Bastille is an indie-pop band originating in England. Their third album is filled with social commentary, mostly on the implications and usages of the media in modern politics. Specifically, the song The Currents uses relevant sociological models like social control, microsociology concepts, and globalization to make current issues clear. For this reason, I have chosen to analyze the song.
Microsociology focuses on the interactional components of society (Vanderminden). The theme of microsociology is a big part of the song, being most apparent in the lines “we’re living in the currents you create, we’re sinking in the pool of your mistakes.” These lines express how small day to day interactions have a larger effect on society as a whole. The individual creates the “current” (small interactions between people) this in …show more content…
Dan Smith, Bastille’s lead singer, record producer, songwriter, and founder, stated that he wrote the song in response to the elections of populist politicians such as Nigel Farage and Donald Trump and Britain’s decision to leave the EU (Earls). This is exemplified when he writes “…stub it out, your podium awaits.” He comments on the hegemony within our world today. Hegemony is when “a dominant group exercises ‘moral and intellectual leadership’ throughout society by winning the voluntary ‘consent’ of the masses.” Hegemony holds real power in interactions. By talking about an issue in such a way that it appears to be a “natural course” or by being molded to have similar options as those around you it becomes easier for those in leadership positions to make people assume they have their best interest. Dan comments on how this can have a negative effect on society in the song saying “When anybody preaches disunity tries to pit one of us against the other...You know that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and destroy our very
Microsociology focuses on the interactional components of society (Vanderminden). The theme of microsociology is a big part of the song, being most apparent in the lines “we’re living in the currents you create, we’re sinking in the pool of your mistakes.” These lines express how small day to day interactions have a larger effect on society as a whole. The individual creates the “current” (small interactions between people) this in …show more content…
Dan Smith, Bastille’s lead singer, record producer, songwriter, and founder, stated that he wrote the song in response to the elections of populist politicians such as Nigel Farage and Donald Trump and Britain’s decision to leave the EU (Earls). This is exemplified when he writes “…stub it out, your podium awaits.” He comments on the hegemony within our world today. Hegemony is when “a dominant group exercises ‘moral and intellectual leadership’ throughout society by winning the voluntary ‘consent’ of the masses.” Hegemony holds real power in interactions. By talking about an issue in such a way that it appears to be a “natural course” or by being molded to have similar options as those around you it becomes easier for those in leadership positions to make people assume they have their best interest. Dan comments on how this can have a negative effect on society in the song saying “When anybody preaches disunity tries to pit one of us against the other...You know that person seeks to rob us of our freedom and destroy our very