Talking To Ourselves

Album: Nowhere Generation (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Rise Against aren't aren't here to entertain. They're here to provoke, to question, to drive change. But sometimes, especially during festivals when they're the only punk rock act on the bill, they feel like their message is getting lost, like they're just talking to themselves.

    "This song was an accidental way of not only talking about Rise Against, but also anybody that does something like we do, anyone who feels like they're standing in a crowd, trying to get everyone to pay attention and no-one's doing it," lead singer Tim McIlrath told Kerrang!. "Either they're not doing it, or they're just placating you, like, ?'Oh, how adorable, he's angry!' Sometimes you end up just feeling like an entertainer, like, ?'Oh, I guess this is just a transaction - this is your Friday night.' When it feels like that, it's so sad, it's like, ?'That's not why I got into this, this isn't punk rock - why didn't I just become a magician or juggler? This is supposed to be something more.'"
  • The video was directed by Brian Roettinger, who did the visuals for the Nowhere Generation album. The videos and album art use the same look: black and white with banks of monitors to imply both surveillance and an overload of mindless entertainment.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.