Time passes but Paramore never leaves. And, more important, they never go out of style. The band is back again with their new, vibrant single “The News.”
Following September’s “This Is Why,” “The News” is the trio’s new, fresh and politically involved release from their recently-announced new album This Is Why.
A Politically Involved 2000s Hit
The 2000s are back with Paramore’s new single, “The News.” Politically involved, the song is a strong critic and open-hearted discussion surrounding all the problematic situations and events our world is facing in the last years. “War, a war, a war on the far side / On the other side of the planet,” sings the first verse of the song. “Every second, our collective heart breaks/ All together, every single head shakes,”
Hayley Williams, Paramore’s leading voice, mentioned which specific themes inspired the song. “It started with just the pandemic,” she remembers. “Well, for us it started with the tornado in Nashville, but there was the tornado and then there was the global pandemic.” She adds about Black Lives Matter: “There was George Floyd, there were all these uprisings, there were marches and protests that we went to.” “There was a bombing by a conspiracy theorist on Christmas Day in Nashville. It’s like we’re experiencing it from whatever vantage point we’re at, and there’s something to say about it.”
“The News” also aims to send a positive message of support and reciprocal help.
“I’m praying and hoping that the perspective and the lyrics that we’re presenting is personal enough and as much with respect to everyone’s specific or potential vantage point that maybe other people can relate to it in some way that we haven’t even intended. And that’s the hopeful part of it.”
Behind The News
In addition, Williams discussed the inspiration behind “The News” and the process that lead to its creation:
“Personally, I was like, ‘Okay. We’re not typically a political band,’ and it’s not a solely political song or a solely political album. I understand that where we live, where we’re positioned is not always reality. And we got four years at home to be members of our own community, be face to face with our families again, and kind of plug into our local community, be citizens, vote in person, all those things, right? But that was our first real experience of that as adults. So who wants to hear a bunch of people whine about how difficult it is to live in 2022 or 2020 when maybe our lives don’t reflect the harshest of realities? But I think the other flip side to that is really wanting to do good and wanting to reflect the times as artists and wanting to be with it enough that we can use our platform. How can you ignore it? How can you not say anything?”
Together with the single, the official music video was released. “The News” music video was directed by Mike Kluge & Matthew DeLisi.
