This Is War
by Bush

Album: Black And White Rainbows (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Gavin Rossdale was inspired to pen the politically charged song after seeing the violence that erupted during an August 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia:

    "Hatred and bigotry are the best friends of stupidity," Rossdale said. "The title isn't a call to arms, it's a call for humanity. It's actually an anti-war song - an observation of the times. The title is a reference to good versus evil. This is a time for inclusion, compassion and understanding. We need to stay strong."
  • This wasn't on the original release of Black And White Rainbows. When Bush re-formed in 2010 after their 2002 breakup, they signed with Zuma Rock Records, which issued the album in March 2017. In October, the band signed with BMG in a deal that included Rossdale's publishing. They released a remastered version of the album, with "This Is War" added to the tracklist.
  • Rossdale had a hard time expressing his thoughts in this song. "I found it really difficult as a songwriter because things that we can say in conversation that seem really logical and really insightful just don't sing well," he told Songfacts. "It doesn't sing well to hatred and bigotry. If I talk about that to you in regular speech, I can make perfect sense, and it sounds logical. So, that was a big challenge: how to turn it into something personal. And a plea - a call to arms and the call for peace. A call to not fight, and to say, 'Things have gotten so bad that it is a fight now. This is an untenable situation.'"

Comments: 1

  • Luna Loud from Royal Woods, Michigan"This is strange fruit" is most likely referencing the Etta James song "Strange Fruit", which was about racism and the lynching of African Americans.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Cy Curnin of The Fixx

Cy Curnin of The FixxSongwriter Interviews

The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.

Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa CarltonSongwriter Interviews

The "A Thousand Miles" singer on what she thinks of her song being used in White Chicks and how she captured a song from a dream.