Vienna Teng's "Hymn of Acxiom" captures the epitome of Winston's life under Big Brother. The song shares the perspective of technology essentially stalking people. It says, "Somebody hears you. you know that inside./Someone is learning the colors of all your moods, to/(Say just the right thing and) show that you're understood" (0:17-0:34). In 1984, Orwell says, "There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time" (Orwell 3). As in the song, Big Brother, is an authoritarian tool used to control and dictate Winston's feelings, thoughts, and behavior.
In "Sedated," Hozier sings about how people consume until they become an empty void. He refers to Plato's Allegory of the Cave when he says, "Any way to distract and sedate/Adding shadows to the walls of the cave" (Hozier 0:40). A similar narrative is in 1984. Orwell states, "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command" (Orwell 81). The Party wishes to maintain control by consuming what remains of humanity. They force their people into ignorance by sedating or suppressing their thoughts, feelings, and memories and then distracting them with superficial falsehoods.
"Be Calm" by fun. illustrates Winston's madness at the end of 1984. The opening says, "I've reclaimed the use of my imagination/For better or for worse, I've yet to know/But I always knew you'd be the one to understand me, I guess that's why it took so long to get things right" (0:28-0:42). These lines mirror Orwell, who writes, "But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother" (Orwell 298). The song has a manic tone similar to what Winston experiences as Big Brother breaks and consumes him.
Lisa Hannigan's cover of David Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things" captures the overall dread throughout 1984. Winston's story ends hopelessly because Big Brother wins, makes him submit, and consumes him. The song states, "Homo Sapiens have outgrown their use" (2:07). This line essentially alludes to the Party's goal of maintaining power. Orwell says, "Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing" (Orwell 266). The Party wishes to control the world, or at least be at the center of it, by essentially dehumanizing humanity.
Bastille’s "Icarus" accounts for a large part of John’s narrative. The song says, "Icarus is flying too close to the sun/And Icarus’ life, it has only just begun [...]" (1:18-1:31). These lines link to John’s fascination and eventual disappointment in the "brave new world" he thinks London will be (Huxley 139). He figuratively flies too close to the song by going to the place of his dreams. He believes he’ll live a new and happier life when, in reality, London’s society breaks and kills him.
Hozier's "Foreigner's God" provides John's overall character arc in Brave New World. He dreams of going to London and not being alone, but society disgusts him with their worship of Ford and soma. Society treats him like a savage because nothing different can exist within this world. John ultimately dies because his god differs from society's god. When Hozier says, "Screaming the name of a foreigner's God/The purest expression of grief" (1:15). He reflects Huxley when John says, "'If one's different, one's bound to be lonely" (Huxley 137). However, we learn John's fate isn't just loneliness; it is also death.
Gang of Youth sing about talking someone down from a ledge in "Achilles Come Down." Whether successful or not, this song emulates John, who commits suicide at the novel's end. The song includes muffled phrases in French, including, "Les souvenirs d'une patrie perdue, l'espoir d'une terre promise/Ce divorce entre l'homme de sa vie" (4:24-4:31). This translates to "Memories of a lost homeland, the hope for a promised land. This divorce between the man of his life-" (Genius). This line mirrors John's experience as his hopes for the novel's society are unobtainable, and society eventually causes him to commit suicide.
While Josh Woodward's "Goodbye to Spring" seems bright, its implications are dark. Its tone mirrors John's hopeful optimism about London as he sees it as a "brave new world" (Huxley 139). However, London is nothing like his dreams, leading to John's downfall. The song says, "This door's slamming shut, it's gonna trap you if you're ready or you're not," which is how society traps John (1:51). He cannot leave, and he is like a zoo animal until he dies.
Works Cited
Bastille. “Icarus.” YouTube, uploaded by BASTILLEvideos, 23 Aug. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPSQHsXUGWQ&ab_channel=Bastille-Topic.
fun. “fun. - Be Calm [AUDIO].” YouTube, uploaded by nettwerkbackstage, 3 Aug. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qMXBUjm8tM&ab_channel=nettwerkbackstage.’
Gang of Youth. “Achilles Come Down.” YouTube, uploaded by GANGOFYOUTHSBAND, 17 Aug. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_V76Dm42bY&ab_channel=GangofYouths-Topic.’.
Genius. “Achilles Come Down.” Genius, https://genius.com/Gang-of-youths-achilles-come-down-lyrics.
Hannigan, Lisa. “Oh! You Pretty Things.” YouTube, uploaded by Lisa Hannigan, 2 Apr. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWF3pudZxCI&ab_channel=LisaHannigan-Topic.
Hozier. “Foreigner's God (Official Audio).” YouTube, uploaded by Hozier, 20 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv6eHrQ0Ls0&ab_channel=HozierVEVO.
Hozier. “Sedated (Official Audio).” YouTube, uploaded by Hozier, 20 May 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQkpdTJsiPA&ab_channel=HozierVEVO.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Harper Collins, 2004.
Orwell, George. 1984. Penguin Random House, 1949.
Teng, Vienna. “The Hymn of Acxiom.” YouTube, uploaded by samarasga, 12 Dec. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF-7WiLykGM&ab_channel=ViennaTeng-Topic.
Woodward, Josh. “Goodbye To Spring.” YouTube, uploaded by Josh Woodward, 8 Feb. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UHdf0CHduo&ab_channel=JoshWoodward-Topic.