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Jordan Tan-say

Professor Granillo

English 103

8 April 2019

The True Pretender

Music has become a daily occurence in our lives, but all songs include many different

messages hidden within the lyrics, intonation, and music video dependent on the interpretation.

One way to analyse the songs of today can be done through a Marxist analysis which, as

described from Karl Marx’s view point, “Marx emphasizes that he is concerned primarily with

the ‘material conditions of life,’ the ‘economic structure of society’” (The Norton Anthology of

Theory and Criticism). The band Foo Fighters’ song “The Pretender”, asserts that individuals

with little power must revolt against the oppressive authority in order to achieve freedom. When

analyzed deeper, the song’s message specifically refers to the political unrest during the time of

its recording. By way of Marxist concepts such as the Marxian class theory and repressive

ideologies, “The Pretender” exemplifies the need for change within American government. This

song serves as a rallying message to stand up to those who control and undermine the right to

transparency of citizens all across America.

This high energy rock song helps to keep engaged and connect with the audience around

the age of thirteen years to forty-five years who represent more of the lower-class working

population who face the troubles described in the song. Within the music video, it consists of the

Foo Fighters performing the song in an airplane hangar with many strip lights on the ceiling.

Behind the band is a large red screen, which is thick and solid. The band is then faced by what

appears to be a riot police officer, who stands behind a black line in front of the band. As the
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song progresses, he is joined by more riot police officers who line up at the same black line.

Panning left-to-right across this lineup, each police officer is seen to have a number on his chest,

which are in order counting down, hinting at a buildup toward the approaching climax. (“The

Pretender” 1:20-2:23). As the quieter bridge begins, the video slows down and the officers

charge the band. Just as the band begins the song's louder chorus, the screen suddenly explodes

and a red liquid erupts from it, overwhelming the police officers, but affecting the band to a

lesser extent. (“The Pretender” 3:27-4:30). At the end of the video, Dave Grohl (the lead singer)

is shown slamming his guitar on the floor as he falls to his knees. The song utilizes an appeal to

ethos to accentuate their main message of the government keeping the public in the dark. When

supporting the values of freedom and the ethics of self-defense, listeners are more likely to be

receptive to the message that Grohl pushes through this music video.

Most listeners might view “The Pretender” as a catchy tune masking the support of

implanting the idea that individuals with little power must revolt against the oppressive authority

in order to achieve freedom. This is easily assumed throughout the song as the police officers

can be symbolic for a form of thought police with the Foo Fighters representing the embodiment

of creativity and ideas. As the red screen suddenly explodes and a red liquid erupts from it,

overwhelming the police officers, but affecting the band to a lesser extent, (“The Pretender”

3:27-4:30) the analogy can be made that thought should be protected from oppressive entities

and listeners to this song are subconsciously made aware to support such a cause. While this

interpretation does exist for this song, a Marxist criticism can help decode the deeper message

that this song has to offer.

With a Marxist viewpoint, the most relevant idea to the video involves Marxist classism

involving the bourgeoisie and the proletariats. Firstly, the bourgeoisie, or those in power, are
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represented in “The Pretender” by the riot police. As the song progresses, more riot police

officers line up at the same black line. Panning left-to-right across this lineup, each police

officer is seen to have a number on his chest, which are in order counting down, hinting at a

buildup toward the approaching climax. (“The Pretender” 1:20-2:23). They usurp, assume, and

maintain control through the institutionalization of lies and deception as well as force. This is

not simply representative of any powerful entity, but the United States government in particular.

The idea behind this is to let listeners understand that the government are the bourgeoisie that is

described by Karl Marx and are using underhanded tactics to maintain control.

The other side of Marxist classism are the proletariats, or the working class, which are

represented by the band within the music video. Within the lyrics of “The Pretender”, the chorus

constantly sings, “What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of

your plays? You're the pretender! What if I say I will never surrender?” (“The Pretender” 1:23-

1:45). By appealing to one’s senses, instead of their emotions, the proletarian masses can

employ their reasoning abilities, exercise them, and thus deny the ideas to which they are

introduced instead of just swallowing what the authorities say. Near the end of the song, the riot

police crossing the line prompted the wall’s eruption to hold the police back which serves as a

perfect analogy to the bourgeoisie crossing the line and being fought back by the proletarians.

This connection has been involved through many events of the course of human history and is

described by Karl Marx in his book The Communist Manifesto within his first chapter stating,

“Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a

word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another...” (1996). The idea

behind the Marxist class system within the band’s music is not to provide unspecified, general

organizations of people to fill in the roles of the bourgeoisie and the proletariats, but to highlight
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the current political problems between the powerful American government and the much less

powerful American citizens each important in such a time period where rallies and protests are

constantly occurring.

Another Marxist concept that pushes itself to be relevant within the music video includes

oppressive ideologies, particularly patriotism. Repressive ideologies are ways of thinking that

presents themselves as a natural way of viewing the world. The song’s lyrics “In time or so I'm

told I'm just another soul for sale, oh well” (“The Pretender” 1:48-1:57) represent the

brainwashing that patriotism does towards Americans and creates expendable puppets that can be

directed by the government. Some might argue that patriotism represents a love for a country

and helps the bond between the government and its citizens so there should be no problem, but

that isn’t exactly the case. As described in a journal article named “The Problem of Patriotism:

A Psychoanalytic and Theological Analysis” written by Ryan LaMonthe, he goes on to list

various examples of the horrors of American patriotism. This included the notion of Manifest

Destiny which led to military and economic incursions throughout Central and South America.

Manifest Destiny fueled the brutal expropriation of Native American lands, the Mexican

American War, the Spanish-American War, the appalling colonization of the Philippines and

Hawaii, and numerous other expansionist adventures, the most recent being the second Iraq War

(2009).

Although this is just one example of the effects of patriotism within America as described

by a single event, this is also evident in other countries such as Russia. Within a different journal

article titled Problems of the Teaching of Patriotism, the authors go into detail explaining the

problems with the Russian education system involving the teachings of patriotism. The authors

state that “education exists to create the necessary conditions for shaping the personality of a
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new type, a citizen of Russian society, an individual who is in tune with the tendencies in the

world information society and is competent in a changing reality” (Lutovinov and Meshkova,

2009). The problem that exists with the addition of patriotism involves the “one function of

educational institutions is that of shaping value orientations and developing moral qualities that

constitute the foundation of civic self-determination and self-realization” (Lutovinov and

Meshkova, 2009). This patriotism within the education system ingrains the idea of loyalty

without reason at an early age to the country’s citizens and is unjust towards the general freedom

and rights of citizens throughout their country. The focus on both America and Russia are made

to better understand the effects of a repressive ideology and the consequences that patriotism

plays within the general political scheme which allows for more radical agendas pushed on the

general public by political leaders.

Another repressive ideology that can be seen in “The Pretender” is the American dream.

The American dream forces others to act a certain way and the song certainly focuses on

breaking such a stereotype. In the first bridge of the song and the climax of the music video, the

lyrics say, “I'm the voice inside your head. You refuse to hear. I'm the face that you have to face.

Mirroring your stare. I'm what's left. I'm what's right. I'm the enemy. I'm the hand that'll take you

down. Bring you to your knees. So who are you?” (“The Pretender” 2:43-3:07). This entire set

of lines involve the threats that the band makes toward the riot police, but it symbolizes the idea

that the general public has which questions the true authority that the American government has

on all American citizens. The fact that the general public having their own mind and their own

ideas are “the enemy” that stands in between the American government and complete control and

power. The last question “So who are you?” is stated to create a threat to continue to attack the
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idea that the American government is too full of themselves and question the authority that the

American government grants themselves.

Looking at the song through a Marxist lens and a connection with the audience helps to

understand the greater points provided. The surface of their song seems to be a catchy tune that

listeners can rock out to, but there are much deeper meaning than just rioting and breaking the

rules. The Foo Fighters uses the class system of the bourgeoisie and the proletariats to support

their point of fighting against the higher powers that try to take control of those who have less

power. This specifically refers to the American government trying to take control of the general

public and calls for a protest against such a government. A usage of repressive ideologies

involving patriotism and the American dream connect such an argument to the current political

scene in America and allows for a present connection that involves everyone’s future with

America.

Works Cited

LaMothe, Ryan. “The Problem of Patriotism: A Psychoanalytic and Theological Analysis.”

Pastoral Psychology, vol. 58, no. 2, April 2009, pp. 151–166., doi:10.1007/s11089-008-

0179-1.

Lutovinov and Meshkova. “Problems of the Teaching of Patriotism.” Russian

Education & Society, vol. 51, no. 9, Sept. 2009, pp. 15–21., doi:10.2753/RES1060-
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9393510902.

Marx, Karl, 1818-1883. The Communist Manifesto. London ; Chicago, Ill. :Pluto Press, 1996.

Print.

The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2001. Print.