\u201cI don’t want you back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I just don’t want anybody else to have you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That is essentially \u201cSomebody Else\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1975 took one of the ugliest and most honest emotions after a breakup and turned it into an enormous synth-pop song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know the relationship is over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may not even want the person anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then you imagine them with somebody new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suddenly you care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because emotions don’t behave logically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A relationship ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Your brain understands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then your ego discovers that your ex has moved on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can simultaneously believe:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We shouldn’t be together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hate that you’re with somebody else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomebody Else\u201d lives entirely inside that contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Healy has described the song as dealing with uncomfortable feelings of possession and jealousy that people don’t necessarily like admitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The relationship has ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But some part of the narrator still feels ownership over the intimacy they shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s not especially admirable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is very human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because warmth would almost ruin it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The synthesizers are hazy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rhythm is restrained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Healy’s vocal feels emotionally detached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It sounds like somebody walking through a city late at night after learning something they didn’t want to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That production became enormously influential on the alternative pop that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Synth-pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternative pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indie pop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are also strong R&B and electronic influences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1975 have always been unusually difficult to categorise because they absorb whatever sounds useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Guitar band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pop band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electronic band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes all three inside the same album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the chorus expresses something listeners instantly understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not an elaborate metaphor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not a fictional story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A horrible emotional contradiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That makes it perfect for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
breakup playlists<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TikTok edits<\/p>\n\n\n\n
late-night drives<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and lying in bed making yourself miserable by checking an ex’s social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern romance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The video deliberately becomes increasingly surreal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Healy moves through nightlife and encounters violence, sex, isolation and distorted versions of himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than telling the lyrics literally, the visuals make the breakup feel psychologically unstable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That fits the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The narrator keeps insisting he is detached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His behaviour suggests otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because this is a distinctly modern breakup song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Older breakup songs involved:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
letters<\/p>\n\n\n\n
telephone calls<\/p>\n\n\n\n
seeing somebody across a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now you can watch an ex move on in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Likes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Somebody else appearing in the background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technology allows relationships to end physically while continuing digitally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSomebody Else\u201d understands that emotional mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Try:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1975 \u2013 Robbers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Neighbourhood \u2013 Sweater Weather<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arctic Monkeys \u2013 505<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lorde \u2013 Supercut<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joji \u2013 Glimpse of Us<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lana Del Rey \u2013 Cinnamon Girl<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cigarettes After Sex \u2013 Apocalypse<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frank Ocean \u2013 Self Control<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Japanese House \u2013 Saw You in a Dream<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tame Impala \u2013 Eventually<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radar’s new late-night-driving guide also sits directly in this musical lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting over somebody isn’t the same as getting over the idea that they once belonged with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That distinction is uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 1975 built an entire song around admitting it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI don’t want you back. I just don’t want anybody else to have you.\u201d That is essentially \u201cSomebody Else\u201d. The 1975 took one of the ugliest and most honest emotions after a breakup and turned it into an enormous synth-pop song. You know the relationship is over. You may not even want the person anymore. Then you imagine them with somebody new. Suddenly you care. Why is that feeling so relatable? Because emotions don’t behave logically. A relationship ends. Your brain understands. Then your ego discovers that your ex has moved on. Different system. You can simultaneously believe: We shouldn’t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4423,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2293,43,2689],"coauthors":[2],"class_list":["post-4422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-meaning","tag-music","tag-the-1975"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n