☝️ Key Points
- The song expresses the feeling of incomprehension and addresses misunderstandings.
- The singer cannot understand the actions and words of another person.
- The title of the song, 'What's the Frequency, Kenneth?', symbolizes the singer's lack of understanding.
- The lyrics also address disappointment and the failure to understand the other person.
- Irony is also addressed as a barrier to youth, leading to further separation.
Interpretation
The song lyrics "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by
R.E.M. is a song about misunderstandings and the feeling of incomprehensibility. The song expresses that the singer cannot understand the actions and statements of another person. The phrase "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" is repeated several times and symbolizes the singer's lack of understanding. It is a kind of expression of the confusion and frustration he feels.
The text also contains lines like "I thought I'd pegged you an idiot's dream" and "You wore our expectations like an armored suit", which indicate that the singer tried to understand the other person, but ultimately was disappointed. The expectations he had were not met and the other person presented themselves in a way he did not expect.
Another theme of the lyrics is irony, which is referred to as a youth's tether. The singer does not understand why the other person considers irony as something negative. He cannot comprehend their way of thinking and perceives this as another separation between them.
Overall, the song lyrics "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M. express the confusion and frustration that can arise when trying to understand someone who behaves in an unexpected and incomprehensible way. It is an expression of the inability to fathom the thoughts and actions of another person.