The Adults Are Talking

Album: The New Abnormal (2020)
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Songfacts®:

  • "The Adults Are Talking" is an idiom used when the grown-ups tell the children to be quiet as they're discussing something important. During this taut rocker, Julian Casablancas likens the phrase to the relationship between the powerful and the powerless.

    We can't help it if we are a problem
    We are tryin' hard to get your attention
    I'm climbin' up your wall


    The exact meaning is ambiguous, but a possible interpretation is Casablancas is talking about the division between the politicians (the adults) and the common people (the kids).
  • The Strokes premiered the song during a May 13, 2019 charity show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles benefitting the homeless.
  • The Strokes performed this song on the October 31, 2020 episode of Saturday Night Live. It marked the group's fourth appearance on the show and their first in nine years. The New York quintet also played another The New Abnormal track, "Bad Decisions."
  • Directed by filmmaker Roman Coppola, the video finds The Strokes battling a team of robots in a baseball game. Coppola also helmed the clips for the New York band's classic tunes "Last Nite" and "Someday."

Comments: 3

  • Anonymous from N/a(Oct 16, 2023 - Monday)
    This song speaks to me as a tale of a love triangle. Kinda like the realisation part of the one who sees the bigger picture. But yeah it does sound this rebellious, though this will always be a beautiful tear-jerking song to me.
    - azi
  • Anonymousi love this song its like my fav anyways i love how its about adults telling kids to be quiet "its grown up talk" lol i got this telled alot
  • .0. from Um, NoI love this song the lyrics, really speak to me, because it's true that sometimes you feel unheard, almost as if you can't speak, for fear of what they might say, or because you're being controlled. That's what I think, at least.
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