This article deconstructs the song DLZ by TV on the Radio. My interpretation of the song is that it is a story about an individual’s rise to power and the inner conflict that he experiences as his desire for wealth and influence collides with a sense of guilt that is brought on by his own misdeeds. The article intermixes the song lyrics with my analysis.

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A Creative Effort Results in Failure

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The song begins somewhat somberly but none the less sparks interest immediately within the listener. An internal dialogue begins between the main character and his conscience and the listener becomes aware that an argument is taking place and that a story is about to unfold.

Conscience:

Congratulations on the mess you made of things.
On trying to re-construct the air and all that brings.
And oxidation is the compromise you own…

The first lines of the song are sung with an air of condescension. Congratulations on your failure suggests that the individual is being scolded on his reckless actions which resulted in failure. To re-construct the air is to create; as in, to create a chemical reaction. Oxidation refers to a deconstructive process, like rust forming on iron.

A Desire for Wealth and Power

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Conscience:

This is beginning to feel, like the dog wants her bone.

Undeterred by failure, the antagonist persistently and enthusiastically pushes forward in his pursuits, like a dog with a bone.

You force your fire and you falsify your deeds.
Your methods dot the disconnect from all your creeds.

He forces his will upon the world by any means necessary, lying and cheating his way to the top - 'falsifying his deeds.' However, these methods go against his own internal beliefs system, his “creeds,” which evokes a strong sense of guilt within him.

And fortune try’s to fill the vacuum that it feeds.
But this is beginning to feel, like the dogs lost her lead.

Eventually, his moral values succumb to his desire for wealth and power. The individual casts aside his morals and becomes uninhibited and free to force his influence on the world like a dog off its leash. At this point, the song begins to pick up pace. Anticipation builds as the rhythmic tempo increases and the vocals intensify. Within the song, the individual’s conscience reels in horror at what it is witnessing which is the birth of something evil.

Losing Control

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Conscience:

This is beginning to feel like the long winded blues of the never....like its curling up slowly and finding a throat to choke.

The individual is becoming more powerful but he is out of control. He is remorseless and hungry for power and he consumes everything within his reach. Merciless, he acts like an

uncontrolled locomotivedevoted to crushing the broken and shoving their souls to ghost…

Separating himself from his humanity, he constructs his evil empire and gives birth to a legacy. However, unbeknownst to him, he is losing himself. He becomes unstable. Consumed by madness he pushes beyond his limits and unwittingly sets in motion is own moral demise. Cracks form and ripple through his foundation.

This is beginning to feel like the bolt busted loose from the lever.”

Death Professor

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The song soon reaches its climax and the vocals reach their maximum intensity. The individual attempts to shrug off his guilt - "never mind," but his conscience spews outward from within him and drops all illusions of what he has become, a “death professor!” Again he tries to ignore the truth – “never mind,” but his conscience relentlessly persists – “Death professor!” But it is all too late. The individual’s product and legacy, have become “objectified,” and “crystallized.” They are worshiped like a God, celebrity or drug. Now, fueled by society’s validation and the sense of power that it brings, the individual casts aside all moral and social constraints and opts to pursue his own destructive force. He screams back at his conscience

Your structure’s fine.My dust is better.

His Conscience retorts:

Your victim fly's so highall to get a birds eye view of...

But now, concerned with only his pursuit of finding another victim, he cuts his conscience off

Who's next.

A Twisted Doctor Creating Sickness

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Now like a twisted “doctor” standing in a tower high above all others, he scans the world below, looking endlessly for his next victim

Y’all could use a doctor

But his conscience pleads with him and points out that no one is in need of his services

who’s sick?

But he ignores it and continues on

who’s next.

In this case the individual’s genius is that, in spite of there being no apparent ailment within his victims, he has convinced them that they are not whole. He has replaced their need for love, with a tangible object that feeds their own egoistic desires. He acts as a salesman selling evil contracts, enticing his victims with false promises. He offers them bliss and fulfillment, perhaps in the form of promises for wealth, or a drug, or even a shiny new gadget like a smart phone. He states

If love is lifeMy love is better...

These lines suggest that his victims are looking for something to fill their void. They do not realize that everything they need is already within them (love) and so they succumb to the evil doctors lies that they are not whole and that only he has the cure.

Victims and Lies

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The individuals Conscience tries to reason with him and points out his deceit

Your fiction flies so high.

But he doesn't care. He is taken by his own self-righteousness. He is lost in his own ego.

ElectrifiedMy love is betterIt’s crystallized, so am I.

The victims take the Doctors offer and sign his evil contract. They give him their soul which further empowers him. His victims are momentarily engulfed in bliss and satisfaction. However, as they come down from their brief satisfactory high, they soon realize that they were just a target. A casualty.

They are now addicted and are left wanting more. But the twisted doctor has already moved on to his next victim

who’s next.

The Dawn of a Loser Forever

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Quickly the intensity of the vocals drop and the song ends in a chant describing a vicious cycle of loss. The main character has experienced a definitive loss of morality and his victims have lost their sense of self and their internal love. Both have lost something significant.

Conscience:

This is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser foreverThis is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser foreverThis is beginning to feel like the dawn of a loser forever

Conclusion

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Though the listener may not at first be aware of the songs meaning they are none the less, left with the realization that they have experienced something profound.

We are all victims looking for fulfillment for our own unique personal void. We are forever chasing something that lies just beyond our reach, forever failing to realize that everything we need has always been and always will be within us. We continue to chase our highs because we are all addicts.

The Song: DLZ by TV on the Radio

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