"The Royal We" by Silversun Pickups, Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Silversun Pickups came at the end of the Indie Rock revolution of the early '00s. The bromine-colored album jacketed Swoon was a smash hit on Alternative and Active Rock stations, even gaining the band entry into the Hot 100 on the first and third singles, "Panic Switch" and "The Royal We."  Swoon is a more refined version of the band's debut, Carnavas, though there was a time when Silversun Pickups seemed to be a desired sound with tracks on Guitar Hero and Rock Band from both Swoon and Carnavas and a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Today, though, the band is relatively obscure, despite continuing to release music, most recently late August's Physical Thrills. 

HOW MANY WAYS DO YOU WANT TO DIE? Swoon starts off with the fast-tempo track "There's No Secrets This Year" easily recalling the garage rock shoegaze of Silversun Pickups' first record Carnavas. The track is energetic, and while the lyrics feel a little pointed, the song doesn't have a very angry tone. The 5:33 track turns full jam session at the end of the song with a few bars of "wall of sound" until the song ends, drums and bass stopping and guitar fading out. Yet, the track isn't over. After the guitar fades, a pad lays down a chord while the electric guitar returns, gentler. Singer Brian Aubert returns to the track, this time with almost threatening lyrics: "You better make sure you're looking closely." An organ synth plays before Aubert clarifies, "Before you fall into your swoon." This outro for "There's No Secrets This Year" links the following track, "The Royal We," creating cohesion. "The Royal We" takes Silversun Pickups out of the garage and add a level of urgency by adding a 16-piece orchestra. The strings punctuate Aubert's lyrics, heightening the themes of the song and making it sound, for lack of a better word, royal.  

TO FEEL SAFE AGAIN, LOOK OVER YOUR SHOULDER. "We are not amused," Queen Victoria famously said. Pluralis majestatis, or the royal ‘we’ has been in use since the 12th century, meaning God and I, and used as a justification for divine right of kings. But who is we in this song? The verses are told in the first person plural: "We are armed up to the teeth" and "We can laugh about it now." And by the end of the song, a death note is signed "Love, the Royal We." There are several interpretations floating around the internet about this song. Perhaps it's about a fascist politician coming to the fore. Maybe, like "Panic Switch" it's about Fight Club-esque hallucinations telling you it's time to cut down on the coffee. Many commenters see drug addiction references, particularly heroin. But whatever Aubert is singing about, the song has a paranoid tone. It's clear that the speaker of the chorus (and possibly the one that is part of the royal we) is not a stable narrator. "The Royal We" is perhaps about a bad trip in which all the kings horse and all the king men come to make war with their political enemies. Drugs often cause paranoia, which can fuel the conspiracy theorists. I think about what my coworker's adages, "Paranoia is just the ability to make connections." Whether those connections are coincidental or planned is another conversation all together. But until then avoid conversations with the courtiers. 

Artist commentary:

Music video: 

 

Read “The Royal We” by Silversun Pickups on Genius