Twenty One Pilots: Heathens
Context:
The noun, Heathens means a person regarded as lacking culture or moral principles.
Heathens is a song by the American musical duo Twenty One Pilots. It was released as the lead single for the motion picture soundtrack of Suicide Squad. The song was written by Tyler Joseph and produced by him along with Mike Elizondo.
Tyler Joseph, when writing the song, wanted it to be a Twenty One Pilots song before being a movie soundtrack. He wanted the song to resonate with his fans and make sense in his shows even though the themes in the movie inspired the beginning of it, and as the lyrics of the song came together he realised that it was his song.
On June 15th 2016, the song was leaked onto the internet and on the following day it was announced the song would feature in Suicide Squad.
On June 21st 2016, the official music video, directed by Andrew Donoho, was uploaded to the Fueled By Ramen YouTube channel. The Video has over 170 million views and over 1.85 million likes as of September 4th 2016.
The clip won an award for Best Rock Video at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards
Content:
It opens with an establishing shot of the swamps of New Orleans in the fictional high security prison of Belle Reve in the DC Universe.
A plane is landing and guards are in a boat on the swamps.
A truck drives past and guards walk by and the gates of Belle Reve Special Security Barracks is revealed.
A guard is walking alone down the gangway in the penitentiary.
Prisoners are in their cells with their hands through the bars, while sirens sound with shouts in the background. The sense of failure and the feeling of lost hope is present.
The guards walk Tyler Joseph down the hall to his cell. Music starts.
Cut to a guard in the security room.
Cut Back to Tyler waling down the hall.
Cut to Harley Quinn in her cell, scenes from the actual movie are present in this music video to promote the film.
Cut back to Tyler in the hall.
Cut to Killer Croc.
Cut to view of the bright lights on the ceiling.
Cut back to Tyler, still walking down the hall, but the dingy light makes his face not visible.
Cut to Eyeline match. with a quick edit of Tyler walking in front of the camera, followed by another quick edit of him disappearing.
Cut back to Tyler with his face in the dark, still walking down the hall.
Quick edit of the two guards behind Tyler disappearing and then reappearing.
Cut back to Tyler walking in front of the camera.
Cut back to eyeline match in a 180 degree turn, light appears from a cell that contains Josh Dun playing the drums.
Cut back to Tyler walking down the hall, but looking into Josh's cell. Tyler then stops and faces Josh's cell with the vacant expression still on his face.
Cut to a long shot of Deadshot in his cell looking out of the window, followed by a quick cut of a close up of Deadshot looking out of the window.
Cut to Deadshot interacting with someone and tilting his head in question.
Cut back to Josh in his cell playing the drums.
Cut to El Diablo in his cell, Lifting his head sat down, then cut to a close up of his face while he uses his power to put the words "Goodbye" above his head in fire.
Cut back to Tyler walking closer and looking into Josh's cell. Tyler puts his hands around the cell bars.
Quick edit of the light in Josh's cell flashing to then be replaced by guards walking up and down the halls OUTSIDE of the cell that Tyler is in. His hands are still on the bars in the same position.
He then removes his hands from the bars and steps back looking confused.
Cut to the camera outside of Tyler's cell, Tyler sits down on his bed.
Cut to a guard in the security room eating Chinese noodles.
Cut to a visual of the security camera feed of Tyler's cell, time sped up.
Cut to another camera feed, Captain Boomerang is angrily looking into his security camera.
Cut to a long shot of El Diablo in a different cell, with a lit match, looking into the mirror.
Cut to an over the shoulder shot of El Diablo looking into the mirror, he slowly blows out the match.
Cut to a close up of Tyler in his cell.
Cut to a side view of Tyler in his cell. He slowly stands.
Cut to an extreme close up of Killer Croc's face looking between the bars of his cell.
Cut to a High angle shot of Harley Quinn looking up at a guard, her hands are on the bars and he looks amused whilst talking to her.
Cut to extreme close up of Harley Quinn with her face against the bars, looking at the guard.
Cut back to the security room, a finger is slowly moving towards a button.
Cut back to a close up of Tyler in his cell.
Cut to side view of Tyler.
Cut back to close up of Tyler.
Cut back to side view of Tyler.
Cut to a side track of Tyler in his cell.
Cut to an over the shoulder shot of Tyler looking at his cell door. Josh is on a platform playing the drums and moving down the hall illuminated by a light, the cell door opens.
Tyler stands up and walks out of his cell.
Cut to a Tracking shot of Tyler walking down the hall, in front of the camera.
Cut to camera in front of Tyler, too dark to see his face.
Cut to Eyeline match of Josh in the middle of the hall playing the drums.
Quick edit of Josh disappearing then reappearing.
Cut to a mid shot of Tyler turning the corner.
Cut to an over the shoulder shot of Tyler walking towards Josh.
Cut to a long shot of Tyler walking down the hall, Josh is gone.
Cut back to an over the shoulder shot, Josh is back where he was playing the drums.
Cut back to long shot of Tyler in the hall, Josh is gone again.
Cut to side shot of Deadshot strapped to a chair with army men and doctors around him.
Cut to a side close up of Deadshot.
Cut to Tyler walking down the hall, he is in the dark, cannot see him, only his outline.
Cut to Killer Croc, who is strapped into a Hannibal Lecter esque contraption to be transported.
Cut back to Tyler walking, who is now out of the darkness.
Cut to a over the shoulder shot of Tyler walking toward Josh who is on the illuminated platform playing the drums.
Cut to Mid shot of Tyler still walking.
Cut to eyeline match of a guitar that is hovering in the air next to a microphone.
Cut back to mid shot.
Cut to a side long shot of Tyler walking onto the platform.
Quick edit of the prison jumpsuit disappearing from Tyler to make way for a golden tux jacket and black shirt.
The 180 degree turn of Tyler lifting the guitar strap over his head.
Cut to close up of Killer Croc.
Cut to close up of Harley Quinn being wheeled down the hall by the army, looking deranged.
Cut to a long shot of soldiers entering a building.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to the hallway of cells and prisoners exiting their cells.
Cut to a long shot of both Josh and Tyler on the platform performing.
Cut to the hallway, floods of prisoners walking down the hall.
Cut to long Track In shot of Josh and Tyler on the platform.
Cut to long shot of the prisoners in the halls.
Cut to mid shot of Tyler playing guitar.
Cut to the Suicide Squad walking down the hall of the building that had the soldiers in.
Cut back to the prisoners running down the hall.
Cut to mid track in shot of Tyler playing the guitar.
Cut to long shot of both Josh and Tyler.
Cu to a different angle of Josh and Tyler.
Cut to the Prisoners walking down the hall.
Cut to Josh and Taylor on stage.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to side view extreme close up of Tyler at the microphone.
Cut to the camera positioned behind Tyler, the prisoners walking into the room.
Cut to over the shoulder shots of the prisoners entering the room.
Cut to side view extreme close up of Tyler.
Cut to Over the shoulder shot of the prisoners approaching the platform.
Cut to long shot of Josh at the drums.
Cut to long shot of the platform with the prisoners still approaching.
Cut to Over the shoulder shot of the prisoners.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to mid shot of Josh.
Cut to long shot of the platform.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to mid shot of the prisoners bobbing to the music.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to long shot of Josh.
Cut to mid shot of Deadshot with his fists up in a fighting stance.
Cut to long shot of a cell door opening with water flooding out along with El Diablo.
Cut to Harley Quinn using gymnastics in her cell to take out a guard.
Cut to Killer Croc grabbing a guard and dragging him into the depths of his sewer.
Cut to mid shot of Harley Quinn holding her baseball bat like a shot gun and making the motions of shooting someone.
Cut to extreme close up of Josh's torso.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to 180 degree turn around the crowd, Tyler in the middle on the platform.
Cut to close up of Josh.
Cut to 180 degree turn around the crowd, Tyler in the middle on the platform.
Cut to close up of Josh.
Cut to mid shot of Tyler.
Cut to long shot of the platform.
Cut to 180 degree turn around the crowd, Tyler in the middle on the platform.
Cut to close up of Captain Boomerang taking out his boomerangs, looking deranged.
Cut to long shot of Deadshot running.
Cut to low angle mid shot of Deadshot firing his guns.
Cut to high angle shot of a Chinook plummeting towards the ground.
Cut to Josh on the drums.
Cut to long shot of the platform with an 180 degree turn.
Cut to mid shot of Josh, 180 degree turn.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to long shot of the platform.
Cut to close up of Tyler at the microphone.
Cut to long shot of Harley Quinn shooting her guns.
Cut to Killer Croc killing something.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to an extreme long shot of Harley Quinn in her cell, Guards feet in shot walking towards her cell.
Cut to long shot of Harley Quinn holding her hands up in surrender to the guards.
Cut to long shot of the platform. Panning.
Cut to long shot of Guards jogging into Harley Quinn's cell room.
Cut to close up of Tyler.
Cut to track out of Tyler's close up. Back in Jumpsuit, sat in the middle of the hall floor.
Music fades. Alarms are going off. Foot falls. Guards are surrounding Tyler.
Lyric Analysis:
[CHORUS]
Throughout the song, there is a high pitched voice backing Tyler, as well as a lower pitched voice (Blurryface) in the second half of the chorus. The high pitched voice is essentially the opposite of how Blurryface is represented in many songs on Blurryface as well as in “Screen.”
With the
apparent ending of Blurryface’s reign/the Blurryface tour, implementing the
complete opposite of him would make sense. Because there is more of the higher
voice than the lower voice, it could suggest that Blurryface is truly fading
away.
Also, the
higher pitched voice may very well be Josh’s demons/insecurities, based on the
theory that the Emotional Roadshow tour will revolve around his “blurryface”
instead of Tyler’s.
All my
friends are heathens, take it slow
Wait for them
to ask you who you know
Please don't
make any sudden moves
You don't
know the half of the abuse
All my
friends are heathens, take it slow
Wait for them
to ask you who you know
Please don't
make any sudden moves
You don't
know the half of the abuse
The song
shines a light on the fact that everyone struggles internally with doubt and
pain. To casual listeners and to new fans, this is a message about how all of
us, despite how we may seem on the surface, are all heathens in one way or
another. Just as the old idiom states, don’t judge a book by its cover.
On another
level, when Tyler talks about “his friends,” he could also be referring to his long-time
fan base—those who have cheered him on long before his group was getting
regular rotation on radio stations. He’s warning them not to take any hasty
action against the newcomers, who now like the band after they have become
popular.
“Please don’t
make any sudden moves” can be taken quite literally here. Victims of abuse
often misinterpret the actions of others to be aggressive. This is because
abuse victims have been conditioned to protect themselves out of a need for
survival. For instance, something as innocent as the extending of a hand for
the purpose of a handshake may be taken as an aggressive action. In short,
these lines may act as a warning to use caution when interacting with those who
have suffered through traumatic circumstances.
The warnings
against making sudden moves, and to “watch it,” may be a specific warning to
the band’s long-time listeners to keep in mind that these new fans have hidden
problems as well—they too may have been abused. Generally, nobody can tell, as
everyone hides such things. Tyler warns that attacking new fans makes the old
fans hypocrites, not heathens.
Of course,
these lines also hold a literal relation to the movie ‘Suicide Squad,“ as the
squad is made up entirely of villains/heathens.
Welcome to
the room of people
Who have
rooms of people that they loved one day
Tyler is
welcoming the new fans to the “room” of the Clique. In the song “Ride,” Tyler
sings about taking a bullet for “everyone in this room.”
A room, in
this case, seems to be a metaphor for the group of people that are dear to you
and that you love. In this, he is welcoming new fans to the “room” (group of
people) who also have rooms of their own of people that they love, but these
other rooms have been docked away.
People who
struggle with mental health often feel alienated from the rest of the world,
even from those they love most. TØP have even referred to “rooms of
depression,” in “Glowing Eyes,” as the place that people go where they’re alone
with their inner demons. They may find solace by joining a group who have also
felt this same sense of disconnection.
Docked away
Just because
we check the guns at the door
Doesn't mean
our brains will change from hand grenades
Similar to
the later lyric about not knowing murderers and psychopaths next to you, Tyler
says that even if we can hide our mental issues and “dock them away,” our minds
are still dangerous.
In “Guns for
Hands,” Tyler talks about how we should “put the safety on” the guns that we all
metaphorically have in our hands—that we should turn away from the instinct to
hurt ourselves, and instead channel that anger and pain through their music.
This song spoke true to and inspired a lot of fans.
However, just
because they follow the band’s advice to not hurt themselves, does not mean
that their minds will stop being “hand grenades.” In “Guns for Hands,” Tyler
encapsulates his hopes of redirecting this instinct to do harm by asking his
fans to “turn their [hand] guns to a fist.” This line can then be seen as a
direct call-back through the play-on-words with “hand grenades”—though our guns
are now fists, they still have the potential to explode and do damage. Our
brains and our way of thinking can still be destructive.
We see this
same theme in songs such as “Semi-Automatic,” where Tyler describes his, and
humanity’s, more sadistic tendencies, saying “I’m semi-automatic,” a gun
waiting to shoot off.
Getting rid
of an object or physical component does not alter the intention. Taking away a
medium with which someone could inflict pain upon others or themselves does not
eradicate the internal conflict. It merely provides an illusion of safety.
With respect
to Suicide Squad, this song is featured in a movie about villains that are
locked in a black site and taken out to do work on even worse bad guys. To keep
them in line, Argus implants bombs in their heads. Cool metaphor in this song,
cool relevance to the comic book movie.
You'll never
know the psychopath sitting next to you
You'll never
know the murderer sitting next to you
Even those we
consider to be our closest friends may not always have good intentions. We may
very well believe the intentions of a psychopath are good due to their ability
to emotionally disarm people with a sophisticated sort of charm.
Sociopath and
psychopath are (almost) interchangeable words.
Both terms
fall under the clinical umbrella of the antisocial personality disorder. The
name of this disease is misleading; it does not refer to people who avoid
social situations. Individuals with this affliction are actually very skilled
in adhering to social norms, blending in with the rest of us. According to
psychologists, they possess captivating personalities. In some cases, they have
an almost hypnotic quality of charm to them. A Psychopath lacks the emotional
feelings most of us consider to be inherent to basic human nature. Most
notably, they usually have little to no empathy. They don’t experience remorse
or shame, giving them the ability to murder for reasons most of us may consider
trivial. Their ultimate goal is to benefit themselves, everyone and everything
is fair game if it will benefit them in some way. A true Psychopath also has a
deep understanding of how they’re supposed to act, therefore people may be
unable to tell when there’s really a psychopathic murderer among them.
You'll think,
“How'd I get here, sitting next to you?"
This line
foreshadows the lyrics in the second verse. Outsiders will come to us and we
will question why we are so close to them. Why are we so alike, yet so
different?
Tyler may be
singing to the new fans, who are confused as to how this music has associated
them with people possessing these seemingly extreme psychological problems.
They have yet to realize that they have similar issues.
This line
could also work the other way around. Tyler may be referring to his more
established fan base, anticipating their response to being lumped together with
the new fans.
Alternately,
he could also be referring to something we will never guess at. Lines like
these are definitely open to different interpretations. Some of the greatest
musicians use lyrics that can be interpreted in a number of ways, increasing
the likelihood that listeners will connect to the music.
But after all
I've said, please don't forget
A call to the
listener to recognise the importance of everything he has said throughout this
song: despite the fact that others may call you out for every flaw, despite all
the doubts your mind has plagued you with, don’t forget you’re not the only one
struggling, you’re not the only one feeling like this, and you’re not alone.
There are both
hopeful and disturbing connotations to this assertion that echo throughout the
rest of the song. On one hand, there are other people you can reach out to and
find solace with. But on the other, it’s slightly terrifying to accept that
other people have the same sorts of awful thoughts that you have had. Everyone
is a mixture of good and bad, and we have to watch out, both for others and for
ourselves.
It is also
worth noting that, while Tyler may just be trying to add emphasis to the
importance of the song, it is equally likely he could be referencing all his
other music. This song primarily focuses on reminding people to be sympathetic
and gracious to people, regardless of our opinions. Tyler’s music is supposed
to act as a means of support for the Heathens, the abused, the murderers, the
psychopaths, and anyone else who happens to listen. It may help listeners with
depression and suicidal thoughts offer some general sympathy to the distressed;
or simply act as some fun music to brighten their days. Regardless, it’s there
for anyone, not just the clique, the new fans, Christians, or Heathens.
We don't deal
with outsiders very well
They say
newcomers have a certain smell
You have
trust issues, not to mention
They say they
can smell your intentions
Close-knit
groups, especially those who have formed their ties through suffering, often
have issues with accepting things they are not familiar with—they fear the
unknown. Life has taught them to be hyper vigilant against those who may intend
to do something bad or even harm them. Their instincts, here connected to the
animalistic sense of smell, perceive every stranger as a threat.
Tyler is
talking about how “he and his friends” (he and his fan base, the clique) are
wary of new fans/outsiders coming in and joining the music merely as a result
of their new-found popularity, as the band’s messages—such as struggling with
anxiety, and confronting one’s own feelings of wrongness or otherness—speak
very personally to them. The line connects to the paranoia old fans feel toward
new people entering the clique.
The specific
references to the sense of smell can also be read as a call-back to “Stressed
Out,” where Tyler talked about the “certain smell” that takes him back to when
he was young. In that way, this line references how “Stressed Out” threw them
into popularity and brought many of these “new fans” to the band.
You'll never
know the freakshow sitting next to you
You'll have
some weird people sitting next to you
You'll think
“How did I get here, sitting next to you?"
People are able to, as earlier stated, “Check their guns at the door,” or hide what mental instability or problems they have. You will never be able to tell who has real problems on first sight. Basically this is a darker version of “you can’t judge a book by it’s cover,” saying even the new fans of the clique have problems.Here Tyler is singing to the new fans, who are confused as to how this music put them with people with seemingly extreme problems, but they haven’t yet realized that they too, have extreme problems.
(Watch it,
watch it)
Said by
Blurryface, this could either be interpreted as:
A
warning to “Clique” members to be careful around new fans, instead of calling
them “fake.”
A
warning to Tyler to stop trying to include people, and to follow his instinct
of excluding those he doesn’t trust.
Why'd you
come, you knew you should have stayed
(It's
blasphemy)
I tried to
warn you just to stay away
And now
they're outside ready to bust
It looks like
you might be one of us
This outro is
addressed to new Twenty One Pilots fans. In “Clear,” Tyler sings about how his
songs will “get yourself inside you"— An allusion to reflecting and
looking inside yourself.
Twenty One Pilots
have become very popular for not only catchy music, but for their very deep,
introspective lyrics. One of the fears that the Clique has about new fans is
that the meaning of the lyrics will completely pass over them. The original
fans don’t want anyone treating the band’s music like any other Top 40 fare,
listening mainly for a hot beat and a catchy hook, a sentiment shared among the
more intellectual artists in the music industry.
Here, Tyler
is addressing those new fans who have found meaning in the lyrics. Due to the introspective
nature of the songs, new fans may find something frightening inside themselves
of which they had no conscious knowledge of. When he says “they’re outside
ready to bust,” he is referring to the demons, dark thoughts, or “glowing
eyes,” that are waiting to attack the new fans. As soon as the new fans come to
the realization that they too are drawn to the music because of their personal
demons, they officially become members of the twenty one pilots‘ Skeletøn
Clique.
“We’re broken
people,” he sings in “Screen.” This song embraces all its listeners as fellow
“heathens,” and thus as the singer’s friends.
