Lyric Deconstruction: "Reflektor"

Arcade Fire, 2013

Remember when I lyric deconstructed "This'll Be My Year" by Train, featuring Pat Whatshisface's terrible, terrible, terrible lyrics?  Train fans got SO MAD.  Like, kar424 said "I came to this website because i couldn't figure out the baby girl lyric(which you didn't even try to explain), but ended up being semi-offended by alot of what you said. why did you make the generalization that most people don't like Train? From what i read majority of the people here do. what did trian ever do to you?"

Oh, where do I start with what trian did to me, kar424.

Anyway, let's move on to Arcade Fire and "Reflektor."  You can tell this song is laden with meaning because they spelled Reflektor with a "k," like European!  Also, everything Arcade Fire does is Very Important and Serious.


Trapped in a prism
In a prism of light
Alone in the darkness
Darkness of white
We fell in love
Alone on a stage
In the reflective age

Luckily, I don't have to do any work, because the genii at Songmeanings.com have already figured it all out for us:

The "reflection" alluded to is created from confirmation bias we create when searching for our salvation. The song begins with “Trapped in a prism, in a prism of light”, the individual feels alienated. The individual then believes they have found the answer while they begin a journey with love, or with religion, or whatever the object of their affective is. The individual then has the epiphany “I thought I found the connector It’s just a Reflektor (It's just a Reflektor)”. The “connector” is not love or religion, it is just an illusion created by our own perspective. My interpretation is that Arcade Fire is pleading for the audience to lift the veil or ignorance.

Oh God.  Oh God.  Please stop talking.

Entre la nuit, la nuit et l’aurore.
Entre le royaume, des vivants et des morts.

Gobbledygook!  Or French.  Same diff.  I think she's saying "Enter the nut. The nut of Laura. Enter the raisin, of Viva and the moles."  Something like that.

If this is heaven
I don’t know what it’s for
If I can’t find you there
I don’t care

I thought I found a way to enter
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)
I thought I found the connector
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)

Sounds important!  OK, so he thought he found a way to enter but it's just a Reflektor (just a Reflektor).  This means that it is an illusion created by our own perspective.  Nah, I'm just fucking with you.  It doesn't mean anything at all.  That's the true meaning of the song: THERE IS NO MEANING.

WHOA. MIND BLOWN. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY LOOKED AT YOUR HAND BEFORE.

The signals we send
Are deflected again
We’re still connected
But are we even friends?

We fell in love when I was nineteen
And I was staring at a screen

Entre le nuit, le nuit et l’aurore.
Entre les voyants, les vivants et les morts.

If this is heaven
I need something more
Just a place to be alone
Cause you’re my home???

I thought I found a way to enter
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)
I thought I found the connector
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)

It’s just a reflection of a reflection
Of a reflection of a reflection

Will I see you on the other side?
We all got things to hide

It’s just a reflection of a reflection
Of a reflection of a reflection

Will I see you on the other side?
We all got things to hide

Alright, let’s go back

Our song escapes
On neon silver discs
Our love is plastic
We’ll break it to bits

I want to break free
But will they break me?
Down, down, down
Don’t mess around

I thought I found a way to enter
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)
I thought I found the connector
It’s just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)

Thought you would bring me to the ressurector
Turns out it was just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the ressurector
Turns out it was just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)
Thought you would bring to me the ressurector
Turns out it was just a Reflektor (It’s just a Reflektor)

It’s a Reflektor
It’s just a Reflektor
Just a Reflektor

Will I see you on the other side?

It’s just a Reflektor

Will I see you on the other side?
We all got things to hide

It’s just a Reflektor

Will I see you on the other side?

OH MY GOD IT GOES ON AND ON AND ON.  It's like an 8 minute song!  Jesus Christ, Arcade Fire, go get a Coke.  Take a break. Songs should only be like 3 1/2 minutes long.

Anyway, I'm sure this is all fraught with meaning.  Take it away, Songmeanings.com!

One of Nietzsche's big ideas was that of the "übermensch" - the "overman" that could break free of the conventions of society and humanity to be his true self. Arcade Fire has been big on eschewing technology whenever possible and taking part in human connection (a big theme in The Suburbs), so this ties in with that pretty nicely, I think.

Sounds good to me! Fuck.