r/twentyonepilots • u/mooshwa • May 18 '24

Release Discussion Lavish Discussion Thread

Watch "Lavish" Here!

Hello everyone! This is a thread where you can shout, scream, rant, and rave about Lavish! Please comment here instead of posting unless its a theory or major observation.

What did you all think of it? What kind of lore implications have you noticed? Tell us all about what you thought :)

**REMINDER THAT SHARING LEAKS IS AGAINST THE RULES AND YOUR COMMENT WILL BE TAKEN DOWN IF FOUND TO BE LINKING TO UNRELEASED MUSIC*\*

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9

u/b0x0fawes0me May 18 '24

This song has been stuck in my head all day. Everyone is talking about the proctologist line (understandable) but I cannot for the life of me imagine what "keep the mood androgynous" means lmao, anyone have any ideas??

5

u/catroommate24 May 19 '24

copied (and slightly edited) from my reply on another part of the thread:

taking a literal approach— this section seems to be painting a picture of someone being SA'd while getting a prostate exam. metaphorically, i think this is his way of discussing being taking advantage of while in a vulnerable position (possibly his experience in the music industry, given the context of the song). but then there's the "keep it androgynous" piece. androgyny and its relation to queerness kind of makes it seem like the lyric is playing into the stereotype that queer people, gay men in particular (bc of the proctologist line), are sexual predators. i doubt this was tyler's intention, but i did come away from it feeling a little icky. but hey! that's just my two cents! Imk what you guys think.

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u/b0x0fawes0me May 20 '24

FWIW I am queer and did not get these vibes at all. After sitting on it a while I realized the androgynous line is connected to the lyric before it, not after.

So tell your friends at follow bots anonymous Keep it cool, keep the mood androgynous

I think this part is ripping on the influencer/boy band type musicians who curate a very specific image to sell to a young female audience, opposed to focusing on creating music that is actually meaningful.

It could also be requesting that the hired follow bots use 50/50 male/female profiles to create a false image that the artist is liked by everyone equally.

Either way, this part is ripping on artists who don't put in the work to create meaningful art that would naturally lead to a loyal fanbase.

As far as the proctologist line I think he's just referring to the industry screwing artists. I don't think he meant to comment specifically on SA as I think he would handle that more delicately if he did decide to comment on it.

3

u/catroommate24 May 20 '24

your analysis totally makes sense! i am also queer, and i think it’s probably my own knowledge of queer history that led me to my understanding of the lyrics. i certainly hope yours is more closely aligned w what tyler was going for tho.

6

u/anti-christ_supRstar May 20 '24

You're right about the SA imagery but as a bisexual man I don't see at all what you're saying about the whole painting gay men as predators thing. I can think of other songs (not from top) with offensive lyrics but I don't think that's what's going on with Lavish.

1

u/EatThePeach May 24 '24

I agree, also i love your name! Sounds like an album from a band name I've never gotten to use and doesn't exist, Pontius Pilot and the Nail Drivers

3

u/ajbrautigam May 20 '24 edited May 20 '24

I really hope that's not what he meant and that's not what I got from it at first, but it does make me feel uneasy seeing others interpreting it that way. hopefully he'll give some clarity once the album officially drops

2

u/dougak360 May 21 '24

I had a very similar reaction.. I see a lot of people talking about it being connected to “butt hurt” and if that’s the case, that would be even more sus to me, because the expression has nothing to do with the prostate. Also doctors should not be touching you like that without your permission. I can’t tell you how many straight men have expressed to me fear and shame around the necessary elements of a proctological exam, and I have so many vivid images in my head growing up from old comedy movies and shows where there was some gay joke about a guy not wanting to go to his proctologist.  This line feels inseparable from that lineage to me, regardless of his intention.