The boys are back! The 1975 FINALLY released a new single, “Part Of The Band,” as the hottest record on BBCR1. Matty Healy had been teasing hints about some of the lyrics of the single on his Instagram stories over the past month. The Easter eggs ultimately led to the title of their fifth studio album ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language’, out October 14th! We are 1000% HERE for this concept of embracing language, art, poetry, culture, and music into a full-length album. While the single is only the tip of the iceberg, we are here to answer the common question, “What in the world is Matty on about?”
“Part Of The Band” Easter Egg #1: Rimbaud & Verlaine
“And I fell in love with a boy, it was kinda lame. I was Rimbaud and he was Paul Verlaine.”
Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine were 19th-century French poets. Matty first posted an image of the two on his Instagram story a few weeks before the announcement of the single. Many fans easily googled the image to discover the names of the poets, as well as articles of their secret love affair ending in turmoil. We will provide the TLDR version of their relationship.
A significantly older Verlaine left his wife for Arthur Rimbaud. It appears their two-year relationship was passionate yet messy and often included alcohol and drug use. After a heated quarrel, Verlaine drunkenly fired two shots at Rimbaud, injuring him in the wrist, and was sentenced to two years in prison. Read more about Rimbaud & Verlaine here and here.
We want more details, Matthew.
Easter Egg #2: “She said”
“A Xanax and a Newport, ‘I take care of my kids,’ she said.”
Ah, the stereotypical “she said” line in a The 1975 song. There’s not much to add here other than a list of some of the best “she said” lines throughout their discography. She said…
“Use your hands and my spare time, we’ve got one thing in common it’s this tongue of mine.”-Sex
“Babe, you look sooo cool.”-Robbers
“I gave you four years of my life.”-I Couldn’t Be More in Love
“Maybe I would like you better if you took off your clothes.”-If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
“They should take this pain and give it a name.”-Tonight I Wish I Was Your Boy
Here’s a compilation video of everything ‘she said’ in The 1975 songs. IN. OUR. FEELS.
Easter Egg #3: The Car
Alright, so this one is purely speculation from fans and long-time followers of the boys. We *think* the car in the promo for “Part of the Band” *could* be the car from the “Chocolate” music video/self-titled era. The promo for “Part of the Band” is back to their signature black-and-white aesthetic. Further speculation from fans leads to the symbol of the end of the Music for Cars era; hence the car being vandalized and in destruction. Lastly, the car is covered in graffiti-style chalk art, including “La poésie est dans la rue,” “Dirty Hit,” and “Is it my car?” It’s a word search on here…good luck.
Easter Egg #4: MFC
Music for Cars was *supposed* to include the two-album combo of ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ and ‘Notes On A Conditional Form‘. Does Music for Cars continue for ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language’ (see symbol below)? Or does the car symbolize the end of one era and the beginning of the next? We shall see.
Easter Egg #5: The 1975 “Part Of The Band” Video
We’ve made a short-list of some potential references in the new The 1975 video for “Part of the Band”
*The kid with the paint on his face reminds us of the kid from the “Settle Down” music video. In fact, the whole video gives off major “Settle Down” vibes.
*The whole video seems to recreate scenes from the 1957 (flip of numbers there) Swedish fantasy film, The Seventh Seal.
*The priests and Matty carrying the giant balloon are reminiscent of the short French film Le Ballon Rouge.
*“FUN” written with chalk on the top of Matty’s collar while the kids are drawing on his coat.
*The baggage Matty is carrying could be his signature quote, “emotional baggage” he receives from fans and feedback on social media. The baggage topples him over in the video.
*All signs point to Mayhem being the dog at the end of the video.
Feel free to let us know what else you find! Check out “Part Of The Band” and keep your eyes peeled for what’s up next for The 1975 and ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’.