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 father’s 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.
Babylon
Oneohtrix Point Never Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's for you I sing
Babylon
In a sea of other things
This song
Burning the offering
Liquid shaky ground
And the tower casts a shadow
Virus when you speak
And I love it when I see you
In a state of disbelief
Even if I'm wrong
You're not that Babylon
Run along (run along)
Even though you don't believe
Just go on
It's easy to be deceived
Right or wrong
So difficult to leave
It's not that I don't get it
I really think I do
We wanted it to be different
But that ain't happening any time soon
Mood spelled backwards
Says "doom"
(Help me)
Now I know why
You think we're in Babylon
(Help me)
Now I know why
You think we're in Babylon
(Help me)
Now I know why
You can't leave this Babylon
The lyrics of "Babylon" by Oneohtrix Point Never speak about a dystopian world that portrays a society in chaos. The song essentially talks about the concept of Babylon, which in modern times represents a place full of chaos, confusion, and corruption. The opening line, "Babylon, it's for you I sing" shows how the artist believes that this piece is directed towards the people belonging to this world of disorder. The next line, "In a sea of other things" suggests that Babylon is just one of the many societal facets nestled within the chaos. The following lines, "This song burning the offering. Liquid shaky ground that the soil cannot reach," shed some light on how the artist provides his contribution to express the dark reality that Babylon represents.
As the song proceeds further, the lyrics talk about the shadow cast by the tower, a symbol of human-made technology that overshadows nature's soil, suggesting that we have lost our connection with nature in this world. The following lines, "Virus when you speak, and I love it when I see you in a state of disbelief, Even if I'm wrong, you're not that Babylon," illustrate that for some sections of society, the concept of Babylon might not be as apocalyptic as it is for the artist. Nevertheless, the artist shows his love for people who don't believe in it and shares a belief that there is still some hope left. The chorus indicates how easy it is to be deceived and how challenging it is to leave.
The following lines, "It's not that I don't get it, I really think I do, We wanted it to be different, But that ain't happening any time soon. Mood spelled backwards, says 'doom'" showcases how the artist understands the gravity of the situation and how the world wants to change from Babylon. However, there seems to be no solution, as the letters from the word 'mood' spelled backward reveal the irony of the word 'doom.' The repeated phrase, "Help me" towards the end of the song, emphasises the artist's plea for help to get out of this modern Babylon.
Line by Line Meaning
Babylon
The world we live in, which is full of chaos and disorder
It's for you I sing
The song is dedicated to the listener and anyone else who feels lost in Babylon
In a sea of other things
Amongst various other problems that exist in Babylon, the singer is referring to his own song as a light in the darkness
This song Burning the offering
The song is an offering to the listener with the hope of providing solace from the chaos of Babylon
Liquid shaky ground That the soil cannot reach (cannot reach)
Babylon is a metaphorical quicksand that's difficult to comprehend or escape, similar to how soil cannot ebb away liquid
And the tower casts a shadow Virus when you speak
The towering dominance of Babylon casts a shadow of negativity and immorality, add to the fact that its people's words and deeds can contain deadly contagion
And I love it when I see you In a state of disbelief Even if I'm wrong You're not that Babylon
The singer takes pleasure in the listener's surprise and confusion when hearing the song, and regardless of criticism, the listener is better than the savage world of Babylon
Run along (run along) Even though you don't believe Just go on It's easy to be deceived Right or wrong So difficult to leave
The singer is encouraging the listener to keep walking onward, despite the disbelief, as it's easy to fall prey to a bewildering environment, and it's tough to leave, whether right or wrong
It's not that I don't get it I really think I do We wanted it to be different But that ain't happening any time soon
The singer empathises with the struggles of the listener, and acknowledges that they expected a better world, but that change isn't coming anytime in the near future
Mood spelled backwards Says "doom" (Help me)
The reversal of mood is doom, and the singer is asking for help and redemption from the miserable state of Babylon
Now I know why You think we're in Babylon (Help me) Now I know why You think we're in Babylon (Help me) Now I know why You can't leave this Babylon
The singer understands the listener's reasoning for the chaos that is Babylon, and pleads for assistance in escaping the place where they feel trapped
Lyrics © WARP MUSIC LIMITED
Written by: Daniel Lopatin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind