Comments on: Metaphor of Jamiroquai song Comments on Ask MetaFilter post Metaphor of Jamiroquai song Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:01:53 -0800 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:13:44 -0800 en-us 60 Question: Metaphor of Jamiroquai song Deeper Underground: What's this song about? <br /><br /> Hi,<br> <br> Could someone explain what the Jamiroquai song "Deeper Underground" is about? It strikes me it's to do with a life situation where someone finds panic following them everywhere they go.<br> <br> How does such a situation happen to a person? Is it similar to the situation Michael Moore describes himself as being in when the things other people did seemed to be "like a weird work of fiction?"<br> <br> Thanks for any info.,2012:site.225806 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:01:53 -0800 Why did I buy a tin gorilla? music society By: Oktober Totally serious answer: I was always under the impression that the protagonist was seeking to escape from Godzilla by hiding underground, as this song was from the godzilla soundtrack.,2012:site.225806-3267432 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:13:44 -0800 Oktober By: ellF Wasn't Deeper Underground written for the late-90s Godzilla remake? I'd assume it was referencing the film, rather than providing an allegorical tale about modern life.,2012:site.225806-3267433 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:15:28 -0800 ellF By: empath It's about Godzilla, but there's a tradition of dance records talking about being underground, so it's also referencing that. Underground being authentic, secret, out of the mainstream.,2012:site.225806-3267451 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:29:21 -0800 empath By: smoke Nthing it's from the soundtrack of Godzilla.,2012:site.225806-3267915 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:12:09 -0800 smoke By: kettleoffish The song is from the point of the view of the monster. Jamiroquai's early opuses featured many environmental themes. This song is perhaps a return to these themes. Their first album Emergency on Planet Earth and to some degree <a href="">Virtual Insanity</a>, yes, it's that video with the moving floors, both reference modern feelings of alienation and anomie (with a party flavor) due to environmental disintegration. <br> <br> So IMO the song is sympathetic to the monster that has to go "deeper underground" because humanity has created it, in an attempt to mess with the environment, while it is not the poor monster's fault. <br> <br> Also Jamiroquai's lead singer Jay Kay was briefly homeless as a teen and was involved in crime and was stabbed almost to death. IMO the song is informed by this. "I know I'm better off standing in the shadows far from humans with guns," may as well be an autobiographical statement. <br> <br> <a href="">Deeper Underground</a>, when compared to the larger<em> oeuvre</em> of Jamiroquai, is somewhat filler. It was made for the 1999 Godzilla soundtrack, <em>which I don't believe it's actually on... someone correct me if I'm wrong here.</em> It was thrown out rather haphazardly in between albums, as bassist Stuart Zender left the band shortly after <em>Travelling Without Moving</em> and the subsequent Jamiroquai album, <em>Synchronized</em>, was released almost a year late after being recorded completely from scratch-- ultimately to be released on September 11th, 2001. <br> <br> Ultimately, I would say the song is a pean to both mother nature and the forces of the market place.,2012:site.225806-3267922 Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:19:01 -0800 kettleoffish By: Why did I buy a tin gorilla? OK, thanks for your answers. You've obviously put some thought into answering this. However, I think there might be another interpretation that's still intended.<br> <br> Is the "panic" that the song mentions related to the same kind of panic that's referenced in the band names "Widespread Panic" and "Panic at the Disco"? The last one seems especially relevant as it's the name of a videogames music company. To me, the start of "Deeper Underground" sounds like something out of a Final Fantasy game.,2012:site.225806-3279366 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 06:55:26 -0800 Why did I buy a tin gorilla? By: empath It has to do with being attacked by Godzilla :),2012:site.225806-3279376 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:08:52 -0800 empath By: Why did I buy a tin gorilla? Well, I think there might be a few different interpretations. On one level, it's about the film Godzilla. On another level, it's about someone "going underground" because of crime. The other interpretation which contrasts with this is about someone being socially cursed, having to hide because of all the signalling and sequencing conspiracies out there. <br> <br> If you read Michael Moore's autobiography, Here Comes Trouble, it describes a similar situation.,2012:site.225806-3279488 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 09:59:22 -0800 Why did I buy a tin gorilla? By: Why did I buy a tin gorilla? With regard to Empath's comment, that gets me wondering: Who could possibly defeat Godzilla?<br> <br> Captain America- that's who! <br> <br> Hoor-rah!,2012:site.225806-3279491 Sun, 14 Oct 2012 10:04:08 -0800 Why did I buy a tin gorilla?