Divided States of America

Album: Freedom Child (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was influenced by current affairs. Vocalist Danny O'Donoghue explained to The Sun:

    "We were recording in Santa Monica on the day after Trump had won the election. We headed back to our hotel and it was a pretty weird atmosphere - pretty similar to the day after Brexit. Shock had hit everybody. It was a divided country.

    "Divided States of America was just a title that we were using for America, but really it's how we feel the world is at that moment."
  • The track is more about the divisive effect that the election of Trump had rather than the band's views on the President himself. "We wrote that song while the election was going on," guitarist Mark Sheehan told HMV.com. "We're not pro-Trump, we're not anti-Trump, it's more just identifying what the election seemed to do to people, the amount of hate and bile it brought up, it's about that."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Country Song Titles

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."