"The Underdogs" Fight Back

Spoon is an American Indie rock band that have been in the shadows. “The Underdog” on their album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is one of their most known tracks. The song itself is very ironic considering who the lyrics are directed towards. The band is not interested in being huge celebrities by being dragged into big music industry. They don’t intend to compete to be the best band and just be about making money and living the good life. They don’t want to be involved in the music industry. Through the lyrics of this song, they express their opposition to the fullest against big business.

The song starts off by expressing their disinterest in competition, making money, and working 24/7.

          Picture yourself in the living room
          Your pipe and slippers set out for you
          I know you think that it ain't too far

They know that they are not what record companies are looking for and for that he is okay with being the underdog and not trying to take any shortcuts to becoming successful. The use imagery is very intriguing as the imagery is expressed and using “you” informally to describe the music industry.

They target big businesses by using personification in connecting the “middleman” with the infamous music industry in a negative connotation.


          But I, I hear the call of a lifetime ring
          Felt the need to get up for it
          Oh, you cut out the middleman
          Get free from the middleman


These big businesses make loads of money and just think they are the greatest, but a lot of people like this tend to forget about what's important in life, they might miss, "the call of a lifetime ring".

They use the metaphor of being “underdogs” positively to explain why they despise the music industry and how they are getting along just fine without their help.

          I want to forget how conviction fits
          But can I get out from under it?

Their efforts to stand up and make their life mean something fundamental in the contemporary music industry.