1933

Album: Be More Kind (2018)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This jangling, state-of-the-nation anthem was the first track to be released from Be More Kind. The song was inspired by articles Frank Turner saw that suggested the alt-right was punk rock.

    "That filled me with a mixture of incredulity and anger," said the singer. "The idea that Breitbart or Steve Bannon think they have anything to do with punk rock makes me extremely angry. These ideas are surfacing again that collectively as a species we've already shot down."
  • Turner explained the song's title to NME:

    "1933 was the year that the Nazis took power in Germany. Obviously I’m quite consciously aware of Godwin’s Law and the idea that mentioning the Nazis gets pretty tired in principled debate pretty quickly. But it still, nevertheless, seemed like it was a turning point which in and of itself didn’t necessarily seem apocalyptic at the time – in 1933 I’m not sure that anybody in Germany was thinking of 1945 and yet they were inextricably linked.

    The year 2016 in particular felt quite momentous to me, it was a threatening year, and it’s a song that was written when we were touring in the USA in the summer of 2016 while the election campaign was ongoing."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

James Williamson of Iggy & the Stooges

James Williamson of Iggy & the StoogesSongwriter Interviews

The Stooges guitarist (and producer of the Kill City album) talks about those early recordings and what really happened with David Bowie.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Paul Williams

Paul WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

He's a singer and an actor, but as a songwriter Paul helped make Kermit a cultured frog, turned a bank commercial into a huge hit and made love both "exciting and new" and "soft as an easy chair."

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.