War All the Time (song)

"War All the Time" is a song by American emo band Thursday. It is the second single and title track from War All the Time. In the tours following the album's release, the track was played extensively.

The video for this song was banned from MTV and other media outlets due to its controversial nature, which is believed to stem from its appearance as real newscast and targets aimed at teenagers.

Vocalist Geoff Rickly has stated numerous times that the song is about love being a war all the time, and not a direct political commentary on the terrorist attacks of September 11, as many people incorrectly believe.

The band issued the following statement regarding the song's meaning and its MTV ban:

As many of you already know, we have recently shot a video for the song "War All the Time." There has been a lot of resistance to the video from some media outlets. They feel the video may be too controversial and that it has disturbing overtones. We want to let you know what the song and video mean to us.

The song "War All the Time" is about growing up amidst conflict and confusion. It’s also about falling in and out of love against a backdrop of cynicism and learning to think for yourself when the media barrages you with information, opinions and fear.

At the heart of the song is freedom. Freedom in every sense of the word: freedom from hate and discrimination, freedom for every people of every country to live without oppression and persecution, freedom of choice in personal decisions, freedom to love whoever you love (regardless of sexual orientation) and freedom to express yourself regardless of your opinion’s popularity. Doesn't everyone long to be free?^[1]

References

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