Let 'Em Burn

Album: The Stories We Tell Ourselves (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was borne from observing people's behavior in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Singer Jonny Hawkins explained to Billboard magazine:

    "There's a lyric: 'Everybody, everybody lies. Everybody, everybody buys it. Everybody, everybody, we all divide.' People, when they hear this song, if they're on the right or the left, they're going to think we're talking about their opposite or the candidate they hate or whatever. That's fine, they can identify with it that way, but when we say, 'Everybody,' we mean literally everybody.

    I'm talking about the people on Facebook as much as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. I think they're equally as much a part of the problem with how our discourse and dialogue with each other is so flawed."
  • The concept for the song's grim, violent video was fueled by the growing fear and divisiveness in the US. Directed by Ben Roberds, the clip is a commentary on the frequency of mass shootings in America and the powers-that-be's refusal to accept the reason for all the slaughter.

    "The media has become our God and we have become its bitch," said Jonny Hawkins. "We are blind to human solutions because our emotions have been glued to political problems, and it has paralyzed our progress. Most of us know that mental health is the cause of mass shootings, yet we are obsessed with talking about the symptoms and gridlocking ourselves in political battles without proper action. It's time to find solutions... it's time to focus on mental health."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Early Days of MTV

Early Days of MTVFact or Fiction

If you can recall the days when MTV played videos, you know that there are lots of stories to tell. See if you can spot the real ones.

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's Songs

Macabre Mother Goose: The Dark Side of Children's SongsSong Writing

"London Bridge," "Ring Around the Rosie" and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" are just a few examples of shockingly morbid children's songs.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."

Jon Anderson

Jon AndersonSongwriter Interviews

Jon Anderson breaks down the Yes classic "Seen All Good People" and talks about his 1000 Hands album, which features Chick Corea, Rick Derringer, Ian Anderson, and many other luminaries.