Land of the Free by The Killers (2019)

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Land of the Free by The Killers (2019)

The Killers were influenced by the music style of the 1980s and 1990s, and have released six studio albums. The American band’s 2004 debut album, Hot Fuss, success four UK top-20 singles, including Mr. Brightside. The group also have released 38 singles, one of them is the song Land of the Free, which was released on January 14, 2019. [1]

The song focuses on subjects like gun control, racial tensions, and immigration. Brandon Flowers, in an exclusive interview with Zane Lowe, talked about the inspiration behind the song, “It started in my mind, around when Sandy Hook happened and as a father how that affected me and then it just started stacking up. It was things like Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, things like what’s happening at the Mexico border wall. This stuff didn’t seem to be in harmony with the values that I believe my country was founded on.” The band released a follow-up version with updated lyrics in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. [2]

The Killers

Key Lyrics

Can't wipe the wind-blown smile from across my face

It's just the old man in me

Washing his truck at the Sinclair station

In the land of the free (Ooh)

His mother, Adeline's family, came on a ship

Cut coal and planted a seed

Down in them drift mines of Pennsylvania

In the land of the free

Land of the free, land of the free

In the land of the free

Land of the free, land of the free

Land of the free, land of the free

In the land of the free

(I'm standing crying)

When I go out in my car, I don't think twice

But if you're the wrong color skin (I'm standing, crying)

You grow up looking over both your shoulders

In the land of the free

And we got more people locked up than the rest of the world

Right here in red, white and blue (I'm standing, crying)

Incarceration's become big business

It's harvest time out on the avenue [3]

Black Empowerment

Inspired by current events which address various issues such as racial inequality, gun violence, mass incarceration, and former President Trump's proposed wall at the Mexican border, the band proclaims the irony behind America’s longtime nickname, land of the free.

Land of the free, land of the free In the land of the free (I'm standing crying)

The band’s frontman, Flowers said that the mass shooting happened in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, was first inspired the idea for the song, "It started, in my mind, around the time Sandy Hook happened, and then it just started stacking up, like Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, things that are happening with [Donald Trump's] wall," he explained to Beats 1's Zane Lowe. "You know, this stuff just didn't seem to be in harmony with the values I believe my country was founded on."[4]

The lyrics on the second verse focuses on racial discrimination, mentioning racial profiling by police, it is also mentioned, life could be miserable if one’s born with wrong skin color in America. The song also mentioned the justice system in America, how the country has people locked up in prisons.

The song’s bridge reveals America’s gun violence, questioning one’s consciousness about having a gun problem.

The core of the song, the chorus describes the unfairness, cruelty, and injustice of the States, as this is not the value that America should have. [5]

References

  1. The Killers discography. wikipedia.org. Retrieved January 30, 2021
  2. Land of the Free The Killers. genius.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021
  3. Land of the Free The Killers. genius.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021
  4. Land Of The Free by The Killers. songfacts.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021
  5. The Killers’ “Land of the Free” Lyrics Meaning. January 15, 2019. songmeaningsandfacts.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021