Posted by The News is the second track from This Is Why, the new album by Paramore set for release on February 2023. Like their previous single, This Is Why, the song attacks modern society and how media created a condition of never-ending conflict, where we all feel one against the other, surrounded by enemies in a context of constant fear and emergency. In this article, we will explore the song’s meaning, and you’ll also find the complete lyrics at the end.
You can find the official video of The News below.
The News: the song lyrics & their meaning
The News is a song about the uncomfortable feelings media share when discussing how the world is changing. In the lyrics, Paramore mention war and isolation behind a computer, referring to the two main recent events that fed the contemporary feeling of emergency: the war in Ukraine and the covid pandemic that forced the Western world into lockdown.
War, a war, a war on the far side
On the other side of the planet
And I’ve got war, a war, a war right behind my eyes
Right behind them just like a headache
The first verse is clear: there is a war out there, the one everybody talks about, but there is another war inside me, trying to fight this constant sense of insecurity that doesn’t feel right. We should not live in fear; that’s not how life is supposed to be. For that reason, the singer express this internal conflict about her need to hear what’s happening in the world and her urge to turn off the news because of the irresponsible way they generate fear without control.
So I turn on the news
Turn off the news
The chorus expresses this shared discomfort we should all have in front of this. Our heads should all shake, fighting the way the news wants to keep us in fear.
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
The attack to information system is more explicit in the second half of the song, where Paramore describe the way we receive information with these lines:
Exploitative, performative
Informative and we don’t know the half of it
Rhetorical, deplorable
Historical and, all along, we called it normal
The most attentive among us have noticed that, in the last few years, the media seems less objective and informative and much more oriented to convince us about which side we need to take regarding the hot topics in the world. From this point of view, the news is no longer genuinely informative, as they often hide the other half of reality. They are exploitative, oriented to build a specific public opinion society needs. Paramore point out that this is not normal, although they admit that, unfortunately, most people don’t notice it.
The News is an angry song about the way society and media have changed lately, and that’s the real meaning behind its lyrics: I don’t want to be driven by the constant fear generated by the news; I need to fight the way media want to define my opinions and my feelings. I recognize how communication has changed in the last few years, and I know this is not normal, although most of society thinks it’s all fine.
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The complete lyrics
Below you can find the complete lyrics of The News by Paramore.
War, a war, a war on the far side
On the other side of the planet
And I’ve got war, a war, a war right behind my eyes
Right behind them just like a headache
So I turn on the news
Turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Far, I’m far, so far from the front line
Quite the opposite, I’m safe inside
But I worry and I give money and I feel useless behind this computer
And that’s just barely scratched the surface of my mind
So I turn on the news
Turn off the news (Damned if you do)
Turn on the news
Turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Exploitative, performative
Informative and we don’t know the half of it
Rhetorical, deplorable
Historical and, all along, we called it normal
Exploitative, performative (Turn on)
Informative and we don’t know the half of it
Rhetorical, deplorable (Turn off)
Historical and, all along, we called it normal
All along, we called it normal
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
Every second, our collective heart breaks
All together, every single head shakes
Shut your eyes, but it won’t go away
Turn on, turn off the news
