"Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" | |
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Song by the 1975 | |
from the album Notes on a Conditional Form | |
Released | 22 May 2020 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:38 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | |
Music Video | |
"Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" on YouTube |
"Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while the production was handled by Daniel and Healy. The London Community Gospel Choir provide the song's choir vocals. Its creation was inspired by J Dilla and self-reflection, with the band wanting to fulfill their responsibilities as artists by challenging ideas.
An experimental neo soul, electro-gospel and R&B song, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" combines elements of jazz, spoken word, soul, blue-eyed soul, gospel and hip hop. The song's production primarily consists of a lo-fi groove, jazz-influenced chords and a blues-influenced piano riff. Detailing Healy's search for truth in the world, the song's lyrics criticise other celebrities for financially exploiting their fans while also disavowing the 1975's own lyrics from "Love It If We Made It" and "Heart Out".
Upon release, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, with several deeming it an album highlight. Reviewers praised the song's lyrics, production and sonic experimentation, noting it serves as a deconstruction of the 1975's mythology. The song peaked at number 82 on the UK Singles Chart and number 28 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. An accompanying music video, created by Joey Holder, was released on 12 July 2020. Inspired by the novel The Book of Pleasure: Psychology of Ecstasy (1913) by Austin Osman Spare, the visual features sigils and positive affirmations layered over footage of snakes, eels, nematodes and sacred diagrams.
"It's a very unique vocal delivery on ['Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied']. I wouldn't call it rapping, it’s just flow. I get to kind of flow and rhythmically punctuate with words."
—Healy, on his vocal delivery in "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied". [1]
In April 2017, the 1975 announced Music For Cars, the follow-up record to their second studio album I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016), with it being set for release in 2018. [2] However, in May 2018, Healy announced that Music For Cars would now represent an "era" composed of two studio albums. [3] The first, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018), was released in November of the same year. [4] The band began recording the second album Notes on a Conditional Form, prior to the release of A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. [5] Recording continued through 2019 during their Music for Cars Tour, intending to release it in May 2019. [6] Healy deferred the album's release several times, scheduling it for 21 February 2020 and later for 24 April. [7] Regarding the delays, the singer said they were caused by giving interviewers arbitrary release dates. [8] Ultimately, Notes on a Conditional Form was released on 22 May 2020. [9]
The origin of "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" came from a piano piece created by Daniel while the producer was "jamming". Healy then added a low-resolution breakbeat over the piece, creating a simple loop that allowed the pair to "kind of just go into producer mode"–inspired by the work of J Dilla. Regarding the production process, the singer said parts of the song's creation were "really fun for [them]". Lyrically, he said the track was meant to be a self-reflection and a fulfillment of their artistic responsibility. Healy noted that many artists fail to take a stance on issues or challenge any ideas, relying on association and projection to make themselves interesting. Elaborating further, the singer said: "[I]f you give people nothing to work with, if you say nothing, then you leave room for people to project anything." [10] "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" was written by Daniel, Healy, Hann and MacDonald, while the production was handled by Daniel and Healy. [11]
Musically, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" is an experimental neo soul, [12] [13] electro-gospel and R&B piano ballad, [14] [15] and has a length of three minutes and 38 seconds (3:38). [9] The song has a brass and piano-driven instrumentation, [16] while the production is composed of a soulful lo-fi hip hop groove, [17] a "vibrant" bassline, jazz-influenced chords, a blues-influenced piano riff and a gospel choir performed by the London Community Gospel Choir. [11] [18] The track also contains elements of jazz, spoken word, soul, blue-eyed soul, gospel and hip hop. [12] [18] [19] Healy's vocal delivery in "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" alternates between rapping and singing in his falsetto. [18] [20] During the rap portion of the song, Healy's voice undergoes a deep grime-inspired manipulation, which Callie Ahlgrim of Insider compared to English rapper Stormzy. [21]
Lyrically, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" narrates Healy's search for the truth in an increasingly confusing world. [17] He confesses to embellishing in his previous songs and dismantles the lies and misconceptions about himself from their lyrics. [17] [22] "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" begins with an angsty hymn, [23] while the first verse opens with Healy admitting "I never fucked in a car, I was lying / I do it on my bed, lying down, not trying", which disavows the opening lines of "Love It If We Made It" (2018) and "Sex" (2013). [14] [16] [21] Using sentimental tones, the singer confesses to apathy while equating existential ennui with asking for sex. [15] Elsewhere, he describes being too tired and bored to live a lifestyle expected of him, while lambasting other celebrities for their greed, rapping in a low-pitched voice: "You don't fuck with your poor fans / You need the rich ones to expand your floor plans." [23] The song breaks into a choir-led plea, which Larry Fitzmaurice of Entertainment Weekly compared to Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990) by George Michael, singing: "Life feels like a lie / I need something to be true / Is there anybody out there?" [11] [20]
Upon release, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" was met with positive reviews from contemporary music critics, with some deeming it a highlight from Notes on a Conditional Form. Mitch Mosk of Atwood Magazine declared the song an album highlight and included it as his Editor's Pick, praising the "grandeur and utter beauty" while noting the song explores "groundbreaking" sonic territory for the 1975. He commended the track's lyrics, passionate emotions, "lush harmonies and aching, heartfelt tones". [12] Writing for The Guardian , Kitty Empire called "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" the album's "key track", deeming it a "subtly" updated version of U2's "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For" (1987). [19] Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine called the song one of the album's "[m]ore successful curveballs". [24] The A.V. Club writer Annie Zaleski deemed the track one of the strongest songs from Notes on a Conditional Form, saying it eschews "big-picture statements and instead confronts anxiety about personal malaise and isolation". [25]
Conrad Duncan of Under the Radar described "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" as a "burst of light-footed neo-soul". [13] He noted the song exemplifies Notes on a Conditional Form's overall rejection of Healy's former theatrics, specifically by dismantling the 1975's most acclaimed line from "Love It If We Made It". Additionally, Duncan called the track the emotional centrepiece of the album, saying it is an example of where "[t]he 1975 are at their best, combining self-deprecating humor with sharp radio-friendly hooks". [13] Paste writer Lizzie Manno said "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" recalls the distorted hip hop of the band's "I Like America & America Likes Me" (2018) and the gospel vocals of "It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" (2018), [26] while Elly Watson of DIY similarly praised it as a "clever" throwback to "Love It If We Made It". [27]
Justin Curto of Vulture said "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" encompasses "everything worth loving (or loathing) about [t]he 1975", while praising the lyrics, production and unexpected rapping. [23] Fitzmaurice called the song's choir vocals "beautiful", [20] while Clash writer Brenton Blanchet said the track's bridge "encapsulates the ultra-powered, multi-dimensional superhero of an album". [28] On a similar note, Ross Horton of musicOMH called it "another winner" for the band. [29] Writing for Exclaim! , Ian Gormely interpreted "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" to be a deconstruction of the 1975's own mythology, saying Healy "picks apart the lies and misconceptions about himself from past lyrics". [22] Similarly, Dan Stubbs of NME said Healy is "bent on deconstructing the entire artifice of his carefully curated persona", [30] while Beats Per Minute writer Lauren Mullineaux said Healy debunks his "self-mythologising" nature. [31] Similarly, Pitchfork 's Sam Sodomsky called the song a "self-referential cry into the void about fame". [32] Commercially, "Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied" reached number 82 on the UK Singles Chart and number 28 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. [33] [34]
An accompanying music video, created by Joey Holder, was released on 12 July 2020. The visual serves as the 11th release from Artists Respond to NOACF, an online art exhibition released in lieu of their planned Music for Cars Tour. [35] [36] [37] To create the video, Holder took inspiration from the occult and the novel The Book of Pleasure: Psychology of Ecstasy (1913) by Austin Osman Spare. She began by segmenting the song into eight verses and then extracting positive affirmations from each: "Life is a search for your truth", "sexual sorcery", "returns and unites", "free at any time", "revealed by all systems", "forget dependence, "somewhere unlearnt" and "what you wish to believe can be true". The filmmaker used Spare's sigil-making technique to develop a symbol for each of the eight affirmations. The video features the eight reoccurring symbols and affirmations layered over footage of sacred diagrams, squirming snakes, eels and nematodes, which form the shapes of the symbols. The visual also includes a moon, meant to represent the eight lunar phases which hold importance for chaos magic. [35] [37] Regarding the meaning of the video, the 1975 asserted that it is intended to remind viewers of "the central role music played in old pagan ceremonies and rituals". [35]
Credits adapted from Notes on a Conditional Form album liner notes. [11]
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
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New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [34] | 28 |
UK Singles (OCC) [33] | 82 |
The 1975 are an English pop rock band formed in Wilmslow in 2002. The band consists of Matty Healy, Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald (bass), and George Daniel. The name of the band was inspired by a page of scribblings found in Healy's copy of On the Road by Jack Kerouac that was dated "1 June, The 1975".
"Sex" is a song by English band the 1975 from their second extended play (EP) of the same name (2012) and eponymous debut studio album (2013). The song was written by band members George Daniel, Matty Healy, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. The band co-produced the EP version of the song with Michael and Robert Coles, while Mike Crossey provided additional production. The album version, produced by Crossey and the band, was released as the lead single on 23 August 2013 by Dirty Hit, Polydor Records and Vagrant Records. Written at the age of 19, Healy said the song represents a love letter to prudish teenage girls.
"The Sound" is a song by English band the 1975 from their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann, and Ross MacDonald. Mike Crossey handled the production alongside Daniel and Healy. The London Community Gospel Choir provide the song's choir vocals. The song was released on 19 February 2016 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fourth single from the album. Inspired by the pop albums of his youth, Healy sought to channel the memorable melodies from them and create an "unabashed" pop song. Healy first presented the song to One Direction, who declined, so the band decided to record it.
"She's American" is a song by English band the 1975 from their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). The song was written by Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Mike Crossey handled the production alongside Daniel and Healy. The song was released on 4 November 2016 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the sixth single from the album. Healy was inspired by the interplay between the British and Americans, creating a tongue-in-cheek song about the subtleties involved in a British rockstar courting an American woman. Containing a 1980s-style beat, futuristic synths and a saxophone solo, it is a retro funk, pop and synth-pop song with elements of disco, yacht rock and synth-funk.
"Loving Someone" is a song by English band the 1975 from their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). The song was written by Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Mike Crossey handled the production alongside Daniel and Healy. It was released on 3 February 2017 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the seventh and final single from the album. Daniel developed the song's production and title during a jam session, using a chopped vocal stem, while Healy created the lyrics after completing the band's track "Paris".
A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships is the third studio album by English band the 1975. It was released on 30 November 2018 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records. Initially titled Music for Cars, the album was intended as the follow-up to I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). The term later denoted an era encompassing both their third album and Notes on a Conditional Form, released in 2020. The band halted recording of the first part after lead singer Matty Healy left for a drug rehabilitation clinic in Barbados, seeking treatment for his heroin addiction. Following the singer's return, the band spent several months completing the album in Northamptonshire and Los Angeles.
"Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while Daniel and Healy handled the song's production. It was released on 2 April 2020 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fifth single from the album. The song features guest vocals from singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Healy re-wrote the song several times, focusing on the prison–industrial complex and the religious oppression of young people, while the final version was created as a patchwork from each iteration. After meeting Bridgers, the band invited her to record vocals for the song, turning it into a duet.
"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" is a song by English band the 1975 from their third studio album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, and produced by Daniel and Healy. It was released on 18 October 2018 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fifth and final single from the album. Contributions are featured from the London Community Gospel Choir, who provide the choir vocals, and Amber Bain–known professionally as the Japanese House–who performs several instruments and provides the background vocals. Healy was reluctant to write a song about his former heroin addiction, which prompted him to develop the narrative around Danny, a character meant to represent Healy's struggle with heroin.
Notes on a Conditional Form is the fourth studio album by English band the 1975. It was released on 22 May 2020 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records. Initially titled Music for Cars, the album was intended as the follow-up to I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). It later came to denote an era spanning two albums. The first, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, was released in November 2018. The band recorded much of the second album in London, Los Angeles, Sydney, Northamptonshire and in a mobile studio on their tour bus. The album faced several delays and was submitted only weeks before the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
"Love It If We Made It" is a song by English band the 1975 from their third studio album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018). The song was written by Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while the production was handled by the former two. It was released on 19 July 2018 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the second single from the album. Daniel created the song's production in 2015, while Healy collected daily tabloid headlines from 2016 to 2018 to use as lyrics. They became too humorous, so he rewrote the song to summarize the volatile social and political events in that period, using Prince's "Sign o' the Times" as an inspiration.
"Sincerity Is Scary" is a song by the English band the 1975 from their third studio album, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while Daniel and Healy handled the song's production. It was released on 13 September 2018 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fourth single from the album. Contributions are featured from Roy Hargrove, who performs the trumpet, and the London Community Gospel Choir, who provide the choir vocals. Healy was inspired to write the song to confront his fear of sincerity, using postmodernism in the lyrics to denounce sardonicism and irony, choosing to portray vulnerability and honesty instead.
"The Birthday Party" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 19 February 2020 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the fourth single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy. Contributions are featured from Bob Reynolds, who plays the alto and tenor saxophone, and Rashawn Ross, who plays the trumpet and flugelhorn. The brass arrangements were composed by John Waugh, who performs the saxophone alongside Reynolds and Ross. The song originated from a jam session in Los Angeles, California, and was intended to be released as the lead single from the album, ultimately being replaced by "People" (2019).
"Frail State of Mind" is a song by English band the 1975. It was released on 24 October 2019 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the second single, following "People" (2019), from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald, while Daniel and Healy were responsible for the song's production. "Frail State of Mind" is an experimental UK garage and electronica ballad. Its ambient production is composed of a brisk dubstep beat, a heavy, shuffling drum line, cascading synths, chopped vocal melodies, and influences from a variety of electronic, modern rock, and electronic dance music subgenres. Lyrically, the single revolves around Healy's social anxiety and the themes of depression, fear, apprehensiveness, disappointment, insecurity, and anti-social behaviour.
"People" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 22 August 2019, through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the lead single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. An anarcho-punk and screamo song, it features an intense, heavy rock instrumentation consisting of desert-rock guitar riffs, straightforward chords, breakneck drums and "renegade" percussion. Lyrically, it is a protest song that calls for change and rebellion to deal with global, political and environmental turmoil, and deals with themes of desperation, urgency and anxiety.
"The 1975" is a 2019 song by the English band of the same name from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form. It was released on 24 July 2019, and included on the album as the opening track in May 2020. It continues the tradition of the band's albums opening with an eponymous song, but whereas the previous three had a shared set of lyrics sung by Matty Healy, the 2019 song uses different lyrics delivered by the environmental activist Greta Thunberg. She calls for civil disobedience in response to climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in a modified version of her speech "Our House Is on Fire" from the 2019 World Economic Forum.
"Me & You Together Song" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 16 January 2020 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the third single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. Inspired by Amy Watson, Chelsea Pollard and the idealism of a teenage romance, Healy conceived the song as part of the soundtrack to German, a film he planned on creating. Although the film did not come to fruition, the 1975 continued to work on the song, channeling the sound of their former band Drive Like I Do.
"Guys" is a song by English band the 1975. It was released on 13 May 2020 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as an exclusive the seventh and final single from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the track was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. "Guys" is a mid-tempo indie rock and pop rock ballad that celebrates the band's nearly two decades of friendship, described by Healy as an ode to platonic love and an answer song to "Girls" (2013).
"Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald alongside Guendoline Viray Rome Gomez and Hiroshi Sato. Daniel and Healy handled the production of the song. It originated from an a cappella sample, with the band gradually merging different pieces of music together to create the final version. Healy was inspired by the Backstreet Boys, producer Max Martin and rapper Kanye West, along with the melodic music of Brandy, Whitney Houston, SWV and TLC.
"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" is a song by English band the 1975 from their fourth studio album, Notes on a Conditional Form (2020). The song was released on 23 April 2020 through Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the sixth single from the album. It was written by band members Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. Production of the song was handled by Daniel and Healy alongside Jonathan Gilmore. FKA Twigs provides operatic background vocals on the song's ambient new-age introduction, Rashawn Ross performs the trumpet and flugelhorn in the choruses, and Bob Reynolds performs the tenor and alto saxophone solo in the bridge. Videos of the band performing the song were widely circulated on social media several months prior to its official release, quickly becoming a fan-favourite, and resulting in a high degree of anticipation among their fanbase.
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