While the result of the presidential election is still up in the air, Arcade Fire wanted to inspire their fans (and everyone else) to continue the fight for democracy with their new song “Generation A.”
Premiering on Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand show, the song was inspired by the current state of the United States but also offers a spark of energy to the youth to continue fighting for a better world.
Playing on the young energy, the performance starts with a young child running into the studio and yelling,“This is generation A! And we’re not gonna wait!” on the mic. The band continues the sentiment with the hook, “I can’t wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait/Too little too late!”
A blonde Win Butler emphasizes that people can no longer sit around and do nothing. “Say wait until tomorrow/ ‘Cause today is always strange,” he sang. “Say wait until you’re older and you will understand/ They say the generation’s coming/ I don’t think they understand that I am not a patient man.”
Arcade Fire has been doing their part to get out the vote, and joined Bon Iver’s ‘A Campaign to Make Your Vote Count’ last week and performed “Culture War.”
Arcade Fire’s new material comes as no surprise, as the band has been working through the pandemic on a new record. Butler shared a snippet of some new material in July but also celebrated the 10th birthday of their critically acclaimed The Suburbs with a performance of “Sprawl II.”
Watch Arcade Fire’s performance of “Generation A” below.