<\/p>\n
Zach Bryan\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> \u201canti-ICE\u201d song is finally here.<\/p>\n The country music superstar released his sixth studio album, With Heaven On Top<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, earlier today, and it\u2019s already making headlines. For one, many fans are noticing the Bruce Springsteen-inspired sound on much of the project, while others are talking about how produced this album sounds compared to Bryan\u2019s past releases (Zach went ahead and announced an acoustic version of the album<\/a><\/strong> for those ready to complain).<\/p>\n And though there\u2019s plenty of songs that are worthy of discussion in the track list (\u201cSkin\u201d seems to be a straight shot at his ex-girlfriend, Brianna Chickenfry), the one that many were waiting to hear in full was Bryan\u2019s politically charged \u201cBad News.\u201d<\/p>\n It was early in October when the country singer first shared a snippet of the song, and as you might imagine, the buzz around the song shot to the stratosphere. Now that it\u2019s finally here, I thought it\u2019d be appropriate to really break down the lyrics of the track that even got the attention of the Department of Homeland Security when it was initially teased.<\/p>\n The first verse doesn\u2019t necessarily touch on anything too political, though it does throw out a line about the police being \u201ccocky mother*******,\u201d which could be a reference to Bryan\u2019s personal run in with the authorities in September of 2023. It could also just could be a shot at law enforcement in general:<\/p>\n \u201cDidn\u2019t wake up dead or in jail<\/em> However, once the song gets to its second verse, it dives into the political side of things. Right off the bat, Bryan takes aim at the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). And towards the end of the verse, the country star reveals that the \u201cBad News\u201d he\u2019s singing about is the \u201cfading of the red, white and blue.\u201d He also seems to lament that Bruce Springsteen, who is famously anti-Trump, has lost some fans recently:<\/p>\n \u201cAnd ICE is gonna come, bust down your door<\/em> Obviously, that line about the \u201cImmigration and Customs Enforcement\u201d is timely, considering there\u2019s much debate about how ICE handled a tense situation in Minneapolis, Minnesota early in January. Bryan couldn\u2019t have ever guessed that his song \u2013 which he wrote months ago \u2013 questioning the organization would drop at such a charged time in the political climate.<\/p>\n When \u201cBad News\u201d gets to it\u2019s chorus, it keeps things concise and inquisitive. It first harkens to the 1951 song by Woody Guthrie that everyone is familiar with: \u201cThis Land Is Your Land.\u201d I\u2019d argue that it\u2019s an interesting juxtaposition. While that old, classic, patriotic song paints a more hopeful depiction of the United States, Zach\u2019s song asks if the country we are living in is really as bad as it\u2019s portrayed on the news:<\/p>\n \u201cThis land\u2019s your land<\/em> I also have to point out that the song\u2019s sound and speed doesn\u2019t necessarily match the somber tone the lyrics give off. That could be intentional, since Bryan is asking if it\u2019s \u201call true\u201d or if it\u2019s \u201cjust bad news?\u201d The rhythm of the song could represent an unwillingness to accept or be numb to with the current state of the world.<\/p>\n In the verse following the chorus, Zach Bryan does take aim at the other side of the aisle (as he said he would when he defended the song during it\u2019s initial backlash). There\u2019s a quick line at the beginning that accuses the right of \u201cturning red\u201d and the left being \u201cwoke.\u201d Then another portion brings attention to the overwhelming bad news that comes through our televisions, as Bryan says that every day he turns on the news, there\u2019s news about gun violence:<\/p>\n \u201cWell, he said, she said, mirrors and smoke<\/em> All in all, I think \u201cBad News\u201d can best be described as Zach Bryan\u2019s general lament on the state of the world. Though I\u2019m sure some will listen and take issue with certain portions, I\u2019d say the 29-year-old artist does a decent job of touching on the feeling of hopelessness that some feel, and the overwhelming divisiveness of the United States of America. It\u2019s not a rallying cry by any means. Zach seems to just be holding a mirror up to society, and capturing this moment in time through his music.<\/p>\n And at the end of the day, isn\u2019t that one of the critical roles of art?<\/p>\n \u201cBad News\u201d by Zach Bryan<\/strong><\/p>\n
Some out of town boys been giving us hell<\/em>
I got some bad news<\/em>
I woke up missing you<\/em>
My friends are all degenerates but they\u2019re all I got<\/em>
The generational story of dropping the plot<\/em>
I heard the cops came<\/em>
Cocky mother******* ain\u2019t they?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Try to build a house no one builds no more<\/em>
But I got a\u00a0telephone<\/em>
Kids are all scared and all alone<\/em>
The Boss stopped bumping, the rock stopped rolling<\/em>
The middle fingers rising and it won\u2019t stop showing<\/em>
I got some bad news<\/em>
The fading of the red, white and blue\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
This land mine too<\/em>
Is this all true, man?<\/em>
Or is it just bad news<\/span>?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Right\u2019s turned red and the left\u2019s all woke<\/span><\/em>
Got some bad news<\/em>
I woke up missing you<\/em>
My friends are all degenerates, they\u2019re all I got<\/em>
Every day on the news, someone else is shot<\/em>
I got some bad news<\/em>
The fading of the red, white and blue<\/span><\/em>
I served eight years just to be told<\/span><\/em>
That nobody cares and land\u2019s all sold<\/em>
I got some bad news<\/em>
I woke up missing you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n