BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, is a skilled lyricist, with unique vocals that sets him apart from many in this generation. Not that I hated Notes On A Conditional Form, The 1975’s 2020 release, but it didn’t compare to the first two or even three albums. I had been relistening to The 1975 all summer, after they announced on June 1st their new album and thus era. I’ve had a really good initial feeling about this release; something about Healy being so active on the internet gave me a hopeful gut feeling. Humbly, I would say that my gut was spot on about Being Funny In A Foreign Language.

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The inevitable The 1975 introduction is witty and quick. It’s honestly the only intro track that I enjoy, so much so that I didn’t even realize that it was the opener. The song truly represents listeners being overcome with chaos and excitement for what they’re about to experience. I don’t know if it’s the straight, to the point instrumentals or the authentic lyrics that perfectly describe the world we’re living in, but this song makes me itch for creativity. This track sets up the album to be, in a word, real.

The following, Happiness, was their second single off of Being Funny In A Foreign Language. This song has a sound that I never expected from The 1975. Whenever Healy writes earnest lyrics about love, he almost has to make them corny so that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is what he seems to be doing here. It incorporates ‘80s guitar riffs and bright saxophones, making it one of the most upbeat songs in their collection. Producer Jack Antonoff must have had a say in this, as the song is very Antonoff pop-esque

While some of the songs don’t live up to Healy’s previous lyricism, such as Looking For Somebody (To Love) and I’m In Love With You, they’re still laced with beats that will get anyone hooked. Looking For Somebody is initially so straightforward and upbeat, that my jaw was on the floor when I found out that it’s about school shootings. Matty Healy took one of the most devastating events and turned it into a song that doesn’t make you think, but rather dance around like a headless chicken. I’m In Love With You is possibly the least intricate song on the album, yet the crowds still get energetic when they get to scream “Don’t fuck it, you muppet”. To me, that shows the grip that this band has on their fans. I don’t even know what the line means, if anything, but it’s just so catchy that I can’t help but get jumpy when it comes on.

Part Of The Band was the first single off of BFIAFL. I deeply believe that this track encapsulates who The 1975 are perfectly. The band had proven to be quite complex, but this song is exactly what I would expect them to make, down to a t. It doesn’t reflect every stylistic choice they’ve ever adopted, but in a way it traces back to their origins. It’s the old The 1975 with a new energy. The songwriting is heavenly. If you listen to any track on this album, let it be this one, just to indulge in the storytelling.

The following song, Oh Caroline, has an infectious bass that puts me in such a chokehold. If I’m talking about lyrical diversity, I have to mention this in contrast to Part Of The Band. Matty Healy’s lyrics can go from “Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke?/Or am i just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke/calling his ego imagination?” to “Getting suicidal/it’s honestly not for me”, and we can’t even question it. It only makes sense for him to be singing both of those opposing lyrical styles. The only way I can put my thoughts into words is that it’s just the epitome of The 1975. Oh Caroline is so universal yet so individual, and again a sound that I never thought I’d hear on this album. It’s just The 1975. All I Need To Hear is another commonly understood song. Healy’s simply writing undemanding lyrics, showing a new step in his journey. BFIAFL is fully and clearly about love, however, the band made it their own. It’s almost sappy, but they can pull it off so precisely.

Wintering is one of the best surprises I’ve heard all year. I was expecting an extended ballad, but got a sensational story about a family enjoying their holiday together. Healy sings, “And it’s Christmas so this is gonna be a nightmare/I just came for the stuffin’, not to argue ‘bout nothin’”. It’s so easy to dread family reunions, knowing that it’s almost always going to be a political explosion. However, they approached the song in a way that finds comfort in the company. The electric guitar sprinkled in this track is quite tasteful and perfectly placed. You can once more hear the Antonoff production in this song that begs you to head bop to this song.

I wasn’t originally a fan of Human Too, but it’s grown on me a bit, from the sultry piano to later on horn work. They break it down to the basics, relating to the fact that everyone’s human, and that’s just that. About You is indescribable. Matty Healy has said that he views this song as a continuation of Robbers, off of The 1975’s debut album. There are lyrical parallels, and I find that the end of both songs being repetitive ties them together in the most arbitrary way. You can listen to both songs sequentially and think, ‘Oh, this makes sense. It’s the same story, just later in the journey of these characters’. It's just a simple and stunning song.

When We Are Together is another track that everyone can put themselves into. It’s an effortless ending to the album, intelligible yet complex. The 1975 has made a record that is so relatable and can touch possibly more people than they have before. Being Funny In A Foreign Language looks into a more positive light than before, being about genuine and hopeful love. Overall, the whole album is intertwined perfectly, and it truly is The 1975 at their very best.

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Make sure to check out my Spotify to see what kind of music I love, and where this blog will go.

Thank you for reading! I hope that you enjoyed this but if you didn’t, that’s okay too.

LOVE YOU ALL SEE YOU NEXT TIME XOXO

Soph <3

October 17th, 2022. By Sophia Cook.