Youth Group: Forever Young (Alphaville Cover) Meaning
Forever Young (Alphaville Cover) Lyrics
let's dance for a while
heaven can wait we're only watching the sky
hoping for the best but expecting the worst
are you gonna drop the bomb or not
let us die young or let us live forever
don't have the power but we...
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1TOP RATED
#1 top rated interpretation:Seen a few interpretations of this song that miss some key meanings. So I thought I would break it down as I understand it. The song is most definitely about the cold war and it takes an ironic and satirical view of the war. Comparing the joy in the population against their helplessness over the impending death from nuclear weapons
"Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while,
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies."
The opening lines capture the joy of dancing whilst at the same time they try not to think of heaven, of death. They are "watching the skies", as if trying not to remember that from those skies will come the bombs.
"Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst,
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?"
The next lines make direct reference to "the bomb". The atomic bomb. They are hoping that it will not be dropped and (as an internal monologue) they are asking their leaders if they ever intend to drop it.
"Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power, but we never say never."
Presented with the threat of impending death, they want to die in their prime, when they are happiest. To live forever is disarmament, it is a life which is remembered forever because we don't destroy ourselves. But again the second part refers to their helplessness of the situation.
"Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad man."
They are powerless like children playing in a sandpit. The line the music's for the sad men is to compare with the latter line about the music being played by the madmen. The music is politics, and those listening to it are the helpless population who are dismayed but do not have the skill to change the song.
"Can you imagine when this race is won?
Turn our golden faces into the sun"
The race is the arms race, the nuclear race. It is the race between the US and the USSR to build more and more weapons. He is asking what happens when the race is won? The answer is simple, everyone turns to face the sun. The sun in this case is a thermonuclear explosion, a small sun created on Earth. The race is won when the nuclear war starts.
"Praising our leaders, we're getting in tune
The music's played by the madman."
Referencing again the music of politics, the population are going along for the ride, "getting in tune". The madmen are the politicians. Mad refers to Mutually Assured Destruction, the idea that no-one country can start a nuclear war without incurring their own destruction as well.
Forever young,
I want to be forever young.
Do you really want to live forever?
Forever, and ever
The chorus again refers to the choice they have between dying at their prime or being remembered forever. Without knowing what might happen they are considering that they want to be young. Ignorant and naive rather than face the reality of death.
Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young?
Different people contribute different things in society but ultimately it won't matter who did what if the nuclear war comes.
It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading horse
Youth's like diamonds in the sun,
And diamonds are forever
Much like the lines before it is raising the prospect of death by nuclear war as preferable to a full life lived helplessly "without a cause"
So many adventures couldn't happen today,
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
We'll let them come true
These lines are talking about a lost future, of music and lives that never will be when the war comes. His one wish is that we let the dreams of the youth come true. In terms of the context of the song, this means nuclear disarmament. -
2TOP RATED
#2 top rated interpretation:By the way, this song is by Alphaville, not Youth Group:
The song is about specifically the Cold War, living when you know you could die at any moment. It also applies to just normal life too.
"let's dance in style
let's dance for a while"
This shows how people should try to make the best of their lives by acting like nothing's wrong.
"heaven can wait we're only watching the sky"
This shows how people should just live life and not look forward to Heaven, because it's not real (i.e. it's only the sky, not Heaven).
"hoping for the best but expecting the worst
are you gonna drop the bomb or not"
This shows the people's fearful tension in the Cold War, hoping that they wouldn't be bombed but were still worried.
"let us die young or let us live forever,
don't have the power but we never say never"
They had no power or control over whether they lived or died.
"sitting in the sandpit
life is a short trip
music's for the sad man"
They felt like they were sitting in a "sandpit", an area that was about to be bombed.
"can you imagine when this race is run?
turn our golden faces into the sun
praisin our leaders, getting in tune
the music's played by the mad men"
Not sure.
"forever young, i want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever
forever young, i want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever"
He wants to live forever young.
"some like water and some are like the heat,
some are melodies, some are the beat,"
sooner or later they'll all be gone,
why don't they stay young"
We shouldn't get caught up in petty things, because they'll all be gone anyway.
"it's hard to get on without a cause,
i don't want to perish like a fading voice,"
This shows people's frustration in not wanting to die without being remembered.
"youth is like diamonds in the sun,
diamonds are forever"
Diamonds (which are 'forever') represent youth, and 'the sun' represents death, so he's saying that there may be life after death.
"so many adventures couldn't happen today
so many songs we forgot to play
so many dreams swinging out of the blue
left to come true"
There's so much that they can't do if they die young."
"forever young, i want to be forever young,
do you really want to live forever
forever, forever
forever young, i want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever
forever, forever
forever young, i want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever
forever young, i want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever..."
He wants to be forever Young. -
3TOP RATED
#3 top rated interpretation:This is a song about the cold war. Do any of you know what that was? It was living under the constant threat, every moment, of imminent annihilation, knowing it was likely that you would die soon, and die young. "Do you really want to live forever?" is bitterly ironic, and the sweet melody is also ironic. The song was about embracing the existential pain of facing upcoming (and unchosen) death. It speaks to its era, it is understood well by,and speaks to, generation Xers.
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I still reckon the sandpit reference is just cause that’s where we all played in the 70s ( in Australia). It was integral to our childhood. I absolutely get all the Cold War stuff. I know people say it’s because Australia can be desolate and especially in places and within seasons. Also know I’m very often not right when I try to find out the message behind amazing songs. Awesome song and my favourite for many reasons. I’ve appreciated reading people’s takes
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Going back to the fact that this song is a Cold War song, the "Can you imagine when this race is won, turn out golden faces into the sun" part could be referring to the nuclear arms race going on. Heck, there were enough nukes to destroy the world 52 times! And you'd think that once would be enough.
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The desire to Be forever Young is the artist bravery to die as a youth, enjoy youth and be remembered as a youth. The Artist accepts and resolved that he can be nuked at anytime and was just being realistic, but he also went on to make a mockery of the living old and suffer the effects of a nuclear bomb. The music is threat of death, the sound of aircraft are the melodies and beat, the victims are the sad people who live in fear, played by sick world leaders who give instructions to annihilate people.
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When they speak "Forever young" , they dont mean they just want to die young, its more than that. They dont want to live under deaths shadow, and always fearing the day they die, better that we die now so our youth remains forever, like a diamond; than to grow old and die like a old dog.
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for me basically this song has nothing to do of being a forever young physically, but you have to live like as your still young eventhough your not in your prime anymore, that means you have to be optimistic in life in all aspects. this song has to do in how you carry yourself until you get old and still you have a youthful mind,because for me youth symbolizes hope and strength.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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To add to the bit you're not sure about,
"can you imagine when this race is run?
turn our golden faces into the sun
praisin our leaders, getting in tune
the music's played by the mad men"
golden faces into the sun, the sun I think of as the nuclear bomb explosion producing light like the sun. Then the bit about praising leaders and "getting in tune" to the music "played by the mad men" refers to people blindly obeying the crazy world leaders who were pushing the world towards nuclear Armageddon. -
Such, a beautiful and brilliant song!
My interpretation of this song is that the author is almost "your body" and he's talking to you morality, your life... your- consciousness, spirit, soul, whatever your preferred idea to call it may be... I couldn't get that he said "And when you finally fly away
Ill be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell" - And it makes sense... Its your body talking to your Soul/spirit/consciousness/whatever... Its a song that every person might interpret differently... but over all its a SONG ABOUT LIVING A GOOD MORAL LIFE! And the author leaves it slightly vague for many people of differant opinions to comprehend for themselves... Over all I think the author wants to teach the value of... Values, of being a good person and enjoying life. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This song is not about taking the time to be young. It is questioning why you would want to be forever young. why would you?
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The first poster may have listed those things because they interest him the most.
In all honesty, I think this song is about stopping and taking time for something important. Plus, I may always associate this song with Napolean Dynamite. -
i think this song is about trying to get the most out if life before we die and enjoying every second we have with the ones we love before it gets to be to late
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