United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage

I want to begin saying this song is incredibly powerful and moving. This is Muse at their best. However, I was a bit disappointed at first because Matthew Bellamy decided to withdraw from his usual falsetto vocals and focus on singing tenor. This adds a darker, more powerful mood and feeling to the song. Albeit, I was personally thrown a bit off because of it. The first thing that popped into mind was "Are they trying to go mainstream?" Probably not, though.

The components of this song are absolutely brilliant. They heavily visited Queen in the song, made the instrumental section Arabic, and in the end added a stunning arrangement of one of Chopin's Nocturnes accompanied with background noises of children and jet airplanes. I believe they incorporated these three elements to symbolically fuse three different cultures together. Queen from the USA, Chopin from Europe, and Arabian style music from the middle east.

I also believe that this song is inspired from the book 1984. Does anyone think likewise?

Other than that, the main message of this song is saying regardless of the trivial disputes of countries, we should all work together for the greater purpose of mankind.

Matt Bellamy discussed this song in a recent interview with Zane Lowe.

"United States of Eurasia" refers to a book called "The Grand Chessboard" by a man called Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former United States National Security Advisor.

In the book, Brzezinski claims that if the countries of Europe and Asia were to ever unify into a super-continent, the USA would no longer be the dominant world superpower and there would be a massive war.

The United States of Eurasia would be a huge threat to America, so it is in the President's best interest to allow/encourage warfare between Eurasian countries, to prevent the continents from ever unifying.

This song is about how there will be endless war in Eurasia, allowed/propagated by the US President.

The song refers to George Orwell's novel "1984". Eurasia was one of the three super states (the others being Oceania and Eastasia)in the book.

"You and me are the same we don't know or care whose to blame but we know that whoever holds the reins nothing will change; our cause has gone insane"

The book mainly focuses on the journey of Winston Smith who belongs to the Outer Party of the super state, Oceania (which is at war with Eastasia and/or Eurasia). The Inner Party and Outer Party are the minority of the population (with the proletariat (proles) being the majority). Most, if not the whole, of the population are kept in the dark of the real happenings outside Oceania. They are fed news (which is subject to change at any time) and fed lies. They aren't informed, let alone interested in causes of the war against Eastasia and/or Eurasia.

"and these wars; they can't be won and these wars; they can't be won and do you want them to go on, and on, and on? Why split these states when there can be only one?"

The wars between the superpowers are perpetual as a means of controlling the populations with fear and also a means of bringing the population together to work as a whole. The war is also used as an excuse to use up resources and products that the Outer Party/Proles make keeping them in poverty.

"And must we do as we're told? And must we do as we're told?"

In the novel Winston Smith grows thoughts of discontent against the Party and questions their authority.

"You and me fall in line to be punished for unproven crimes and we know there is no one we can trust our ancient heroes; they are turning to dust"

All members of the party are kept in order by fear. The novel also tells of a tightly regimented force called the Thought Police who identify and bring in anyone they suspect of thinking, acting and planning against the party. They are then taken to the Ministry of Love where they are tortured and interrogated until they confess what they have done - even if they've not done anything. Evidence is forged to support the case against them. With the presence of the Thought Police, Winston fears speaking aloud to anyone his thoughts against the party in fear they might be a member of the Thought Police or might report them to the Though Police.

As News is subject to change, so is history. "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." Their old and new heroes are turned to dust as history is burnt to dust in the incinerator and history is rewritten.

I hope this song encourges all of you to read the book, it's wonderful.

fully loaded song...sounded very Queen like with a bit of chopin's nocturne wrapped up in all that wonderful muse-ness :)

Look at the meaning of this song in relation to the bigger picture. Obviously, Muse is for resistance against those elite forces behind the curtains (Bilderberg Group, etc.). I am predicting the new album to be based on such ideas known as conspiracy theories in mainstream society. This song in particular sounds like a man attempting to create the start of a resistance/revolution against the forces essentially dictating the path of humanity. The New World Order has been underway for years; prepare yourselves! Resist!!!

To me this song is just retelling the plot of 1984... the most amazing book ever. This song is amazing. And the rendition of Nocturne No. 2 (my wedding song) just puts the icing on the cake.

I can see where the link with George Orwell's 1984 might come from, but really for me it's more about the decline and fall of empires, the wars that precede each decline, followed by the rise of the new power. The song speaks in particular of 'these wars, which can't be won', Iraq and Afghanistan spring to mind.

The whole lyrical play on 'United States', makes it obvious to me that the empire that is being talked of is the USA, being replaced by an empire spanning the Eurasian continent, namely Europe, the Russian states, ( former USSR), and China.

This song is one of the many that speak of a dystopian future, and also point out that our present isn't much better, wars leading to more wars, mistakes of the past forgotten about and repeated, repression of personal freedoms, it's all in there.

The piano piece at the end is by Frédéric Chopin, it’s his Nocturne No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Opus 9

As a young man, Beethoven always won the women my age over, now in my (early) 40s, Chopin is the way to their hearts...

Fairly straightforward lyrics. We as people will never be able to reach our full potential because no matter which country is the "leader" of the world there will still be wars fought for no reason. Global powers have come and gone throughout the course of history and we haven't learned from their mistakes.

I love the lyric, you and me fall in line to be punished for unproven crimes. People will almost always believe what propaganda is thrown in front of them by their own country and then when it's revealed they were wrong it's ultimately the people who must pay the price for their leaders' mistakes.

this is a fantastic song, i love their music and can't wait to hear the new album!