Influence of Nietzsche in PJ lyrics?

Infinity
Infinity Posts: 2
edited June 2006 in Words and Music...Communication
Im a huge fan of PJ and just recently started to read Nietzche and the more I read the more I thought about PJ. For instance, "Given to fly"

"He floated back down, cause he wanted to share, his key to the locks on the chains he saw everywhere"

Can you quote others?
He must be accustomed to living on mountain tops. He must have courage for the forbidden. New ears for new music. New eyes for what is most distant. Reverence for self; love of self; absolute freedom of self.....
Of what account are the rest?--The rest are merely humanity. F. Nietzsche
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • FinsburyParkCarrots
    FinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    What are you seeing there, echoes of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"? I think that's probably more a result of coincidence, than anything else. Unless I had evidence that Nietzsche's a source for "Given To Fly", I wouldn't pursue this line of comparison. The lyrics seem to be about some persecuted visionary, a messianic figure hounded by "the faceless fuckers". Well, there are countless examples in literature and musical lyrics of tales of ostracised leaders. (Just think of "We're Not Gonna Take It" from "Tommy", for example.)
  • Infinity
    Infinity Posts: 2
    I see your point, but check the lyrics for "I'm open".

    "If he only knew now, what he knew then" That is very Nietzsche too, on how to become the Overman, you should be a child again.

    I just think there is some kind of an influece.
    He must be accustomed to living on mountain tops. He must have courage for the forbidden. New ears for new music. New eyes for what is most distant. Reverence for self; love of self; absolute freedom of self.....
    Of what account are the rest?--The rest are merely humanity. F. Nietzsche
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    Could someone explain Nietzsche to me?
    There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous
    The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
  • FinsburyParkCarrots
    FinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/


    There you go.
  • Ms. Haiku
    Ms. Haiku Washington DC Posts: 7,389
    FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:
    http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/


    There you go.
    I knew you'd come through :) Thanks!
    There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous
    The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
  • FinsburyParkCarrots
    FinsburyParkCarrots Seattle, WA Posts: 12,223
    Infinity wrote:
    I see your point, but check the lyrics for "I'm open".

    "If he only knew now, what he knew then" That is very Nietzsche too, on how to become the Overman, you should be a child again.

    I just think there is some kind of an influece.

    I know the "Child with a mirror" passage from Zarathustra, but again, I think that that particular line you quote from "I'm Open" is just one of these catch-all lines that could mean anything regarding how adulthood and empirical training robs us of our deeper, unrestrained perceptive awareness. Again, I'm seeing thematic similarities ... at a stretch .... but nothing that would make me think that the lyrics are influenced by Nietzsche particularly.

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