“The Dumb Song” by AJR

With a release date of 21 April 2023, “The Dumb Song” marks the third single from AJR’s fifth studio album (“TTM”), coming after “I Won’t” and subsequently “The DJ Is Crying for Help”, both of which came out in 2022. This particular track was first officially teased in early January of 2023.

The sibling trio that makes up AJR, the Met brothers of Adam, Jack and Ryan, are credited with writing “The Dumb Song”. And Ryan Met, who is the second oldest, produced it, with the music video being directed by Austin Roa and Edoardo Ranaboldo.

Lyrics of “The Dumb Song”

Perhaps the easiest way of encapsulating what’s being comprehensively relayed via “The Dumb Song” is as the vocalist celebrating what others perceive as his stupidity. More realistically put, it’s as if Jack is portraying the role of someone who is constantly under criticism from certain key figures in his life, as if he lacks basic intelligence. 

But his response is along the lines of he’d rather be ‘dumb’, as they put it, than living up to their ideologies. Or the way he sees it such critics – and perhaps the masses at large by extension – are ignorant and preoccupied with negative thoughts. He is experiencing a sense of freedom through his ‘dumbness’ that they are too wise to enjoy, in of manner speaking.

And yes, many of us do face criticism, as if we are less than intelligent, for deciding to conduct ourselves as we see fit and in a way and others may not prove of. And when such critiques are coming from loved ones especially, they do take a psychological toll. But in this case, the recipient of such is making the best out of the situation.  That is to say that he’s embracing the side of his character which some other people perceive as being dumb.

“When we go down
When kingdom come
Don’t look at me, don’t look at me
I’m just too dumb
I’d love to stay (Love to stay)
But like you said (Like you said)
Don’t look at me (Nothin’ in my head)
‘Cause I got nothin’ in my head”