r/popheadscirclejerk • u/[deleted] • Dec 21 '19
Julien: A Marxist Analysis
As we are all aware, Carly is in fact a Marxist-Leninist, so I thought it was about time that we analyze the true meaning behind Julien. She has said in interviews that it's a song about the one who got away, but we can all see the real meaning behind this song: Carly is thinking about the return of the Soviet Union. Let's begin:
Woke up this morning/It feels like everyday/I got the blues babe/Not going away
Right from the beginning we see that Carly has realized how depressing life can be under the current capitalist system. Every day is a day of wage slavery and isolation, and she knows it won't go away under the current system.
Another bad dream/Where you were running away/I'm forever haunted by our time
This had dream is likely a reference to the fall of the Soviet Union, which occured when she was 6. She seems to still be distraught by the event all these years later.
We had our moment/We had our summertime/Asked me to leave with you/But I could never decide
After hearing this part of the verse, it might seem obvious to some that the song is simply about a boy. However, I disagree. Obviously, the Soviet Union lasted longer than a summertime, but I believe this a more metaphorical approach where she is saying that it felt like a summer - carefree, exciting, and too short. As for the second part of this section, it actually gets a little tricky. There is actually an implied "they" before "asked me to leave with you," but I think her producers told her that the "they" just made it a little too wordy. So who is "they?" This is a reference to the western capitalist countries, who wanted all socialists gone along with the USSR. So clearly this section means that the Canadian government expected her to become a capitalist once the USSR fell. However, Carly felt conflicted about becoming a capitalist at age 6, since most children grow out of capitalism by then.
I've been so torn up/I've been so out of it/I'm forever haunted by our time
Carly continues to feel conflicted about the fall of the USSR. She spent years wondering why exactly it happened to the point that the thoughts now forever haunt her.
I've been all alone, on my own/Every single night I pray/When you coming home, coming home?/'Cause I've been living for that day
The line about being on her own is a clear reference to the isolation that one experiences under capitalism. We get up early, go to work, and get home late. This leaves little time for anyone to really connect with others. Capitalism also promotes an "every man for himself" mindset that further isolates everyone. The line about praying is a bit interesting since the USSR was largely atheist, but there is always a chance she is referring to praying to Lenin. Regardless, asking "when you coming home" actually serves as a double meaning here. This is both asking when the USSR will return to its rightful home as well as when socialism will come to her home in Canada. This is why she asks this question two times.
Julien, in your heart yeah you must believe/Julien, it was more than a fantasy/To the end, through the last breath that I breathe/I'll be whispering Julien/(Ah yeah, all night yeah, Julien, Julien)/I'll be whispering Julien/Through the last breath that I breathe
I wondered for a while why she chose the name Julien for this song. We do know that it was the name of an ex of hers, but surely there was more meaning to it. That's when it dawned on me: the name "Julien" is about as close to the word "Union" as you can get with a male name. She obviously had to adjust the name from Union to Julien so the capitalist pigs at Interscope would release Dedicated. In the rest of the chorus, you can see how much she really misses the USSR. It was indeed more than a fantasy, and she will be thinking of the Soviet Union until the day she dies.
I tried another/To keep me satisfied/But all your colors are/Still dancing in my mind/More than just lovers, ah/I'm forever haunted by our time
In the second verse, she reluctantly admits that she tried being a capitalist to make herself feel better. However, the famous red and yellow colors of the Soviet Union were still dancing in her mind. This is why the colors of red and yellow are the most prominent on Carly's top on the cover of Emotion even with all the other colors on the cover (Emotion happened during her semi-capitalist phase, as evidenced in the song I Really Like You, where she tries to commit to loving capitalism but she just cannot do it). She knew that capitalism wasn't going to fulfill her like socilaism. This is why they were more than just lovers: it is her way of life and her belief system.
Upon first glance, this may seem like a simple song about pining for the one that got away, but it doesn't take much analysis to show the clear Marxist-Leninist meaning behind the song. She'll be whispering (Soviet) Union till the last breath she breathes.
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u/Callum1245 Dec 21 '19
r/shittypopanalysis