The National – The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness

Song

"The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" is a song by American indie rock band The National.

It was released as the lead single for their seventh studio album, Sleep Well Beast, at 12:01 am Eastern Time on 11 May 2017. The song was written by Aaron Dessner, Matt Berninger, and Bryce Dessner and produced by Aaron Dessner (with co-production by Bryce Dessner, Matt Berninger, and Peter Katis). A music video for the song was released on the same day and was directed by Casey Reas.

It was the band's first song to appear on any airplay chart in the United States, ultimately topping Billboard's Adult Alternative Songs chart in August 2017 and peaking at No. 33 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart early the following month. The song is featured in soundtrack of the EA Sports video game FIFA 18.

Critical reception

On the day of its release Pitchfork named it Best New Track, noting that "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness" is "heavy and urgent and surprisingly aggressive—and not just because of Aaron Dessner's gnarly guitar solo in the middle."

Also Paste magazine named it one of the five best songs of the week, placing it at position 4 and wrote: "Floating in with poignant piano chords and twitchy guitar, 'The System' features multiple instrumental layers, with trumpet fluttering over propulsive percussion and Matt Berninger's thundering baritone. It's a fine return to form."

The song was also cited as one of Barack Obama's favorite songs of 2017 in a Spotify playlist compiled by Obama at the end of the year.

Album

Sleep Well Beast è il settimo album in studio del gruppo rock statunitense The National, pubblicato nel 2017.

Artist

I National sono un gruppo musicale indie rock formatosi a Cincinnati e attivo dal 1999. I testi della band sono tutti scritti e cantati da Matt Berninger, cantante con voce baritonale. Con lui nella band, due coppie di gemelli: Aaron e Bryce Dessner, Scott e Bryan Devendorf.

Al gruppo si unisce spesso Padma Newsome, cantante e tastierista dei Clogs, che cura gli arrangiamenti per gli archi e le tastiere.

Maybe I listen more than you think
And I can tell that somebody sold you
We said we'd never let anyone in
We said we'd only die of lonely secrets

The system only dreams in total darkness
Why are you hiding from me?
We're in a different kind of thing now
All night you're talking to God

I thought that this would all work out after a while
Now you're saying that I'm asking for too much attention
Also no other faith is light enough for this place
We said we'd only die of lonely secrets

The system only dreams in total darkness
Why are you hiding from me?
We're in a different kind of thing now
All night you're talking to God

I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way
I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way

The system only dreams in total darkness
Why are you hiding from me?
We're in a different kind of thing now
All night you're talking to God

I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way
I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way

I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way
I cannot explain it
Any other, any other way

Forse ascolto più di quanto tu pensi
E posso affermare che qualcuno ti ha venduto
Dicevamo che non avremmo mai fatto intromettere nessuno
Noi dicemmo che saremmo morti solo a causa di segreti solitari

Il sistema sogna sono nel buio totale
Perché ti stai nascondendo da me?
Ora siamo coinvolti in cose diverse
Tu parli a dio tutta la notte

Pensavo che avrebbe funzionato dopo un po'
Ora stai dicendo che sto chiedendo troppa attenzione
Anche che nessun'altra fede è abbastanza luminosa per questo posto
Noi dicemmo che saremmo morti solo a causa di segreti solitari

Il sistema sogna sono nel buio totale
Perché ti stai nascondendo da me?
Ora siamo coinvolti in cose diverse
Tu parli a dio tutta la notte

Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo
Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo

Il sistema sogna sono nel buio totale
Perché ti stai nascondendo da me?
Ora siamo coinvolti in cose diverse
Tu parli a dio tutta la notte

Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo
Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo

Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo
Non posso spiegarlo
In nessun altro, in nessun altro modo