In this installment of “Songs Dissected“, we will take a look at the song “Human”. Now I know what you’re thinking- “Human” by The Human League, a number 1 hit from 1986, however the song I am talking about is that song by The Killers which you hear on your favorite radio stations between songs by Kings of Leon. “Human” is catchy and a bona-fide hit, that also asks important questions about humanity related to dance. A considerable debate has apparently raged on the internet regarding the lyrics to this song, but I have gone with the general consensus that the chorus is “are we human, or are we dancer.” Yes, “dancer”, singular, don’t ask me cause I don’t know why.

I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind

So here we go. “Human” starts with the artist receiving a phone call, undoubtedly eating into his rollover minutes. The call results with him being brought up to the “platform of surrender”, which some have described as a diving board with a French flag painted on it, but this cannot be confirmed. Apparently when he got there though, he was kind, so perhaps it was a diving board with a box of Twinkies in addition to a box of Ding Dongs on it.

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord

Here the artist’s lyrics imply that he is one of the ~20,000 Americans who suffer from a fear of Home Depot due to his aversion to open doors and the abundance of them in their doors & windows section. This is an under-reported, but devastating mental illness, and rather than deal with his anxieties head on, the artist prefers to close his eyes, clear his heart, perhaps through the use of a cholesterol-reducing medication such as Lipitor, and cut the cord.

Or perhaps the open door could be a metaphor of life’s opportunities, his nervousness about these indicating a fear of failure. Closing his eyes, clearing his heart, and cutting the cord might be interpreted as leaving fear, past experiences and attachment behind so that he can conquer his fears and seize the opportunities before him. Whatever.

Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I’m on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?

At this stage, the artist begins to ask an important question which seems to confound him throughout this lyrical exercise. He wants to know if we are human, or if we are dancer, apparently convinced that the two are mutually exclusive. I refute this hypothesis and offer potential answers as follows:

a) we are human only
b) we are dancer only
c) we are both human and dancer
d) we are neither human nor dancer

My assertion is that the correct answer is c) we are both human and dancer. However, if by “we”, The Killers mean white people, then the answer may be a) we are human only.

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could

I have never heard of anyone saying their last goodbyes to qualities and/or adjectives, but that appears to be what is going on here. Apparently, the artist is parting with many things society views as positive traits such as virtue, soul, and romance. With that in mind he may be about to join Dave Matthews Band, but the exact reason for this is left ambiguous.

And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You’ve gotta let me go

This is getting a little overly sentimental now. “Devotion” apparently taught him everything he knows which makes no sense. However, this is probably better than being taught everything you know at a Catholic private school because then everything you know is that the earth formed a few thousand years ago and whenever you picture someone naked you get a little closer to hell.

Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I’m on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer?

c) we are both human and dancer. Unless by “we” you mean Justin Timberlake, in which case the answer is b) we are dancer only because the human part I’m not so sure about. You may get up now.

Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we’re receiving
Let me know, is your heart still beating?

It is unclear which system the artist is referring to here. Is it a computer system? Maybe they should shut down all the windows and restart? They should also clear their cache and cookies and I doubt that’s the cause of the problem, but I always get told to do it anyway.

Moving on, the artist also indicates “there is no message we’re receiving” which reminds me of the song “Major Tom Coming Home” by Peter Schilling which I just realized has a German version like 99Luft Balloons by Nena. In the English version there is a line: ” ‘Hello Major Tom, are you receiving? Turn the thrusters on, we’re standing by.’ There’s no reply” and in the German version he probably asks the same thing, just more efficiently, without emotion, and while eating Haribo Gummi Bears. This does nothing to explain these lyrics, I just thought I’d share that.

But whatever, I’m getting tired of all the questions here, seriously, just like I am tired of hearing about the guy who landed that plane on the Hudson.  I mean, they talk about “the unlikely event of a water landing” on every flight, and calling it that kind of makes it seem like the plane can just land on water if a runway is not available. Therefore, it shouldn’t be such a huge deal when someone actually does it, so in this respect, I give the pilot a C for doing a satisfactory job.

Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I’m on my knees looking for the answer

c) we are both human and dancer. Unless by “we” you mean a pod of dolphins, in which case the answer would be d) we are neither human nor dancer.

You’ve gotta let me know
Are we human or are we dancer?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I’m on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancer? (repeat 3x)

c) we are both human and dancer. Unless by “dancer” you mean one of Santa’s Reindeer, who if I remember correctly was sort of a dick to Rudolph. If so I’d have to once again change my answer to a) we are human only cause no way would I want to be associated with that douche. I’d much rather hang with the overrated dude who landed the plane on the Hudson.