Meaning of circuit bending

Circuit bending is rewiring electronic toys to produce new sounds or visuals. A bender takes the electricity  and points it to a strange shortcut. The new sound is usually bizarre and unpredictable. Blur, Devo and Kraftwerk have used circuit bent instruments in their music. However what's the meaning of this act?

Photo by Casper Electronics

Circuit bending is done in three stages. First the instruments circuit is exposed and using a wire, new paths for electricity are tried. The combinations that produce interesting sounds are marked down. Anything potentially harmful or dangerous is left aside. The new paths are tried with different resistors and condenser and the productive ones are equipped with switches and fitted on the casing. In the last stage all the different possibilities are tried combined.

Circuit bending is a way of resistance and anarchy. In life "fight the system" and "fight the machine" are statements that "cool punk kids" make. In circuit bending they are very real, as the machine and its system exist physically. The bender opposes the system and rewires it to fit its needs. Bending toys made by corporations isn't playing nice. The toys meant to be mentally dulling for children end up in the hands of music enthusiasts, who use them in practical ways and might even make money doing so. Toys are rewired into tools.

Bender reroutes electricity

Circuit bending can also be seen as a virus as it's installed on the working unit and begins altering its performance. The original isn't altered but rather upgraded, this can be seen as benevolent physical hacking. It opposes conformist consuming and makes the user a co-author of the product, claiming power over it.

Stay mad!

Meaning of lyrics - Justin Bieber - Baby

Today we look at the meaning of lyrics and the first song is Baby by Justin Bieber. There are people who say that pop lyrics don't mean anything and that Biebers lyrics aren't poetic. Lets see if that's true.

You know you love me, I know you care

Just shout whenever, and I'll be there

You are my love, you are my heart

And we will never, ever, ever be apart

Justin Bieber got dumped.

Justin is talkin. Saying he knows the girl loves him and he loves her and promises to be there for her (as Rick Astley will never let you down). As it later turns out the girl doesn't know she loves Justin and goes for someone else. Justin says they will always be together. It all takes place in the present with promises for the future or even eternal love. Everything seems to be going well from Justin's point of view, but what about reality?

Are we an item? Girl, quit playin'

"We're just friends," what are you sayin'?

Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes

My first love broke my heart for the first time

By the second verse something has changed. His optimism is gone and the girl has revealed to him that they are just friends. In fact there's another boy as she tells him in person (maybe they only met online before). Justin is surprised and heartbroken by this message. He probably didn't listen to the girl before. The time is now in the past. There must have been a considerable pause between the first and second verse or the first verse was just denial and delusions. Justin goes a bit crazy and starts talking like a valleygirl.

And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh

Like baby, baby, baby, no

Like baby, baby, baby, oh

I thought you'd always be mine, mine x2

Justin showing off  his love skills.

Time for the chorus. Still in the past and mostly "baby". Repetition decreases the significance and turns "baby, baby, baby" into bla bla bla. "Baby" loses all meaning in the end. When we remove the extra pop baggage it's basicly: "And I was like baby, oh no. I thought you'd always be mine". Justin thought she would own the girl forever and is shocked to discover that it's not like that. It's not nice to think that you own another person, that's why they probably broke up in the first place. The first verse must have been delusions as he reveals in the chorus that they are no longer together.

For you, I would have done whatever

And I just can't believe we're here together

And I wanna play it cool, but I'm losin' you

I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring

Back into the present. Justin seems to be together again with her heart breaker to his amazement. He would have done anything in the past, but now he just promises to buy her back with gifts or even a ring. Who would want a girl that runs around for a ring? No doubt Justin has money to buy the girl anything she wants, but the girl isn't going for it and I would say that's a good choice. 

And I'm in pieces, baby fix me

And just shake me 'til you wake me from this bad dream

I'm goin' down, down, down, down

And I just can't believe my first love won't be around

As many men before him, Justin goes on a bender with his broken heart and waits for his first love to get him out of it. She isn't wasting her time on losers like Justin and is probably having fun with her new boyfriend, who didn't try to buy her with a ring or other stuff. Men, don't be losers whining to your ex when heartbroken. 

When I was 13, I had my first love

There was nobody that compared to my baby

And nobody came between us who could ever come above

She had me going crazy, oh I was starstruck

She woke me up daily, don't need no Starbucks

She made my heart pound

I skip a beat when I see her in the street

And at school on the playground

But I really wanna see her on a weekend

She know she got me dazin' 'cause she was so amazin'

And now my heart is breakin' but I just keep on sayin'

Ludacris comes to rescue and tells about his first love. He was 13. She drove him crazy and got him out of the bed in the morning (at 13?) with his heart pounding. At least this helped him battle his Starbucks coffee addiction. Now his heart skips a beat when he sees her on the street or at the school playground. It seems love can do a lot of things to your heart. He is 34 now so his heartache has lasted 20 years. Justin's heartbreak opens up the wounds in Ludacris' heart and there comes the chorus.

Baby, baby, baby, oh...

I'm all gone

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)x2

Now I'm all gone

(Yeah, yeah, yeah)x2

Now I'm all gone, gone, gone, gone

I'm gone

This is the good part. Justin is all gone. Gone fishing? Gone insane? Possibly both, we are gone for now, but we'll be back with a fresh insight into the meaning of stuff or the meaninglessness.

Stay mad!