Laurie Anderson - O Superman (Official Music Video)

[@lizziethompson6232]

this song is the definition of art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[@chrisjhart]

Damn right

[@ShakeeSnake]

Wow that's such a good quote

[@oliviaybarra7888]

this is so scary 😢😅

[@gamerschoice3277]

What happens when I’m disturbed and comfortable?

[@ShakeeSnake]

@@gamerschoice3277 Spontaneous combustion

[@rebeccakean8017]

The hahaha in the background throughout the piece: it sounds like a woman's laugh, or like she's trying to catch her breath (but can't) while also sounding like a siren. It's very evocative

[@tf2sfm8]

Most likely catching her breath after crying because the song is about her son dying in war and being told my the military chief

[@joethomas3249]

I've always thought of it as a heart rate monitor

[@salerio61]

@@tf2sfm8 no it isn't

[@Stick_and_stone]

To me it seems like a laugh that gets stuck and loses its positive meaning, turning into something that changes with the shifts in the song

[@Zajvoid]

I thinks almost like an artificial heartbeat. The song has some relation to death and it would make sense.

[@Redvelvetinferno]

"Because when love is gone, there's always justice, and when justice is gone, there's always force, and when force is gone, there's always mom, hi mom. So hold me, mom, In your long arms."

[@anthonysimpson01]

that part is gonna stick with me for a while, this song is truly beautiful

[@Redvelvetinferno]

@@anthonysimpson01 to be honest, same

[@10thnametried]

I know, I miss orangumom - as she liked to be called.

[@makd5368]

​@@anthonysimpson01 same

[@vinnymac14]

best lines

[@christbelle2277]

This song terrifies me but I cant deny its actual sound is extremely ahead of its time

[@HypercatZ]

Here in Italy it was used on an AIDS PSA

[@materialgirl007]

TERRIFIES. Especially when you think about what she wrote it about.

[@Oxmustube]

We thought it was ahead of its time, turns out it was of its time. Experimentation became extinct less than a decade later.

[@ag8454]

​@@Oxmustubeoh my god shut up, just because experimental stuff isn't necessarily popular doesn't mean it doesn't exist anywhere.

[@michaelhughes3302]

​@@ag8454Nor does my matter whether or not it's experimental or popular. It exists as well in the future as it does in the past and present. It's timeless...until something changes! That's the whole point.

[@stxrzrxvzn]

For those who are curious about what this song means is that the line, “Hello? This is your mother, Are you there? Are you coming home?” Is from a mother writing to her son in war and the line “Well you don't know me, but I know you” Is the Chief of her son's military team writing a letter back to the mom letting her know that her son has died due to not surviving the war.

[@albertogregory9678]

Hey sorry to bug you, Ive been looking for the letter and can’t find jack. Do you have a name or a url? Thank you!

[@donewhiskey]

@@albertogregory9678 You won't because there isn't anything. That's stxrzrxvzn's interpretation. Just search the song meaning online and you will find much better information. For example, Anderson drew from the aria from Jules Massenet's 1885 opera Le Cid. The first lines ("O Superman / O Judge / O Mom and Dad") echo the aria. It is also considered a commentary on the Cold War.

[@petepleeb9675]

"Died due to not surviving the war"... I mean.. you aren't wrong I guess?

[@s1lkwyrm205]

I think this song is delightfully surreal and by nature evades this kind of direct interpretation. I think its less about war and more about change, sudden and inevitable. A dialogue between a person and the things about to happen to them. On the one side is a person, a strange one, or perhaps made strange only by the context - and something more, unknowable and eldritch. The person attempts to make sense of what they're being told now, but they don't have the tools to do so. They can only wait and see what the voice was talking about, seek comfort in justice force and mom before the shoe drops. That's how I interpret it

[@leahsmith5814]

The song is criticizing the use of cold war-era military technology. I think the "parents" are referring to the idea that the military industrial complex keeps citizens safe like parents keep children safe. The synth voice beat is meant to mimic an artificial heartbeat to show how there is an offputting and dark side to this. "so hold me mom, in your long arms, in your petrochemical arms, your military arms"

[@KittyCatComa]

I do love that Laurie is getting a revisit on social media. She's an absolute pioneer in the world of electronic music.

[@MyNameisRevenant]

I was completely unaware of her existence till now.

[@KittyCatComa]

I recommend watching her 60 Minute interview from a couple years ago then digging in. @@MyNameisRevenant

[@johnindigo5477]

Kate Bush effect

[@herbert850]

no she fricking isnt

[@KittyCatComa]

You may want to google her career. lol@@herbert850

[@corpselikecreature]

to me this song has always felt like the final sunrise at the end of the world, be it a personal and singular end or a true, apocalyptic end. There's such a melancholic and definitive grief to it, like taking a last look around at everything you've ever held in your heart and mind. A dawning of unavoidable and irreversible departure. it makes me need to lay down flat on the floor.

[@Jay-kk3dv]

💯

[@RapidEnding]

That's what it is. I didn't enjoy this on a deep level, it's disturbing in the weirdest way and I couldn't place why.

[@rhiannonheisey3118]

Yes! You described it perfectly

[@kachoww5981]

Yea it rly gives me that apocalyptic feel like a “what now?” Kinda thing I think

[@JaMeS.648]

I've never wanted to give a comment a 5 star rating.

[@groovymetal5679]

My mom is 84 I am 63 She passed away a month ago I knew it was coming-she reminded me, we all must go I was the one who cared for her, not knowing she was preparing me to go When my family calls to see how it’s going--i wish I could play this song out my mouth into the phone

[@kenzieham]

I’m so sorry for your loss. I am terrified of losing my mother. I hope you’re doing as okay as you can be now, and remember your mother still loves you even if she isn’t here anymore.

[@savannahshumpert]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Sending love and prayers ❤️🙏

[@katanaki3059]

Very close to your sound now

[@donwrinkles717]

You're so lucky.

[@外人癡]

I am sorry fr your loss. YOu mom was right. The pain though is rough. Huge huggs . It will get bettre . I hope this finds you well.

[@ghost9499]

This song sounds to me like the sound of a mind breaking, falling into madness. Pain, sadness, heartbreak, loneliness, and emptiness have overcome it, and it breaks.

[@patriciahigh1310]

This is currently happening to me.

[@ghost9499]

@@patriciahigh1310 I'm so sorry. Know you're not alone. Every breath is a victory. The worst thing to do is give up.

[@saraesther5223]

And then there's bliss.

[@dropoutclub79]

me when i find the song through tiktok and dont know the meaning behind songs

[@sammizino8230]

Even then, this song is a deep help when tapping into my time when I became undone. The sounds, the words, the mother, this song is the embodiment of my psychosis while simultaneously holding deep political messages about war.. people have the ability to interpret and it’s beautiful..

[@I_Like_Cheese-n-eg]

I feel so scared of this song. Its so haunting and intimidating but theres beauty here,sad, solumn but comforting beauty that both pushes you away but makes you run back for more...like a mother of some sort. The fear, the comfort, the sadness, the beauty.

[@happyorsadkey]

You can imagine Laurie having makeup on with green glowing eyes smiling and staring at your soul in the music video.

[@EphemeralProductions]

You said EXACTLY how I always have felt about it. You said it better then I could

[@stereoreserve]

shut up

[@daseapickleofjustice7231]

Bro just saying words, its not that deep and thats a fact

[@EphemeralProductions]

@ not to you it isn’t. That doesn’t mean at all that it isn’t to anyone else.

[@danw1374]

39 years into the future, this still sounds like the future.

[@mac_mcguckin]

Absolutely! What a great comment 🙂

[@davidsilveiradamota4531]

@@mac_mcguckin Totally agree …

[@frankfernau1613]

i think in 2060 it will be same

[@theodour8617]

Eeeeh, it already sounds very dated. Maybe you are being sarcastic?

[@DefinitelyNotaCyberCat]

@@theodour8617 it’s both. Of course it’s embedded in its time but also it was way ahead of it’s time, not many people listened to this then, people just get it and dismissed it as “queer” in the slur sense of the word.

[@susanwright4414]

Actually, in an interview with Anderson Cooper, Laurie Anderson herself said this song is "About how technology can't save you."

[@thatoneguy9582]

source??

[@Jaymonus]

@@thatoneguy9582he most likely got it from Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Superman

[@shaunishauni6364]

kzbin.infoViqOZ_QaXeI?si=h0H7xmNM2HtBLQxB and inspired by the Iranian crisis

[@firstman692002]

​@@thatoneguy958260 mins..search the quote and you'll find the video

[@EphemeralProductions]

It’s very cryptic, that answer. I wish she would explain that statement. It could be taken many ways.

[@KTK44]

This is one of those obscure songs that doesn't get radio play cause it doesn't fit in radio, but somehow you are just lucky to stumple upon it and ones you hear it you can't leave it.

[@remc0s]

Dutch radio station KINK 80'S plays this regularly.

[@frycookHJ]

it was billboard #2 in the UK in 1981, a year before the full album was released

[@thatplantdude7492]

They played it on TripleJ Hottest today, this is how I stumbled across it. I had to stop what I was doing.

[@po3alily]

so glad its popular on tiktok

[@westreadwell9675]

@@po3alilythat’s how I found also. ❤

[@ellieroberts8366]

I don’t know why, but if I had to explain grief to someone I’d just play this.

[@pietbels6216]

Absolutely, thi is like a real soothing grieving help, so beautiful

[@rawestmeatevr]

I agree, it makes me feel.

[@Lyndanet]

🤷‍♀️ it means different things to different people

[@calcium-is-good]

I get that. I feel like there's both grief and nostalgia wrapped up with some survivor's guilt in this song

[@samalamadingdong1317]

​@@Lyndanetthat makes it art 🎉

[@aftonstan5494]

When I heard the lyric "there's always mom" I cried a lot... that's such impactful storytelling...

[@nancymcmonarch]

Hi, Mom! 😥 Yeah, my Mama's in a care home with Parkinson's. Nonverbal, pretty much paralyzed, but her mind's still sharp as a tack. Breaks my heart, and there's not a damned thing I can do to help her. Jesus won't either, so to hell with Him too.

[@davesmith1695]

"Mom" is about America resorting to emotional manipulation when all else fails to justify bombing innocent people. "When love is gone, there's always justice / and when justice is gone, there's always force / and when force is gone, there's always mom". There's nothing wholesome about it. Quite the opposite, in fact.

[@petermuster5734]

@@davesmith1695 Wow, i first didnt connect it like that but you're right.

[@scheiler6214]

Maybe let everyone to interpret it on their own? Thats Art, it may have many reasons and inspirations to its existence but I just hate when someone find in Art/Music something to relate to and there comes the Rocket Prophet and explains they are wrong. Andersons words and performance are timeless and the song can be related to many Situations in course of history and Life of many people. War can be fought on the Front, in the Sky, under the Sea or in somebodys head and heart.

[@aftonstan5494]

@@davesmith1695 I know. I still cried. You are correct.

[@jamesneumann5561]

Ground-breaking, astonishing and unforgettable, a pure masterpiece!

[@jamesneumann5561]

Brother David also loves musical masterpiece

[@deborahharris3959]

The difference in listening to this as an adult now compared to when I heard it as a child is breath-taking. It sounds so sinister and cataclysmic in an awesome end of the World way. You become so used to the constant beat that when it finally stops at the end it's like listening to a heart monitor stop ..... then all you are left with is silence wrapped in the petrochemical arms of 'Mom' .

[@havanadaurcy1321]

Smoking or non smoking?

[@plotstoraisethedead]

Blondie or brunette?

[@claudiaweil868]

Yes, I get the final feeling like the heart has stopped.

[@mitch868]

Beautifully said!

[@davidmcleod4851]

This is absolutely remarkable; exactly the feeling I get from the song. It makes me like it's the absolute end. It makes me weep every time I hear it.

[@DecembreBlanche]

As a 32 year old it warms my heart seeing the younger kids discover artists like Laurie and Kate Bush. The stuff I got made fun of for liking in the 00s as a teen.

[@PhantomZeroes]

Exactly this. Like my mom showed me Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson as a kid, and when I was in highschool people thought it was weird and dated. Now the youth bringing it back.

[@torquetheprisoner]

thats why i like it when show's and other media use's old and obscure songs

[@josealvarado3202]

I bet you turned out, “alright”

[@shyb4b4]

right!!! I don't get why they think this is a scary song but it makes me so happy that they're interested in her

[@NeoGee]

Have you ever seen any episodes or clips from the old PBS show she did called Alive From Off Center when she hosted?

[@Peter-Warton]

My siblings and I were obsessed by this album when it was released. Especially this song. We figured out an acapella version (4 voices) so we could sing it when we were working outside (we grew up on a small family farm). One time, after the verse "and when justice is gone.... there's always force" my bother ad-libbed "Hi force!" and we all completely lost it. So many memories made around this mesmerizing album. ❤

[@leighlafoster6950]

I have been working on a paper about this song for a month or so, and ever since I saw this comment I've heard "Hi force!" every time I listen to it lmao

[@LorenaOtegui]

Please tell us there’s record of this. I would so much love to hear your a capella…

[@HARTYNMUGHES]

@@leighlafoster6950 hey! IU'd like to read the paper!

[@megavide0]

"For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes." 😉

[@Mekaleeto_Worldwide]

Only a serial killer would enjoy this weird ass creepy song…. Pun intended.. iykyk.

[@MeowzerzOh6]

Genuinely shocked on how old this song is, truly an ageless song it fits perfectly in any era

[@alexandrakulik9827]

"So hold me mom in your long arms" That's going to break and heal my heart every single time.

[@nefersguy]

IKR

[@ogungou9]

@Alexandra Kulik: My mom was hell, total despair, vicious anger, malignant manipulation, and into violent delight ... against my sisters and I since I was 3 years old ans 2/3. So I have a very very different "perspective" of that song since the 80s.

[@Dahstin]

it is peotry...

[@iridesibilla6161]

❤️

[@henryodonohue9251]

Love this song so clever

[@theboogeyman2590]

I always took the “there’s always mom” line as smth sinister, and felt that my complicated feelings for my mother had been validated. Like when a parent claims theyre doing everything for your own good, but you know its hurting you more than helping. “I’m gonna use love to keep you here with me under my care and control, and if I can’t use love I’ll use justice (try to reason), and if I can’t do that I’ll use force, and even if I can’t do that I’ll still always be here and be a part of you because I’m your Mother”. Thats also the feeling i get from the call, like an overbearing mother who won’t stand to leave her child alone and the child has had enough of it. You’re never gonna outgrow mom (shes not gonna let you leave).

[@totallylegitenergy2559]

The song is about the hostages of the American embassy hostage crisis that were held for over a year that people believed would never be released.

[@arempy5836]

Out from mother comes the strangling vines

[@skz_mus]

@@totallylegitenergy2559 All interpretations are correct, regardless of what is "intended". I think that you (probably) misread this comment, as it is not stating what the commenter believes to be a correct interpretation, but sharing the connection they feel to this song with others who may feel the same connection. The commenter might even already know this, and it wouldn't change what they said. Of course, I don't speak for them, I just saw this and was finally able to put the weird ahh thoughts in my head into words for once.

[@totallylegitenergy2559]

@@skz_mus Not all interpretations can be correct, especially when it's a historically based song, if they want to attach their own personal feelings that have nothing to do with the song that's fine, I just thought it would be good to clear up the actual meaning of the song since it is a memoriam to both what happened to the people that were taken hostage, and those six service members who lost their lives attempting to retrieve them.

[@poptartbumblebeepoop9540]

@@totallylegitenergy2559Well youre wrong do shut up

[@moehammondmedia]

I was honored to talk to Mrs Laurie the other day . I told her that I was a huge fan of her music. and I also said to her "Mrs Anderson O Superman sounds like it is due to be released in 2032." She instantly started laughing. She is one of the sweetest, kindest and appreciative artists that I've ever met.

[@WolfShenda]

As a big fan of her, that never saw her, this checks out. (To this day I hope for a headpat from Laurie before I die)

[@Bikewithlove]

The world has not caught up yet to what she’s communicating in this piece. I’m here because I’m contemplating how wokeness (postmodern Marxists) are so strongly pro-war, because a war culture is a war culture regardless of its self-proclaimed virtues. Laurie’s work was ahead of its time. If you haven’t heard of him, look up John Maus. His music and videos are similar to Laurie Anderson’s.

[@brucekilby9957]

A master piece of Lauries. RIP Lou. You both were Perfect for each other. O Superman O George and Lou Reed.🦸‍♂️👨‍🔧🦸‍♂️

[@moehammondmedia]

@@brucekilby9957 hey Bruce I also talked to her that day about her late great husband Lou Reed. It was amazing. And yes O Superman is a masterpiece

[@letXeqX]

So cool. Is this a recorded interview that we can hear? or just a private discussion. Love her. Lou too.

[@bronwynibberson]

Is it bad that this song comforts me without making me feel unnerved in the slightest? Like, it comforts me in a melancholic, doomed way, but comforts me still. Hard to describe.

[@EllatheQueen_]

Same; I listen to it when I have anxiety & it’s perfect 🥲 no idea why 😩❤️

[@parkerhahaha]

Absurdism

[@unwantedperson7068]

Art disturbs the comforted and comforts the disturbed

[@blinkypushbuttons]

Because someone gets it.

[@lazysingledaisybronwyn8105]

We have the same name. Yes, it's a penetrating song. It makes me think the Mother of all people was channeled by Laurie to singing this song to us all. It's a masterpiece. It's extremely beautiful.

[@stevegeek]

I was a teen when this came out and I remember my dad playing it on his high end stereo, quite loud. I thank him for introducing me to such a range of amazing music.

[@mrhappy5236]

Gotta love Dad's and their record collections.

[@BabylonHits7]

Rad profile pic man. When I saw this scene in theaters in Los Angeles, it blew my mind. Sometimes the most fundamental truths are the most profound.

[@stevegeek]

@@BabylonHits7 Well recognized! 😉👍

[@Lyndanet]

Your Dad get’s an extra star ⭐️ in my book 📕!

[@adrianquiles9825]

Dennis Nielsen serial killer . Look it up 😮

[@reveriemus]

this song makes me unsettled and comforted at the same time bro what

[@Jinx-512]

Same

[@sethmcclimans7502]

Broken record here but same for me

[@DavenWaldenWenceslao]

help, the beats made my head wanna dance😭

[@jacobtorres5807]

That’s how good art should make you feel

[@EphemeralProductions]

Exactly Laurie’s intent I am sure:)

[@QualeQualeson]

Yes, it's scary letting go. It's so strange to listen to and watch this weird thing time and again and still be moved by it. This is art and it's a masterpiece.

[@yvonnethomas5365]

So true

[@torquetheprisoner]

listen to it during a magic mushroom trip

[@Jjmaybank4life-p4l]

This is real

[@Penultimate1785]

Then learn real art

[@robhernandez3593]

I was 13 in 81’ and obsessed with this album. I didn’t understand the depth of it at all then, but loved it was so innovative.

[@IreneDiamant]

O Superman O judge O Mom and Dad Mom and Dad Hi. I'm not home right now. But if you want to leave a Message, just start talking at the sound of the tone. Hello? This is your Mother Are you there? Are you coming home? Hello? Is anybody home? Well, you don't know me, but I know you And I've got a message to give to you Here come the planes So you better get ready Ready to go You can come as you are, but pay as you go Pay as you go And I said: OK. Who is this really? And the voice said: This is the hand, the hand that takes This is the hand, the hand that takes This is the hand, the hand that takes Here come the planes. They're American planes Made in America Smoking or non-smoking? And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom Of night shall stay these couriers from the swift Completion of their appointed rounds. 'Cause when love is gone There's always justice And when justive is gone There's always force And when force is gone, There's always Mom. Hi Mom! So hold me, Mom, in your long arms So hold me, Mom, in your long arms In your automatic arms. Your electronic arms. In your arms. So hold me, Mom, in your long arms Your petrochemical arms Your military arms In your electronic arms

[@samanthapadilla6998]

I need to copy thisss omg

[@jocelynatkinson593]

Thank you for this... I was looking for a lyric video but ur comment gave so much more meaning when listening to the song

[@248winter]

Thank youuuuu

[@theidiot1424]

dont forget the huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huhhuh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh huh

[@Rockinfreakapotamus333]

Love you for this 💚

[@joselocalau123]

this song freaks me out in the best way possible

[@marycarlson3857]

When justice is gone, there's always force.

[@Lyndanet]

Yeah I know

[@hikariari-b9i]

When force is gone, there’s always mom

[@tongue_pop3328]

Hi Force!

[@littlesadeo]

@@hikariari-b9iWHAT DOES IT MEANNN

[@littlesadeo]

There’s always family but in the end that will get ruined too? (Electronic arms alluding to manufactured family)

[@MikmaqBabby]

this song makes me grieve already for my mom and she has not passed. instant tears every time. it reminds me of when i was a drug addict and she would message me all night to know if i was okay and telling me to come home.

[@potfairy]

This song always moves me to tears, and makes me realize how mean I was to my mom growing up my whole life, and how much I wish I could’ve changed my behavior. I love her so much and shes getting older, we’re losing time and I don’t want her to pass away thinking I didn’t love her with my whole heart. Laurie Anderson really was way ahead of her time with this song, absolutely beautiful and brilliant.

[@грустныйклоун-ц2ю]

You have time to make up for it, she knows you love her, she understands.

[@kd8opi]

I’m glad the song moves you, but it’s about the botched 1979 Iran hostage rescue.

[@marielpare8290]

@@kd8opiShe made this song as a piece of performance art and I think she’d be okay with the different ways the song resonates with people.

[@Ltb0904]

Was your mother the american industrial war machine?

[@kd8opi]

@@marielpare8290 I know. Just saying the “mother” character is not really anyones mother. It’s trying to fool the person being called. The song is deep.

[@Madking12357]

This song to me will always symbolize death's arrival to claim a loved one. I became obsessed with this song, constantly replaying the lines "Well you don't know me, but I know you" and "This is the hand that takes." I didn't realize it but my father would die after collapsing on the ground four days after I started listening to the song. I hadn't seen him in 3 three years and I know it probably sounds crazy but it felt it listening to this was a personal warning, as if the song was saying, "Death is coming for someone you love, so you better get ready." Such a powerfully haunting song and still one of the best I have heard.

[@fauxliage]

You got me paranoid now😂

[@zurkxees4992]

Fax bruh I lost someone around this time 4 years ago don’t play with me

[@xxSweetbeansxx]

Omg stooppp

[@orca1003]

R.I.P. your father 😭

[@pixie_styx]

Rest in peace to your father. Wishing you and your family well

[@tsuobachi]

This song permanently changed my life when I heard it on vinyl in my parent's living room the year it came out. My mom had heard it on the radio and just pulled over to the side of the road and forgot everything in life except for the song until it ended. Then she drove straight to a record store to buy it and brought it home like she'd found the holy grail. And sonically that's what it was to me as a young kid. It takes over your entire consciousness. Even though it's my favorite song, I have only listened to it maybe 6-7 times in my entire life, because it impacts me so powerfully I never want it to lose that power. I'm particularly sensitive to music and this is the only music that has impacted me this powerfully other than the first time I heard Beethoven's Symphony no6.

[@humanentity5890]

some are easily amused.

[@miguelcardenas5041]

They played this on the radio!? Unfortunately, I never heard it on the radio - I am sad about the current state of radio - it's automated garbage. I remember when radio brought people together and had the opportunity to change lives (like your wonderful story) - thank you for sharing. She DID find the holy grail

[@stevekovalic3546]

Thanks for sharing.... Two great performance pieces! Also love pastoral symphony...so evocative! Listen to Beethoven piano concerto #5. Sublime. Make sure it's a good performance...and pianist. Grimaud Andsnes Uchida Barenboim It's just ethereal.

[@MkeKen67]

The first time I heard Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime, I felt like a whole new kind of music sprang into being. And then I heard Laurie Anderson, and another whole new kind of music sprang up. In the same decade, no less. It was a great time to be a teenager.

[@ChuckDotson]

Best. Mom. Ever.

[@ashleysalley]

This song makes me cry every time I listen to it. I would kill to hear that level of life in my mother's voice again.

[@butterdog6233]

I'm a teenager just discovering this master piece of art. It's f amazing

[@markv1274]

As you grow older, you'll learn to stop calling things like this "art."

[@beekay5914]

@@markv1274 boo

[@beekay5914]

Everything Laurie does is art, she is far more than just a musician.

[@beekay5914]

You should listen to Kate Bush-The Kick Inside and The Dreaming are two great Art Rock albums.

[@씨발마마]

​@@markv1274 you're disgusting, stupid and uneducated. THIS is ART. with deep meaning

[@loverobotsinc]

the fact that this got to number 2 in the UK singles chart makes me feel uncharacteristically patriotic

[@f0nk3m0n]

I'm really shocked (but very very pleased) something so experimental got so high on the charts !

[@samanthawhat]

Technology. American Military-Industrial complex. American imperialism. Capitalism. Power & comfort. I’ve listened repeatedly the past few days and it gives me chills. Also very timely for it to skyrocket in popularity with the younger generations. Beautiful and eerie performance.

[@arkbien9303]

This is mostly about Operation Eagle Claw, not imperialism.

[@PyroGothNerd]

It's literally about Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue hostages from Iranians in the 80's.

[@Deadpool4president]

​@@arkbien9303It could be argued that Ameican imperialism is one of the things that led to the Iranian hostage crisis

[@cliffordohrnberger]

​@@arkbien9303 The only reason hostages were taken was because of American imperialism.. American Imperialism is why America has done everything It has done for the last 120 years or so. And also everything done to us. The Iranian hostage situation and 9/11(among many events) are both the results/blowback of American imperialism.

[@arkbien9303]

@@cliffordohrnberger Am I to assume you agree with what Iran did? You know very damned well that the Ayatollah's response to America's messing around where it shouldn't have has ruined the country, possibly permanently. 😐 Two massive wrongs never make a right and the innocent always suffer. And this song refers to a very specific event, not general American imperialism.

[@dalau9643]

I was baked out my mind and saw /listened to this for the first time. This made me feel things i havent felt in years. Truly ahead of its time

[@EveCommitsCrimes]

Listening to this feels like listening to a conversation someone else is having with God - You're outside of it, and none of it is directed at you, but it's still so incredibly poignant and beautiful to hear.

[@entropeak6981]

Personally I see a dialogue between the first strong AI and its designer, man. I see in this music the beginning of digital consciousness. This is similar to what you are saying, the machine speaks to its creator God

[@will-stetson_supremacy]

OMORI PFP

[@joshuasutmuller8854]

Made a deep impact on me as a young child when my parents played this song in the car driving back home in the evening from anywhere. Always got goosebumps when I woke up. Felt like I was in another world looking out of the car in to the dark night, with the metallic distorted voice of Laurie and the sound of minimalistic bleeps on the background. Thankfull for these musical experiences my parents gave me.

[@rocco...]

Kraftwerk had similar effects on me.

[@kellyharrison5184]

One of the most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. I have been listening to it since its release and have never grown tired of it.

[@cristiane.onion008]

I'm writing this with a translator, my English is horrible. I was listening to this song, and I remembered my friend's older brother who died in January this year. I remember perfectly how his mother was, in tears, his father and everyone, it was the first time I saw that family cry. he died of a cardiorespiratory arrest after being shot. I remember him in the coffin, he seemed to be sleeping, his mother couldn't even see him, she preferred to stay isolated in the room, and my friend slept on top of him before the burial. No one in that house was the same and whenever I go there I feel someone's presence, apart from an energy that makes me uncomfortable. I unfortunately heard the shots, they were close to my house, I didn't know they were really shots and I jokingly said "is it a shot?", but I knew it was really after I saw a lot of people going to the scene of the accident, I felt bad.

[@calcium-is-good]

Im so glad that "well you dont know me but i know you" is becoming popular on tiktok rn, makes me so happy to hear a song i love used in such a meaningful way Edit: I'm referring to the videos that use this to connect with deceased relatives, rather than those sharing mental health issues with others. If y'all could stop trying to argue that a visceral connection some have with those who led similar lives isn't meaningful just because it's on tiktok, that would be fantastic 🥰

[@tior598]

I know currently googling too!

[@staleteethpaste]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ3LhKR-psmohKcsi=hOUB8jlBENJdyf7x

[@I.Am.Terrible.At.Usernames]

Nothing to come out of Tik Tok is meaningful

[@stecharanthewarchief3152]

"Meaningful"

[@dylancurbjumper]

@@I.Am.Terrible.At.Usernames I understand where you're coming from, but once you mature, you'll realize you're sorely mistaken

[@hifijohn]

Once you hear this song you never will forget it.

[@deename1670]

I couldn't agree more. I just recalled this song because I'm staying with friends, and their shower's drain makes this exact beat for about three minutes after you turn off the water. With that beat of pipes pumping together closed, in an instant I was 13 years old again. Crossed legged at 3AM watching this song on RAGE for the first time. Never will I forget it or that moment. Ever.

[@robertflores8234]

I’ve been searching for this song ever since I saw it on MTV! It was sometime in the 90’s and I recently stumbled across a top 10 list of Vocoder songs. I never forgot the beat! 😅

[@GoodMusicManiac999]

Uh, sure. Made me terrified by HIV more than probably 300.000 debates about it.

[@bubbercakes528]

But I’m trying to! 😂

[@bubbercakes528]

Almost as bad as Elvira by the Statler Bros.

[@tescherman3048]

This song has haunted me for over a quarter-century. I met Laurie Anderson once on a Northwest Airlines flight around 1987. She seemed taken aback that anyone would have recognized her then. As if she didn't realize her own influence. Today I still consider her as a master of her craft. She is a true poet.

[@JKTube]

+T Escherman: Amen. It's 37 years later, and I can't think of anyone whose had a hit that sounded ANYTHING like this.

[@Chaspickle]

Amazing Song....Went on a Surf Trip to Cape Hatteras when I was 14 and I have never forgotten this song....

[@suzukinez]

T Escherman I’m 48 I remember being in my room lying on the bed listening to the radio charts this came on,, ,,,,felt in a trance

[@dennismosercreativearts]

Met her outside of Borders Bookstore in Ann Arbor, MI... must have been around 1995, or so... still just as modest then, too. An amazing artist...

[@spugintrntl]

@@JKTube first time I heard this song on the alternative station where I live I thought it was Imogen Heap. I guess the vocoder-like effect she uses made me think of "hide and seek".

[@sewerdork6183]

I get it why people find it disturbing but I find it peaceful on a ethereal (?) level. Nothing extreme or in your face being loud. No immense build up. Just almost like a ocean wave on a calmer day

[@Intelligence3]

I don’t think you can appreciate now how incredibly unique this was then. I still feel like I did then watching this.

[@the2ndcoming135]

Fun fact: This was the first nickname given to me by a childhood friend in Los Angeles😉 Edit: My child hood friend would shorten my nickname to Supe. Ironically, he called our rival a bih in the very same breath. I thought that was pretty ironic.

[@skyblazeeterno]

in 2023 its still pretty unique

[@Tyler.254]

This song is just very weird. That’s all it is

[@GoatMortician]

It’s still incredibly unique ❤

[@debrabirkinshaw8409]

❤️❤️❤️ I was fortunate to see Laurie Anderson in a live show in SF. I was 7 months pregnant so despite the fact that the show was over-sold, I was allowed a seat just a few feet away from where she was performing. Both of my sons heard very inventive music before they were born, and they are creative musicians and composers themselves now!

[@joeybrazelton3069]

That's awesome! Do you have any other recommendations for inventive music?

[@incredulity]

​@@joeybrazelton3069Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada

[@gshan994]

Bob Marley, no womon no cry ​@@joeybrazelton3069

[@landonhall1852]

I once listened to this song on repeat for hours while doing a 16 hour shift as a security guard. It was winter time and the day was as dark as the night. I sat in that car and somehow this kept me awake. I first heard it on the radio in the middle of the night the night before, same downtown place. To this day I never looked into the artist or the lyrics, as I felt the song should remain an enigma in my mind for all time.

[@c.e.9297]

In some way, this is among the best comments I've ever read on the internet.

[@ani.flower2569]

my dad showed me this song when i was about 7 or 8. i always thought he had the coolest, oddest taste in music. this song, as well as some others he showed me, undoubtedly make me think of him. lost him over two years ago, still can’t believe it. hug ur parents.

[@casualpeace3956]

Same thing for me too my dad was watching i guess it was a movie and She played alot of her songs and I was just amazed some thing like this exists, i was about the same age maybe older but it was the late 80's early 90's. opened my mind

[@willmac5642]

He certainly did have cool taste

[@stephenmedley5844]

I think if somebody shows this kind of music to their kid, they are definitely cool - sorry for your loss, Im sorry he is not among us anymore, even when I do not know him. But if he liked this, it feels like I know him.

[@garythain76]

your dad had a rare quality of super coolness! i had a friend like that who had a huge vocabulary that would make us laugh so hard! So rare!

[@Bippyboi]

Wow what a shit taste in music

[@ElizabethNathinge]

listen to the words and look at the visuals. this is about American Imperialism. watch it as many times as have to. this is the most genius thing i’ve ever watched and listened to.

[@PyroGothNerd]

No it's not. She explained in interviews it's about Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue hostages from Iran.

[@PyroGothNerd]

No it's not. Not sure why KZbin erased my original comment, but she said it's about Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran in the 1980's

[@notransitory1]

really sad state of affairs when it seems like most people don't understand its about imperialism, when it's basically explicitly said in the lyrics?!?!?!

[@PyroGothNerd]

​@@notransitory1She said in interviews it was about Operation Eagle Claw, a failed attempt to rescue hostages

[@totallylegitenergy2559]

Has nothing to do with imperialism, it is in honor of those who were taken hostage and the six service members who lost their lives.

[@Fensta]

That part when she sings "well you don't know me but i know you" is excellent audio and video

[@kevingreen3781]

This masterpiece will live on even after the generation who lived it fades ,the lyrics are so powerful

[@Calice0]

i didn't expect this song to make me cry, but i did at the line "so, hold me mom". powerful stuff. thank you laurie anderson for this touching piece of work!

[@lake_effect_tantrum]

i hate to say it, but i discovered this through a tiktok. but hell im so glad i did. from what im seeing, everyone has their own feelings with this masterpiece, and im no different. there’s something so oddly comforting yet terrifying about it. ive been through a lot these past few years and somehow o superman perfectly encapsulates the feelings in a strange way i could never describe. im very happy this song is in my life now.

[@MoonlightsBright]

Agreed

[@gingerhoggatt7838]

I also discovered through TikTok. It doesn't matter how we got here. It's just good we're here. 🙂

[@AmySorrellMusic]

​@@gingerhoggatt7838As someone who has been into her since the 90s...WELCOME. 😊

[@johnindigo5477]

Like bon ivers creeks Or Imogen heaps hide and seek

[@MK_0841]

and????? its a song 🤷 same with radio or other social network

[@disekjoumoer]

This song feels like the arrival of the angels while they sing a chorus to the end of the world. Poignant, beautiful and so so melancholic.

[@supernova4011]

Literally no better explanation

[@supernova4011]

Feels something beyond human nature

[@miiinotaur]

13 angels standing guard round’ your bed

[@qlam1575]

​@@miiinotaurbeautiful song from a great album

[@RAATlol]

My all time favorite teacher introduced my class to this song my freshman year while talking about absurd performance art. We all got a kick out of it and it became a bit of an inside joke among my class for the next two years until my teacher was let go at the end of my sophomore year. We were all understandably, heartbroken and coming back to school junior year with his office and classroom cleared out with a whole new teacher was pretty upsetting. We all powered through while still keeping in some contact. Last week, our history teacher called us to her desk and broke the news that he had passed away due to health complications related to something that had happened to him a year or two before. We were devastated. 5 days after the news was delivered, we attended his funeral service. Anytime I hear this song, from the first listen to now, I think of him.

[@steelhert4363]

The first time I listened to this song, I found it funny that I was getting strangely emotional over it. The second time I listened to it, I dashed to the bathroom halfway through, where I bawled my eyes out uncontrollably for a solid ten minutes, and I just couldn't figure out why. Even now, when I really let the song get a hold of me, I start crying. I don't understand why I feel this way.

[@mallyosih7455]

It kinda feels like the ghost of people past who didnt get the end they wanted. Kinda. Idk, kinda

[@TitusFFM]

I feel you. As a kid I liked or loved this song so much now 41 years old I'm getting panic attack hearing it. It scares the shit out of me and I have zero explanations or any reason why. There is something in it that I can't explain.

[@HibaSheikh-er7kh]

​@@TitusFFM then don't watch I'm feelin so strange and weird watching this 😭😭😭😭

[@TitusFFM]

@@HibaSheikh-er7kh it's not that I don't want to listen to it. It's so wonderful yet so strange at the same time. It's that it's something in my head that reacts to it. And my curiosity what's to know why.

[@HibaSheikh-er7kh]

@@TitusFFM I kinda find it disturbing i wanna know why is it so disturbing 😭😭😭

[@Suspiria-Baybee]

23 and I always cry like a baby when I hear this song. Laurie Anderson was light years ahead of her time and this song is proof of that.

[@tobiasmeissner1967]

In 1982 I was 15 vears old and heard this song on the radio at night. I was completely mesmerized, because over 8 minutes there was always something NEW happening in this track, only the female breathbeat remained constantly, everything else was shifting, slowly like tectonic plates. I knew nothing about Laurie Anderson, I didn't know that she was beautiful - it was just a pure listening experience.

[@mariomarzocchella7140]

for me too...

[@ScottEarle]

This was my exact experience too. Blew my tiny mind, it did. I never thought I’d be watching the video on the internet, 37 years later

[@thomasgray9170]

I was also 15 in 1982 and considered this then as a pile of monotonous, pseudo intellectual shit.; my view remains the same today - it is simply irritating bollocks that is prlobably played in Guantanamo Bay as part of torture. Americans love crap because the only culture that they have is that which festers in the arse of their oversized pants.

[@corkscrewcurly]

@@thomasgray9170 - calm down. I loved this when it came out (I was 18 in 1982) and I still love it now; I think it's inventive and - in 1982 it was bloody unique. Incidentally, I'm not fat and I'm not American.

[@thomasgray9170]

@@corkscrewcurly Thank goodness that it was indeed unique, for the sake of the sanity of the masses! Even the lyrics are appalling but the composition surely couldn't have taken more than ten minutes. There is a lot of music that I hate yet can comprehend its appeal or appreciate its craftsmanship but this track's popularity strikes me, to use economics terms, from induced demand rather than autonomous demand. My dad once told me that if the BBC wheeled out a dog turd onto a stage, most British people would applaud. Anyway, I accept my admonishment, providing you buy me a nice pair of ear muffs.

[@rex788]

Idk why but I love this song!!!! My momma passed in 2017. The first time hearing this made me cry for her.

[@NeilFiertel]

Hearing beautiful Laurie's art is such a intense balm and contrast to the Nazi wannabe's running in the alleys like vermin and right wingers now subverting your wonderful old democracy right through to the ghastly essential overthrow of your Presidential traditions even by SCOTUS. These who appreciate Ms. Anderson need to gather together and work to uphold democracy and not slide into the stench and bile of Trumpism as the dangerous yahoos I am sure do not listen to Laurie Anderson in their Ford 150s.

[@petergreen2552]

One of THE most unique and extraordinary songs of my lifetime. Stunning.

[@PeterSmith-ls7ut]

It's total crap !

[@canicelogue8061]

Better than good

[@unclefista]

It's not "most unique", it's either unique or not..

[@v3ck1n]

@Nosaveddata Maybe you should try some drugs. They might help your negative attitude and narrow mindset

[@Godzillatronus2021]

unique yeah, extraordinary? hell no

[@lukemccarthy6412]

The fragility of life and the possibility of mutual destruction, this is the hand that takes! Absolute masterpiece!

[@the2ndcoming135]

I think baby Clark Kent was implying I’m Dr. Manhattan as some sort of compliment.

[@SocialistStrike]

The hand is still taking.

[@anthonycraig274]

I remember first hearing it on the cassette radio. I first laughed, then listened, it kept going, I kept listening, and 8 minute later was the longest thing I’ve heard on the radio. After it finished I was hooked. I think this was the greatest musical art of the 80s, Genius.

[@bellasegura2985]

It’s one of those songs you’d think makes you uncomfortable but brings an immense amount of peace you can’t describe. Beautiful song.

[@albertdamdin2943]

The best Black Mirror ending brought me here, I was crying so much because of that scene, jesus that was such a deep masterpiece

[@operatorspeaks3921]

Albert Damdin 😕🙁☹️😢😭 I think any “normal” person will agree with you!

[@plunixx]

@Amir Tamaddon Well put. It did for me too. I didn't even realize that until I read your comment.

[@Thrifty032781]

@Anthony Andrea It's a TV show on Netflix. This particular episode is from an episode called Bandersnatch, which is an interactive episode. You get to make choices throughout the episode. Getting to this ending is kinda tricky though. I think you have to go through a bunch of others first.

[@archangel.girl.watches.you.]

Fr that ending got me bawling my eyes out but it was the best one in my opinion

[@sarahhess7210]

I've only just found this song bit there's something so comfortable about it. I cannot stop listening to it. It makes me feel so calm...

[@kj_arts1017]

I know exactly what you mean

[@af_81]

A serial killer loved this song

[@deanfowles3707]

@@af_81which one?

[@Behestofheaven]

@user-mg3go3qg4x Okay? Is that important in any way? Are you trying to imply something?

[@deanfowles3707]

@@Behestofheaven yeah. That’s the songs a bit serial killer ish

[@mummytrolls]

I literally hear “Hello this is your mother are you there are you coming home” in my head when I’m trying to sleep at night

[@preciousgamble5535]

Especially sleeping in a dark room and the closet door is slightly open 🫡

[@andreii.124]

2 days ago i was trying to sleep and this exact part of the song started playing in my head. i genuinely had a panic attack and i couldnt sleep all night.

[@Mrgengar-eg5]

What part is that?

[@tder6696]

@@mummytrolls I can’t sleep at night bc I hear it over and over replaying in my I head

[@AndrewHillis_2024]

LAURIE ANDERSON WAS & IS LIGHT YEARS AHEAD OF HER TIME ! ! !👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@davecarr7804]

I`m 53 and it still gives me chills. Played the cassette to death as a teenager. Way ahead of her time.

[@sutitigi]

54 THIS YEAR, STILL OLVE THIS

[@marcus-flavius]

Yes, my nutrition-hose was cut in 1969...I exactly know, what you mean! This was a fertile and massive creative time...good Worms Dame from west-Berlin Studios....

[@davidsilveiradamota4531]

@@marcus-flavius I’m 62, and this song still gives me the chills as well! I also enjoy the remixes of the track that are released from time to time!

[@TRealDC]

I'm 56. My sister had the album, but I recorded it off the radio. I STILL expect Bachman-Turner Overdrive "Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" to follow after that last 'Ah'.

[@derekwhited2555]

I'm 20 and its okay i guess

[@stephenvelez9710]

God this song is amazing. Cold and warm all at once.

[@dizzydays]

i agree fully, well described! i would go even further and reflect on if its simply a song, since it balances heavily between a message / art video / perfo act / song

[@hookbeak3516]

god is your dimention x

[@Secretarian]

It's like a venus flytrap. "Come closer, it's nice in here. See?"

[@barfuss2007]

what a precious piece of art, still love it after all this years. Close your eyes when you listen.

[@crpgmk1031]

@@neilstevens9729 go back to listening to Whitney Houston

[@samsonmcgloughlin]

Justin bieber can top this

[@crpgmk1031]

Neil Stevens so its all about vocals huh? Ariana grande has a great voice too

[@v3ck1n]

@@neilstevens9729 You sound really dumb right now just letting you know. Enjoy your pop music approved by a corporate board.

[@v3ck1n]

@@neilstevens9729 I'm not insulting you, on purpose. Just letting you know how you look to me. If you were insulted maybe there's a grain of truth in what I said

[@marcelwijnen9037]

This song cut right through my soul on cold and dark nights in december 1982. When falling snow muffled all sounds outside, creating a deafening silence. And then intervals of O Superman..

[@skonenblades]

I saw Laurie Anderson in concert once and time ceased to have meaning during the show. I honestly couldn't tell you if it was 5 minutes or 2 days. It was fantastic. Totally took us all to a new dimension.

[@jamesspratt]

It was probably about 2hrs

[@samtaylor9714]

Were you on drugs?

[@charleybarley914]

saw here during the Strange Angels tour...it was transcendental.

[@perfectcirq]

@@jamesspratt hahahahah! Probably

[@free322001]

FAR OUT man!

[@SamsonCrawford359]

LYRICS!!! O Superman O judge O Mom and Dad Mom and Dad O Superman O judge O Mom and Dad Mom and Dad Hi. I'm not home right now. But if you want to leave a Message, just start talking at the sound of the tone. Hello? This is your Mother Are you there? Are you coming home? Hello? Is anybody home? Well, you don't know me, but I know you And I've got a message to give to you Here come the planes So you better get ready Ready to go You can come as you are, but pay as you go Pay as you go And I said: OK. Who is this really? And the voice said: This is the hand, the hand that takes This is the hand, the hand that takes This is the hand, the hand that takes Here come the planes. They're American planes Made in America Smoking or non-smoking? And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom Of night shall stay these couriers from the swift Completion of their appointed rounds. 'Cause when love is gone There's always justice And when justice is gone There's always force And when force is gone, There's always Mom. Hi Mom! So hold me, Mom, in your long arms So hold me, Mom, in your long arms In your automatic arms. Your electronic arms. In your arms. So hold me, Mom, in your long arms Your petrochemical arms Your military arms In your electronic arms

[@stormwatcher1299]

Also “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha” throughout the video

[@danielstone9404]

Thanks for that, I had no clue the lyrics were those. A bit too distorted for my cloudy ears, 39 years later, never mind.

[@TheLardzard]

Kinda speechless not going to lie.

[@squirlmy]

@@stormwatcher1299 are you sure its not ah ah ah ah? Listen to it that way, its really strange how it's sorta both simultaneously.

[@rohambosphoramus6094]

merci

[@compfox]

What a glorious time, when experimental pieces like this could actually enter the charts...

[@warrenllewellyn144]

How true. Now the youth have Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry and Stormzy bringing pop music to a grinding halt. The cardinal sin of pop music has occurred. It got boring, when once it was mesmerizing.

[@rosiebeardshaw658]

No shit . love it I wish it was like that nowadays

[@UncommonSituations]

Teddy Dunn pop music means popular music. So, yes, obviously he is talking about music on the radio because the radio plays what is popular.

[@YaleinPrague]

What an intelligent and creative woman.

[@DaSkonk]

@@tachikomakusanagi3744 stfu and get lost, you ignorant clown!

[@michaelpogue1968]

For some time in the 80's I used the "Hello,I'm not home right now, but if you want to leave a message, just start talking at the sound of the tone "to VERY popular effect.

[@arthurvincie3330]

This album really expanded my music taste. I was a big metalhead & punk fan, then in '84 I heard this. Felt like I was listening to all the politics and ideas behind punk, but from a different perspective. Timeless. Beautiful. Tragic.

[@arthurvincie3330]

@cross hatch2 I love the the

[@smoothblink]

I love the way you said that. Laurie doesn't always easily fit into the punk category, but there's definitely some handshake going on there, some overlap.

[@marcosmith2501]

@@smoothblink Yes, KUSF (student station) played mostly punk and Laurie fit right in.

[@1953beetle]

@@smoothblink Avante guarde?

[@smoothblink]

@@1953beetle i think that laurie probably fits into the category of avant garde like she fits into the category of violinist or songwriter - "kind of". she's famously hard to categorize, but I'm not all that interested in solving the question since one of the things that makes her interesting, imo, is her ability to be this and that, yes and no, and a little frustrating. there's that punk overlap again! that being said, calling her avant garde is great if that feels right to you. :)

[@morganroemer4237]

This song makes me feel like the grim reaper is breathing down my neck and stroking my hair. My heart is pounding with fear and anxiety but I can’t stop listening.

[@a_currently_existing_person]

When it’s a handsome man: 😍 When it’s the grim reaper: 💀

[@whatname8952]

Stupid comment.

[@shmansypants9411]

if only I could get the grim reaper to stroke me

[@ふぁ-q1j]

I’m Japanese and I couldn’t understand the meaning completely when I first listened this song,but I really shocked by the sounds. This is like future but somehow I feel comfortable while I’m listening her voice.

[@yd3346]

Je suis Français. J’ai découvert cette chanson sur une radio de grande écoute tard le soir quand j’étais adolescent au début des années 80. C’était totalement nouveau et hypnotique. Merci à KZbin de nous permettre de redécouvrir ce titre et surtout merci à KZbin de me permette de lire vos commentaires qui me font penser que nous sommes nombreux à être toujours sous le charme de ce chef d’œuvre unique même si nous ne pratiquons pas la même langue. Je vous embrasse tous.

[@yellow_jacket3260]

I find it fascinating that even though different cultures are separated by the rules and regulations bound to it, the human condition transcends any language or region, such as what this song evokes

[@itsmatt2105]

@@yellow_jacket3260 Her voice is soothing and comforting in any language.

[@WarrenWright1961]

I like your comment. Even as a native English speaker, the poetry here is challenging because these words have so much power & many dimensions of meaning. ❤

[@davidtossell8734]

This is a masterpiece, and will always be ahead of its time.

[@flashtheoriginal]

I can recall when this was released way back in the 80s. Nothing else had ever sounded like it and going forward nothing else will ever sound like it; it's totally original. Superb piece of music history.

[@cheatinjoebiden4806]

MiG23 Flogger lol What a dick.

[@Steinbacker4001]

I like Echoes by Don Diablo - it has a "O Superman-ness" about it.

[@CelestialWoodway]

Might be a reason no one else wanted to sound like this.

[@Thomasuki267]

@@CelestialWoodway You had to be there. I had this and "Walk the Dog", they were catchy in a mesmerizing way, bizarre, avant-garde and unique at a time when there was a LOT of new direction and experimentation in music.

[@pennypals15]

to be fair hide and seek is quite similar yet different enough

[@malmurchison3458]

Lost my mom last year. When I got this ending of bandersnatch and heard this track I was in tears. I dreamt of hugging my mom so tight that when I woke up I had tears running down my face. Didn't want the dream to stop... Great episode.

[@rollmops3113]

I'm sorry for your loss... Your message was very touching. All the best xo

[@malmurchison3458]

@@rollmops3113 thank you!

[@Nikkstein]

Im sorry about your loss man :(

[@darkcrusader.]

God loves everything and everybody else and everyone....

[@malcolmshane3039]

Lost my mom at the end of October. The ending immediately ran through my whole body and had me in rushing tears. It was almost too much especially with the song. There are so many paths and they are waiting for us but also with us still

[@zacharybedair4280]

this looks and sounds super cool now but just imagine how fucking mind blowing this would have been to listen to in 1982

[@marianrose1259]

It was - and still is!🌟

[@robbie7638]

Yup, it was

[@symonty]

Was indeed

[@claireeyles7560]

Yep, it was amazing hearing this when it was first released.

[@edwardkay2743]

I did listen to it in 1982, and it was indeed fucking mind blowing. What a privilege.

[@B_g1117]

A boy at my school was supposed to sign on for the military today but he was found unresponsive in his bed. The JROTC instructor was holding back tears.

[@savannahshumpert]

That's so sad. I'm so sorry. Sending love and prayers ❤️🙏

[@kirstenanderson7313]

I always felt like this is a swan song for a future generation, but I never knew which one, until now.

[@alexandersmith6140]

100%. They thought it was bad in 1982.

[@ricketts223]

@@alexandersmith6140 It WAS bad in 1982...none of us then had any idea how much worse it could be

[@kevintanner7772]

We actually thought it was gonna be a lot worse.

[@anibulia]

[@ThePsycoDolphin]

Absolutely. An ode to the aborted generation that was meant to take the promises of the 60s and bring it to its next, revolutionary leap. Instead it got strangled to death by Thatcher Reagen, the promises of popular modernity which ran like wild fire through culture, architecture and politics were simply poured headfirst into the chasm of valueless nihilism that they created. Now we have the lingering ghosts of this period of art, trying to half-bury the revolutionary nature of the 60s, regurgitating the aesetics of the 80s, oblivating the radical politics of the former of the cultural innovation of the later. Instead it lumbers on, zombie like, endlessly repeating the forms and tropes of a culture which presumed a future that was prematurely aborted. Modern day nostalgia is now haunted by the ghosts of things which were once progressive and modern, but now, in its retro guise, have become tired, stale and repetitive. We are seemingly trapped in a long 1950s without the prospect of a 60s renaissance anywhere on the horizon. The fields of popular culture have now been tilled to exhaustion, and the barren, ragged farmers of modern culture yet still toil with increasing fervour, desperate to reseed the ground that has long since been reduced to a barren heath. Where are the new pastures, where fresh produce can grow again?

[@Bethniijoy]

We may not know each other, but this song is touching to many of us on a completely different level, and that's incredibly beautiful and comforting in a strange and lovely way. We aren't alone. Keep keeping on, my friends.

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Well said Bethany. Many messages in this song...

[@lionheart11381]

This is a beautiful message: Sending you love from across the stars. It takes seconds to write words but the impact they have can be MASSIVE. X 💜❤💙

[@Bethniijoy]

@@lionheart11381 You are a beautiful person. Love from across the stars, friend :)

[@illusionparagon9006]

@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne very true.

[@marcus_pinto]

Sending you all a big hug! We made it so far! 2020

[@charleschoc1155]

Absolute genius. Jaw-dropping. "AND THE VOICE SAID..."

[@lizzb1065]

I'm so glad to be alive during a time when I can still listen, watch, enjoy, cry through, and experience musical art like this--years and years after its creation, before I was even born... How surreal is this wild, weird, heartbreaking, wonderful world in which we live? I pray for peace amongst all peoples. May you always have water and shade. (Thank you for bringing me here, LPotL♡)

[@ylimenotnef]

My friend who is two generations older just exposed me to Laurie Anderson today. I am so glad that I found this. I'm astounded and inspired by the bodies of work she's created

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

Yep, there truly was life before you were born. Dig deeper Emily....lots out there to enjoy.

[@fluidstatic5564]

This song made me cry when I was in art school during 9/11, and it still makes me cry 20 years later. It still manages to feel like an alarm and a lullaby simultaneously, and the lyrics become more literal all the time.

[@brigon9]

They're American planes.... so hard to believe this was before 9/11. It's all I can think about hearing it.

[@imtherealFidi]

This is about the Iranian hostage crisis and when the plane and helicopter went down

[@brigon9]

@@imtherealFidi right. But she also sang it live in New York because people associated it so heavily with 9/11.

[@Sam-dm8vh]

this song is uncomfortable and beautiful at the same time

[@rree9550]

are there such songs? yeah, plenty...

[@RetroReminiscing]

I totally get what you mean

[@geoffreyperrin4046]

that's art

[@Eludinium]

This song makes me cry every single time I listen to it. It sounds so warm.

[@nothingtoseehere666]

The fact that so many people that are hearing this for the first time have such negativity towards it saddens me. I feel like they are really missing the point. This may be a strange song, but its message is beautiful. It really makes me think about what my life will be like some day, without my mother. I love her more than anyone, and to think one day, she'll be gone, it is such a cruel thing. I think I might go give my mom a call right now.

[@montgomerydenzer8805]

I think they feel "negative" because it is New and Unknown"- we always fear the unknown

[@A-guy-ds1]

I like it but every time I hear it people use it in videos like When you see your friend jiggle there leg when they sit:

[@HAL-7274]

The serial killer Dennis Nilsen was used to listen to this song before killing and dismember his victims. He said it helped to enter in the mood

[@Badficwriter]

@@HAL-7274 I hear he liked Mothersbaugh's music (singer of Devo). I think he liked all the cool 80's stuff. Its wierd to share taste with a serial killer.

[@stanoslinga.]

it’s not negativity. it’s just creepy.

[@robadorable]

Way ahead of time a visionary woman

[@qpwo6]

Lol :')

[@NathanB-ur6nt]

Respect to everyone who didn’t come home to there mum n dads all veterans got my respect aswell 😢❤

[@connornielsen9923]

1:44 for those looking for it, this is where the popular soundbyte starts 👍

[@donwrinkles717]

I would like to stop rushing around and personally thank you, Laurie, for this invaluable gift to humanity and those who will one day study our hard-fought and mystical contribution(s) to this galaxy.