguing to reflect upon their perspective in realizing what a gift of life we have (albeit limited) and how we should choose to spend this life instead of suffering or causing our own self-destruction.
Makes you wonder why we haven't been visited by higher intelligence in the first place. Maybe they already realize how our race as a whole sees and reacts to our inevitable death and temporary suffering when our lives are only a blink of an eye in the history of the universe.
noise
We sit by the side
And observe all the animals
I try not to laugh
Cause I know
It's the end of us
I fry from the heat
But the sun
Isn't killing me
We run from our death
When we cum
Are we really free?
Primal rage
Life in a cage
It's nothing
(I can live)
You sit in your throne
You decide
"Off with his head"
She kneels at your feet
She feels cold;
"Something more to eat?"
Queen dies in her sleep
There's no time
King must not weep
We look at our phone
Every morning
Battery is dead
Kiss the sky
Tear in your eye
It's nothing
(I can live without)
Hedvig
I always listen to this song when I'm feeling like shit or im worried. It makes the things that i can not contoll seem so much more unimportant and makes the things I can controll so much more tangible. Everything becomes clearer. It's as if someone is telling me everything will be fine and that I just need to take a deep breath. Now that I've said something somewhat relevant to the video I feel like I need to get something off my chest and the comment section seems like one of the few places i can pour my heart out (a bit at least)
Tonight I was reminded of when one of my best friends tried to take his own life. I saw the message he put up on his story on the night to new years eve two years ago. I have never been so afraid in my life. I didnt know what to do. I was to shaken and scared to call his parents because I was afraid of what they were going to tell me. We never really talked about it and so I have all the feelings from that night bottled up inside me. I'm so scared im not a good enough friend, that I don't listen to people and don't talk to my friend enough to know how they're doing. All I want id for my friends to thrive and be happy and I have no idea if im contributing as much as I can to their lives.
Another friend called me tonight and she sounded worried. I couldn't tell what she wanted to say and the only things I really understood was "i've done it" and "goodnight". When she hung up my mind started racing. I know she's been in a bit of a slump lately but I didn't actually know how bad it was. I was both too scared to call her and also didn't want to disturb her if she was actually sleeping. But I couldnät get it our of my head that she could have hurt herself. I texted her. She texted back. I said that i love her and she could call me at any point during the evening. She said okay and i chose to trust her, that she was okay.
I don't particularly know what I want to have said with this. I thought it might be valuable for me to be able to look back on. Maybe it's about how I can at least hope I learnt something from that terrible night two years ago. That I can actually help my friends. Take frome it what you will. Or don't. Basically this is the mindset im in almost every time i listen to the song. Maybe that's why i think so much about faliure and controll when i listen to it.
OfficialAtillas
Lyrics :
We sit by the side
And observe all the animals
I try not to laugh
Cause I know
It's the end of us
I fry from the heat
But the sun
Isn't killing me
We run from our death
When we cum
Are we really free?
Primal rage
Life in a cage
It's nothing
(I can live)
You sit in your throne
You decide
"Off with his head"
She kneels at your feet
She feels cold;
"Something more to eat?"
Queen dies in her sleep
There's no time
King must not weep
We look at our phone
Every morning
Battery is dead
Kiss the sky
Tear in your eye
It's nothing
(I can live without)
Sektion9
I love Val Kilmer. So cool that he agreed to this piece of art.
Paul McMinotaur
He's always been an art first type of guy
MyEgoMyThoughts
This is seriously the type of song that'd be played at the end of a game where you have to accept defeat to complete the game
Tactictoe
@Uji Yeah, good point.
I've edited the comment, man what a game.
Quirky Purple
Wow.. spot on!
Reteiro Nocares
Soma ending
Tactictoe
Nier: automata is your friend here.
I won't spoil it.
EchoFlame42
@andree Aguayo Good point! Also I feel like this might actually fit if you tried to match the final fight cutscene with the song.
LaGuerre19
"We sit on the side
And observe all the animals.
I try not to laugh
'Cause I know
It's the end of us.
I fry from the heat
But the sun
Isn't killing me.
We run from our death;
When we cum
Are we really free?
Primal rage.
Life in a cage
It's nothing
(I can live)
You sit in your throne
You decide
"Off with his head"
She kneels at your feet
She feels cold;
"Something more to eat?"
Queen dies in her sleep.
There's no time.
King must not weep.
We look at our phone
Every morning.
Battery is dead.
Kiss the sky.
Tear in your eye.
It's nothing
I can live without.
Gonzalo RamĂrez
Thank you my friend