One Touch by LCD Soundsystem Lyrics Meaning – Dissecting the Thirst for More in Modern Life
Lyrics
We have waited for a long time
I recall the promises made to us
We’ve been patient for a long time
One touch is never enough
You gave the opening, opening
One touch is never enough
People who need people, to the back of the bus
I don’t see how we could be pleased with this
We’ve been waiting for a long time
I recall the promises made to us
We’ve been patient such a long time
No one is dangerous
We are not dangerous
Unless we get a closer view
One touch is never enough
People need to move to the back of the bus
One touch is never enough
Complicated people never do what you’re told to
One touch is never enough
People will need this in the back of the bus
One touch is never enough
People who need people are just people who need people
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
People who need people are just people who need people
I don’t think that we will be pleased with this
We have waited such a long time
There’s no way that we can be pleased with this
We’ve been waiting such a long time
We’ve been waiting such a long time
We’ve been waiting such a long time
This is getting sort of unreasonable
But we’ve been waiting a very long time
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
One touch is never enough
People who need people, to the back of the bus
No one is dangerous
No one is dangerous
Until we get a closer view
Disguised in its danceable rhythm and James Murphy’s characteristically impassive delivery, LCD Soundsystem’s ‘One Touch’ is a multilayered mosaic of modern discontent and the human condition. An anthem of dissatisfaction, the track artfully blends an insatiable longing with a critique of societal structures.
At first listen, ‘One Touch’ could merely be another entry into the band’s impressive catalog of dance-punk sounds. However, a closer examination reveals that the song may actually be a rallying cry against the banality of constructed needs and the unquenched thirst for fulfillment that defines contemporary life.
The Never-ending Chase for Satisfaction
The chorus’s mantra, ‘One touch is never enough,’ serves as a clarion call to a society obsessed with the idea that more is always better. It encapsulates a world where the promise of satisfaction is just within reach, yet perpetually unattainable. Murphy taps into the universal feeling of the human plight: an infatuation with a perpetually incomplete search for fulfillment.
In our digitized age, where connections are often fleeting and superficial, the song’s yearning for something more substantial echoes the listener’s own possible discontent. The lyric ‘People who need people, to the back of the bus’ speaks to the relegation of genuine human interaction in favor of hollower exchanges encouraged by digital platforms.
Decoding the Bus Metaphor’s Sociopolitical Charge
Invoking imagery of the back of the bus, LCD Soundsystem ignites a historical and sociopolitical conversation. It’s a knowing nod to the civil rights movement, reflecting on a society still grappling with the perils of exclusion and the cycle of promises that remain unfulfilled.
Murphy portrays a community of people moved to the margins, those ‘who need people,’ perhaps alluding to the innate human desire for connection that’s consistently pushed back in our value system. The contradiction between needing others and being forced into isolation underscores the song’s broader commentary on the human condition.
Unraveling the Promises of Modernity
Repeated throughout the song is the plaintive recognition of promises made and the resultant disappointment. ‘We’ve been waiting such a long time,’ Murphy croons, evoking the stretched thin patience of a populace sold dreams that, decade after decade, dissolve into the ether.
The meticulous layering of synth lines and jarring beats mirrors the complexity of those unkept promises. It is as though the music itself is wading through the disillusionment, beckoning the listener to acknowledge the broken assurances of a life that modernity pledged would be simpler, more connected, and ultimately more satisfying.
A Closer View on Hidden Dangers
LCD Soundsystem takes an ironic swipe at perceived threats with ‘No one is dangerous / We are not dangerous / Unless we get a closer view.’ Here, Murphy suggests that fear is often a construct established from a distance and that understanding—one could argue, the ‘one touch’—is what ultimately disarms ignorance.
The veneer of danger is stripped away upon closer inspection, revealing not monsters, but people—just people who need people. By doing so, the song makes a subtle yet powerful commentary on othering and the unveiled intimacy that lies just beneath the surface.
‘Reasonable’ Expectations and Endless Anticipation
As the song draws to a close, the notion of what is ‘reasonable’ is questioned. In the lyric ‘This is getting sort of unreasonable / But we’ve been waiting a very long time,’ there is a sense of exasperation. There’s a sardonic bite to the realization that patience is perhaps not a virtue, but a curse in perpetuity.
As listeners, we are left to contemplate the anthem’s cycle, understanding that the repetition of ‘One touch is never enough’ is not just a catchy hook, but a memento mori—a reminder of our own infinite restlessness and the human incapacity to settle for the single touch of anything.
