If You Enjoy The 1975 & Support Donald Trump You’re Fucking Crazy: Why a lack of critical thinking skills created a divide between fans

With as politically charged as the band's music is, how can one call themselves a fan and still vote against everything it represents?

With as politically charged as the band's music is, how can one call themselves a fan and still vote against everything it represents? 

Though hard to write (and even harder to stomach) Donald Trump is president once again. Having been sixteen when Trump was elected in 2016 I honestly didn’t fully grasp the reality of the situation. I knew obviously he was a racist and a misogynist but as a junior in high school I was truly more focused on doing my PSAT’s and getting a four on my APUSH exam. Now eight years later much has changed. I’m twenty-four and I like to think that I’m much more in tune with socialist and leftist causes.

Recently (perhaps due to the fucked up situation we’re In right now) I’ve started to look at the 1975’s music a lot more critically. This doesn't at all mean that I’m not a fan and I like the band’s music any less than I did when I listened to them for the almost ten years prior. I still love the band as much, if not more, than before.

In looking at their music more critically though I’ve realized that there’s really two types of people who listen and engage with not only their music but most popular music nowadays. I’ve categorized them as the “critic” and the “fan”.

The “critic” probably started off as a “fan” but now likes to engage with the music deeper and a lot more genuine. For them the lyrics to these songs have a bigger meaning and they like to see how they can apply this art Into their own life.

A “critic” though Is often and at the end of the day still a “fan” of the work. It’s when you take away that “critic” label and lack of critical thinking when it comes to the music that you get the “fan”.

The “fan” tend to look at the music with a surface level pov and listens to the music to just listen to the music.

They could have been to dozens of their shows, steamed their music for thousands of hours, and even have a box tattooed on their arm. But if they still at the end of the day support the policies of a president who goes against everything the band stands for, are they even actually listening to the music? It’s only by looking at music through a critical lens that you can actually enjoy it as a work of art. Enjoy the small details and intricacies that many “fans” who tend to not think of the music critically often overlook.

A song by the band that I’ve been listening to quite a bit is “Love It If We Made It”. Released in 2018 during the middle of Trump’s first (still crazy to say out loud) term the lyrics are still incredibly relevant today. One specific part of the song that I love is the third verse and outro where Matty sings,

"I moved on her like a bitch"

Excited to be indicted

Unrequited house with seven pools

"Thank you, Kanye, very cool"

The war has been incited

And guess what, you're all invited

And you're famous

Modernity has failed us

And I'd love it if we made it

The beginning of the verse being a direct reference to Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape and his stance on indictment are both critical of him. In the same verse Matty sings about war being incited and the public being brought into it with no actual choice in the manner. Again another statement that could be attributed to the war hawk that was Trump in the White House in 2018.

“And I’d love it if we made it” is probably one of my favorite lyrics the band has ever written partly because of the ambiguity. Is it being hopeful that there’s a rainbow after the storm? Or is it supposed to be read with doubt? That our political fight is futile and the only people we can trust and turn to is each other. It’s not only “Love It If We Made It” but countless other songs of theirs and interviews that Matty has done that showcases just how politically left the band is.

“Fans” of the 1975 who support a man who the band has been extremely critical of in the past do it because of both a lack of an understanding of the band's music and also what the band has always stood for. They don’t see this criticism of Trump nor the band’s continued support of Black and LGBTQ+ causes In and outside their music as anything other than words being sung in a song that they like.

This refers back to my earlier argument about this distinction between the “critic” and the “fan”. A fan (even one who may be bigger of a supporter than I am), simply listens to the song whereas a critic (who can still be a fan as well) really analyzes the music. They really looks at what’s being expressed in the music and try to figure out how they can take what’s being said and apply it to their life. And isn’t that what art’s supposed to do at the end of the day? To make you think of life more critically? To teach you something you didn’t know prior?

Music is political. Simple as that. And I do think it’s important for us to start looking at it, as we should most things, through a more critical lens.

I know the majority of Americans aren’t going to pick up Chomsky or The Communist Manifesto but I do know Americans listen to music. And through listening to music, really listening, and trying to become “critics” rather than just “fans”, I think we can make *maybe* make some change in this country.

Signed,

Kid who has the box tattooed on his arm