The title of the song is from David Foster Wallace’s "Infinite Jest", a book Healy was reading while in rehab which opens with the sentence: “I am seated in an office, surrounded by heads and bodies.”
Matty told Pitchfork:
"That was kind of the joke. Because nobody reads it all the way! Everyone our age has got a battered, quarter-read copy of Infinite Jest."
"This seems like a rehab song. Is Angela, the person you’re singing to here, somebody you met there?"
Yeah, it was only me and this other person—me in my own compound, and she had her own compound across the way. We rarely saw each other apart from some shared therapy, and she was such a beautiful, lovely woman. I felt a real connection and an empathy with her. And we soon found out that we lived on the same road in Manchester! And we were in Barbados. It was crazy man. One road in the whole world.
The title of this song is from David Foster Wallace’s "Infinite Jest". What significance does that book hold for you?
I was reading that when I was in rehab. There was no one there. It was me and my nurses, who’d come in and check on me, and then Angela, miles away. I was surrounded by no one, and the book was just open on the front page, as most copies of Infinite Jest are.
The quote comes from the literal opening lines of the book.
That was kind of the joke. Because nobody reads it all the way! Everyone our age has got a battered, quarter-read copy of "Infinite Jest.""
– Matt Healy, Pitchfork
Surrounded by Heads and Bodies
The 1975 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She wears it like a dress
Ooh
Post-traumatic mess
And don't sleep, it hurts to be awake
The things they make her take
Angela, Angela
Oh, we don't speak
She stayed an extra week
Ooh
I see her in my sleep
Angela
Oh, Angela
(Angela)
In the song "Surrounded by Heads and Bodies" by The 1975, the lyrics focus on a character named Angela who is described as wearing her trauma like a dress. The line "And Angela, she wears it like a dress" suggests that Angela wears her pain and experiences as something visible and external, almost like a garment. This could indicate that Angela's trauma has become such a significant part of her identity that she is unable to separate herself from it.
The lyrics also suggest that Angela is struggling with the aftermath of a traumatic event. The line "Post-traumatic mess" alludes to the emotional turmoil and confusion that can follow a traumatic experience. The phrase "And don't sleep, it hurts to be awake" highlights the continuous pain and suffering Angela endures, both during her waking hours and in her sleep. The mention of "the things they make her take" hints at the possibility that Angela may be prescribed medication to help cope with her trauma.
The refrain "Angela, Angela" repeated throughout the song could represent a plea to reach out to Angela, to acknowledge her pain, and to offer support and understanding. The line "Oh, we don't speak, she stayed an extra week" suggests a distance or disconnect between the singer or the people around Angela and Angela herself. It implies a lack of communication and understanding, as well as the feeling that Angela's pain has isolated her from others.
Overall, the lyrics of "Surrounded by Heads and Bodies" offer a glimpse into the emotional struggle of someone affected by trauma and the difficulty of fully comprehending and addressing their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
And Angela
And there is Angela, the subject of this song
She wears it like a dress
She carries her burdens and emotional trauma as if it is an inseparable part of her
Ooh
Expressing a feeling of intrigue or fascination
Post-traumatic mess
She is emotionally and mentally overwhelmed due to past traumatic experiences
And don't sleep, it hurts to be awake
She avoids sleep as it brings painful memories and emotions while being awake is equally painful
The things they make her take
She is forced to endure or consume things that cause her distress or discomfort
Angela, Angela
Repetition of her name emphasizes her presence and significance in the song
Oh, we don't speak
There is a lack of communication between the artist and Angela
She stayed an extra week
Angela extended her stay, indicating a lingering or prolonged presence in the artist's life
Ooh
Expressing a feeling of intrigue or fascination
I see her in my sleep
Even in dreams, the singer is haunted or affected by Angela's presence
Angela
Calling out Angela's name, perhaps longing for her attention or connection
Oh, Angela
Repeating Angela's name with emotive emphasis, amplifying the significance of her presence
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Adam Brian Thomas Hann, George Bedford Daniel, Matthew Timothy Healy, Ross Stewart MacDonald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kanno Yoichi
on Chocolate
Hey now, call it a spliff because I know that you will
Oh you bite your friends like chocolate
You said we go where nobody know
We got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
マリファナを頼むのは、君がそれを欲しがるからさ
君は友人をチョコレートみたいに噛むんだ
誰も知らないところへ行こうって言って
ペチコートの下の銃を掴んだ
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Now run run away from the boys in the blue
Oh my car smells like chocolate
And now I think about what you do
I think about what they say
I think about how to think
Pause it play, pause it play, pause it
今は逃げるんだ、あの青い制服の男たちから
チョコレートの香りがする俺の車で
今は君のすることを考えて
奴らの吐く言葉を考えて
どうやって考えるべきかを考えて
ちょっと待って、いったん止めて考えよう
Oh we go where nobody know
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
僕らは誰も知らないところへ行く
ペチコートの下の銃を掴む
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Yeah, we're dressed in black from head to toe
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
頭の先からつま先まで真っ黒な出で立ちで
ペチコートの下の銃を掴んだ
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Now you're never gonna quit it
Now you're never gonna quit it
Now you're never gonna quit it
If you don't stop smoking it
Thats's what she said
あなたはやめてはだめ
逃げてはだめ
諦めてはダメ
葉っぱをやめないならね
これが彼女の言葉
She said we're dressed in black from head to toe
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
頭の先からつま先まで真っ黒な出で立ちで
ペチコートの下の銃を掴んだ
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Hey now we're building up speed
As we're appoaching the hill
Oh my hair smells like chocolate
Hey now you say you're gonna quit it
But you're never gonna quit it
Go get it, go get it, go get it, go get it, go
Play cool
スピードを上げていく
丘に近づくにつれて
髪はチョコレートの香りがする
君はやめるって言ってるけど
絶対にやめられないよ
さあ、やって
クールにさ
Oh you said
We go where nobody know
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
僕らは誰も知らないところへ行く
ペチコートの下の銃を掴む
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Yeah, we're dressed in black from head to toe
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
頭の先からつま先まで真っ黒な出で立ちで
ペチコートの下の銃を掴んだ
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Well I think we better go
Seriously better go
I said the feds are here you know
Seriously better go
Well I think we better go
I said the feds are here you know
Said Rebecca better know
Seriously better go
僕らは逃げるべきだって思うんだ
真剣にさ
捜査官がすぐそばにいる
絶対に逃げたほうが良い
逃げるべきだ
捜査官がすぐそばにいる
レベッカ分かってくれ
逃げたほうが良いんだ
We go where nobody know
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
僕らは誰も知らないところへ行く
ペチコートの下の銃を掴む
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Yeah, we're dressed in black from head to toe
We've got guns hidden under our petticoats
And we're never gonna quit it, no
We're never gonna quit it, no
頭の先からつま先まで真っ黒な出で立ちで
ペチコートの下の銃を掴んだ
僕らはやめないよ
絶対に終わらない
Well I think we better go
Seriously better go
I said the feds are here you know
Seriously better go
Well I think we better go
I said the feds are here you know
Said Rebecca better know
Seriously better go
僕らは逃げるべきだって思うんだ
真剣にさ
捜査官がすぐそばにいる
絶対に逃げたほうが良い
逃げるべきだ
捜査官がすぐそばにいる
レベッカ分かってくれ
逃げたほうが良いんだ