Currently Listening

Getting Nowhere by Magnetic Man and John Legend



I was recently informed about a new song entitled “Getting Nowhere” by Magnetic Man featuring John Legend. Being the enthusiastic John Legend fan that I am, I scrambled to the nearest computer to search for the song. Upon listening to it, I was immediately thrown off by a beat contrary to what I expected from John Legend. He is often praised for his harmonious piano accompaniment and mellow melodies that can uplift one’s very soul (or maybe that’s just the effect it has on me), but only his vocals were present.

Since my iTunes library was never introduced to Magnetic Man, I consulted with the electronic whiz kid, Google, to find out who this artist was. Despite the misleading name, Magnetic Man is actually a three-man group from London known as the originators of dubstep, a form of electronic beat music.

The song describes our world as stagnant. The chorus conjures up two images in my mind: a hamster on a gigantic hamster-wheel and Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain; both metaphors for the human race. We’re exerting so much energy, but remain in the same place, hence the title “Getting Nowhere.” The constant shift between the chorus and each verse intensifies this thought.

The lyrics underscore a few flaws in present-society: incessant texting and excessive use of energy both individually and globally. The music video further pinpoints the problems of our world in a subtle manner: prostitution, garbage control, video games, poverty, crime, and economy. Watch the video to find these subliminal messages.


Throughout the entire music video there are men in different colored hoodies riding BMX bikes. They are symbolic of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Within the New Testament it is told that upon Judgment Day, the world would be visited by four horsemen each representative of something: war, famine, death, and conquest. This suggests that, rather than impending doom, the end of world is already upon us. Our civilization has become so chaotic and demented that we aren’t waiting on line to see 2012; we’re already living the experience. I entreat you to leave your own responses and feelings about “Getting Nowhere” in the comment section below.






Forever at the whim of the reader,

Joel Cruz