Songfacts®:

• A zealot is a person who pursues a singular goal with all their being, often motivated by very strong beliefs about religion or politics. As America got more ideologically divided in the 2010s, more zealots emerged, their views amplified by social media. In this song, Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson looks into this phenomenon.
  
  "It sums up, for me, the divisive nature of societal relationships and the extreme views which fuel the fires of hate and prejudice, more so today perhaps, than at any time in history," he explained. "Perhaps you think you know who I might have been thinking about here [we're guessing Donald Trump] but, in reality, there are probably right now at least five prominent, dictatorial national figures who could fit the bill."
• The song makes specific mention of Twitter:
  
  Ear-splitting Twitter thunder
  And a screaming banshee wail
  You got too many opinions
  And a tomcat by the tail
  
  Anderson explained:
  
  "I'm not a Twitter guy at all, but 'we know who' [again, we're guessing Trump] is the arch Twitterer of recent years, which was both a success and ultimately his downfall. It's that kind of vehemence or zealotry, which comes with a point of view and wanting to indoctrinate people with a very polarized and divisive view."
• "The Zealot Gene" is the title track to the first Jethro Tull album since their 2003 Christmas album. The band was mostly an Ian Anderson solo project at this point, but Anderson chose to release it as Jethro Tull instead of under his own moniker. It was slated for release, along with a tour, in 2020, but was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
• An animated video directed by Sam Chegini, an Iranian filmmaker, was made to accompany this song. Chegini also made a video for the Tull classic "Aqualung."
• The Zealot Gene entered the UK Albums Chart at #9, becoming Jethro Tull's first UK Top 10 album since 1972's Living In The Past. It's the band's 22nd studio album, and seventh Top 10.