Having premiered on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show as the Hottest Record, the track was well received by music critics and was featured on several year-end lists. A music video largely inspired by the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense was premiered on YouTube on 3 December 2018. The band performed the song in the BBC Live Lounge in November of that year.
"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" was teased almost a year before the song's release, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, having posted an image on Twitter of a file of the song with the caption “MFC”, the initials of the band's era named "Music for Cars", which comprises the two albums A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and Notes on a Conditional Form.
In 2017, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, was admitted into a rehabilitation center in Barbados to treat an on-and-off four-year addiction to heroin and benzodiazepines. Healy told The New York Times that he was lucky that his addiction didn't spiral out of control, adding that "I scared the [expletive] out of everybody that I love, and that was enough for me." He explained that he wrote the song and the other tracks from the album discussing his addiction so soon after being discharged from rehab because "I'm not going to talk about it for long."
It's Not Living
The 1975 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He falls asleep during conversations
He's gotta search the street when he's on vacation
The worst thing is that I'm in the same situation
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
And Danny says we're living in a simulation
But he works in a petrol station (selling petrol)
He says it all began with his operation
And I know you think you're sly but you need some imagination
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
I can't stop sweating or control my feet
Got a twenty-stone monkey that I just can't beat
I can stage a situation, but I just can't eat
And there's a feeling, you're replacin' embrace
And it's true that all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
Oh, I'll try to get a job in a bank, I think
Danny spent the time tryna pack in the drinks for me
I feel sick and I know that I'll lose, but
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you
The lyrics to The 1975's song It's Not Living seem to be about a love-struck person who feels their life is incomplete without their loved one. The song's verses tell a story of someone named Danny who has trouble staying awake and is convinced they are living in a simulation. The singer is sympathetic to Danny's struggle and recognizes similarities in their own life. They find it difficult to focus on anything else but their loved one, and they feel that their veins would collapse without them. The chorus emphasizes how important the loved one is to the singer's life and how unsatisfying their life is without them. The bridge section touches on the singer's physical symptoms of anxiety and how they try to distract themselves from the distressing news by drinking.
On a deeper level, the song could relate to issues of addiction, and how people can become dependent on a particular substance, habit or person. The addictive behavior is a way of distracting oneself from the pain of reality. The line "It's not living if it's not with you" could also mean that the option of choosing to live without the loved one is not really an option because life would lose its purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Danny ran into some complications
Danny is going through a tough phase in his life
He falls asleep during conversations
Danny is mentally and physically exhausted
He's gotta search the street when he's on vacation
Danny is lost and trying to find his way
The worst thing is that I'm in the same situation
The artist can relate to Danny's struggles
And all I do is sit and think about you
The artist is constantly consumed by thoughts of their significant other
If I knew what you'd do
The singer is wondering what their significant other is thinking or feeling
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
The singer is willing to endure physical pain for the sake of their relationship
It's not living if it's not with you
The artist believes that a meaningful life is only possible with their significant other
And Danny says we're living in a simulation
Danny has a pessimistic view of life
But he works in a petrol station
Danny feels stuck in his current job
(selling petrol)
Danny's job involves mundane tasks
He says it all began with his operation
Danny believes that his problems started with a certain event in his life
And I know you think you're sly but you need some imagination
The singer is addressing someone who they believe lacks creativity or empathy
All I do is sit and drink without you
The singer is using alcohol to cope with their emotions
If I choose then I lose
The singer is afraid of making decisions that could harm their relationship
Distract my brain from the terrible news
The artist is trying to avoid negative thoughts or information
I can't stop sweating or control my feet
The artist is experiencing physical symptoms of anxiety
Got a twenty-stone monkey that I just can't beat
The singer feels overwhelmed by a problem they cannot solve
I can stage a situation, but I just can't eat
The singer is unable to enjoy everyday activities due to their emotional state
And there's a feeling, you're replacin' embrace
The artist fears being replaced or forgotten by their significant other
Oh, I'll try to get a job in a bank, I think
The artist is considering a career change
Danny spent the time tryna pack in the drinks for me
Danny has been supportive of the artist by buying them drinks
I feel sick and I know that I'll lose, but
The singer is anxious about the future of their relationship
It's not living if it's not with you
The artist reiterates that they believe life is only worth living with their significant other
It's not, it's not
The singer is emphasizing the importance of their message
It's not living if it's not with you
The singer restates their belief in the significance of their relationship
It's not living if it's not with you
The singer repeats their message one final time
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Adam Brian Thomas Hann, George Bedford Daniel, Matthew Timothy Healy, Ross Stewart MacDonald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jb-ny7pb
Danny ran into some complications
He falls asleep during conversations
He's gotta search the street when he's on vacation
The worst thing is that I'm in the same situation
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
And Danny says we're living in a simulation
But he works in a petrol station (selling petrol)
He says it all began with his operation
And I know you think you're sly but you need some imagination
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
I can't stop sweating or control my feet
Got a twenty-stone monkey that I just can't beat
I can stage a situation, but I just can't eat
And there's a feeling, you're replacin' embracin'
It's true that
All I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins
Wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
Oh, I'll try to get a job in a bank, I think
Danny spent time trying to pack in the drinks for me
I feel sick and I know I can't lose but
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you, it's not, it's not
It's not, it's not, It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you, it's not, it's not
It's not, it's not, it's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not, it's not
It's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
@lucckysharm
I can't find the lyrics guy, I'll be the lyrics girl:
Danny ran into some complications
He falls asleep during conversations
He's gotta search the street when he's on vacation
The worst thing is that I'm in the same situation
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
And Danny says we're living in a simulation
But he works in a petrol station (selling petrol)
He says it all began with his operation
And I know you think you're sly but you need some imagination
And all I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
I can't stop sweating or control my feet
Got a twenty-stone monkey that I just can't beat
I can stage a situation, but I just can't eat
And there's a feeling, you're replacin' embracin'
It's true that
All I do is sit and think about you
If I knew what you'd do
Collapse my veins
Wearing beautiful shoes
It's not living if it's not with you
All I do is sit and drink without you
If I choose then I lose
Distract my brain from the terrible news
It's not living if it's not with you
Oh, I'll try to get a job in a bank, I think
Danny spent time trying to pack in the drinks for me
I feel sick and I know I can't lose but
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you, it's not, it's not
It's not, it's not, It's not living if it's not with you
It's not living if it's not with you, it's not, it's not
It's not, it's not, it's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
It's not, it's not
It's not, it's not
It's not living if it's not with you
@Tinlion09
Addiction/withdrawal symptoms in order:
-Nightmares
-Hypnic jerks (sudden moments in dreams that cause you to startle awake)
-Hallucinations, specifically of impossible things (a person splitting into two identical twins), and irrational acceptance of them
-Distorted perception of time (feeling like everything around you is moving too fast or too slow)
-Sudden body dysmorphia
-Paranoia, specifically of subtle changes when you aren’t looking (the background dancers switching sides while he’s off-stage)
-“Liar liar, pants on fire” and the guilt you feel from lying about your addiction
-Dissociation, and the feeling of being in two places at once
-Deja vu, so severe that you feel like you’re actually reliving an old memory
-[idk what the dancers continuing in the dark with no music could represent, to be honest]
-Sudden dysmorphia leading into dissociation
-Vivid, realistic dreams that might involve nested dreams/nightmares
Did I miss anything?
@JoemeisterProductions
Ok I got it. Matty is talking about his time when he was depressed and on drugs:
- the first time he wakes up he coughs, showing the person he sees is sick
- he wakes up again and sees a glass break(representing bad things will happen)
-he gets on stage and notices people staring at him, because he’s worried people see his addiction
- his mouth is sewed shut because he’s worried his drugs will lead to him not singing
- he hallucinated awful things like being on fire and humiliating himself, and then seeing himself mock himself(oof)
- he goes through a door and sees himself having fun, but it’s a fake made up world, and a fake made up idea
- he goes back and sinks into the ground, as a he then picks himself up from the depression
- he wakes up again and sees the glass, but it doesn’t brake, then he walks away and it breaks to mirror the beginning idea that things are completely better and his depression and addiction aren’t completely gone...
@mrkeepr
that part where he just randomly walks into the sincerity is scary video, that was brilliant.
@josilynfreund7918
Agreed
@luzurrutia8987
That part keeps me alive and responding
@AaronFarr35
I'm curious to see if they'll try to connect all of the music videos, that would be amazing.
@offthebeatentrack5170
Its amazing! Can you imagine now watching the sincerity video again and seeing him in it in the background!?!?! 😱 mind would be blown
@quitedankly3342
MR KEEPR I couldn’t stop screaming I was so shocked
@bz4521
i love this episode of black mirror
@alexandraami
I was about to comment this
@trappnest4490
Now I have a reason to start this show
@FannyPolany
what do u mean ?