Meaning of W.B.T. by Babybird

Meaning of W.B.T. by Babybird: A Rebel’s Response to Mainstream Techno

I still remember the day I first heard "W.B.T." by Babybird. The song was a revelation, a radical response to the homogenous landscape of mainstream techno in the 1990s. The lyrics, with their clever wordplay and subtle nuances, painted a vibrant picture of a rebellious act against the monotony of the club scene.

A Critique of White Boy Techno

At its core, "W.B.T." is a searing critique of White Boy Techno, a style of music that was so pervasive in the 90s club scene. Babybird’s lead singer and songwriter, Stephen Jones, had had enough of the soulless, cookie-cutter techno that dominated dancefloors everywhere. And in "W.B.T.," he takes his dissatisfaction to task, pouring it into a song that’s both a protest against the genre and a tribute to its own musical anarchy.

Murdering the Genre

Jones’s lyrics are full of bold statements and provocative gestures. He "murders" White Boy Techno, metaphorically speaking, and "pulls the plugs" on its stranglehold on the clubs. It’s a metaphor for silencing the soulless beats and replacing them with something more meaningful and genuine. The repetition of this act, the continued disconnection of the Plug from the socket, makes clear that Jones’s is not a fleeting rebirth, but a full-blooded rebellion.

Targeting the Conformist Masses

The lyric’s references to "white sheep like Bobo," shopping at Littlewoods for instance, are telling of Jones’s disdain for those who conform to the trend without question. They embody the mediocrity he rails against, unoriginal and uninspired sheep. By rejecting their brand of techno, and thus themselves, Jones shows a disdain for the mainstream’s conformity of music, which, through Bobo, promotes sameness over variety and authenticity.

Drug-Fueled Experience and Euphoria

Jones’s lyrics also grapple with the allure and escapism offered by the club scene and the effect of drugs on this journey. The line ‘Now a light shines on the ground, like the moon on a sundial’ suggests a trip induced by drugs, full of euphoria and new insights. The idea being, if people escape to an illusory reality due to drug use, where there’s no meaning at the surface, Jones makes us consider what it has led them to; he seeks the true purpose as music and creation has for him.

Embracing Music Creators and Experimentation

Throughout the song, you hear echoes of Babybird’s own music creation history, from the line "witness the joy of techno" which captures the satisfaction derived from experimenting and creating compared to passively following existing techno styles. It presents Jones as a visionary creating, with the potential not to fit the norms.
Overall, "W.B.T." is an exhilarating expression of frustration that stems from an outsider who dares to not just rebel against a perceived trend but to contribute artistically in a more personalized, human way

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