Critical Analysis: Social Commentary in Gorillaz's 'Clint Eastwood'

This essay provides an analysis of Gorillaz's hit single 'Clint Eastwood,' examining its lyrical content, musical style, and cultural references. The author reflects on their initial impression of the song, noting its hip-hop structure, dub-reggae patterns, and thought-provoking lyrics. The analysis explores the song's use of African American colloquialisms, euphemisms, and sarcasm to convey themes of drug use, violence, and social conflict. The essay delves into the lyrical context, interpreting the song as a commentary on media influence and the corruption of thought. Characters are described in relation to Wild West films, with Clint Eastwood representing a figure fighting against evil. The speaker is identified as a cynical character torn between societal expectations and the harsh realities of truth, ultimately portraying a revolutionist seeking to free society from dependence on false reality. The essay concludes that the lyric retells a story of a young man, who is able to see a silver lining of hope through a shroud of darkness.

CLINT EASTWOOD- GORILLAZ
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Clint Eastwood- Gorillaz
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note
Title: Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Introduction:
Clint Eastwood is a hit single by the British rock band called Gorillaz which was released in
their self titles debut album in 2001 and in my opinion, has become one of the most iconic
songs of the time that pushed the group into stardom..
First Response:
When I heard the song 18 years go for the first time on MTV, I was quite amused by the
lyrics, musical style and the video. The song made references to several popular films such as
‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’. The song follows an overall hip-hop
style structure with heavy bass lines and dub-reggae patterns on the drums, and synth. I found
the lyrics to be especially interesting due to the monologue style of the song and due to the
meticulous usage of both optimistic as well as sarcastic styles of writing, interchanging the
mood of the song between the verses and chorus creating a didactic feeling for the song. I felt
the song conveys a strong message to the society about how the mainstream media and
popular films influence our thoughts, experiences and behaviors and it is slowly changing us
and our lives for the worse.
Usage of language:

2CLINT EASTWOOD- GORILLAZ
The song uses the African American colloquial and speaking style, through repetitive verses
and chorus. The song has several euphemisms for drug use, violence and social conflicts and
utilizes sarcasms to paint a picture of reality. I could also recorgnise several slangs which
were also used in the lyrics to emphasize and impress upon the feelings intended by the band.
“I'm useless but not for long -The future is coming on” this line shows both a pessimistic as
well as an optimistic mindset used together to create an impression of a conflicted and at the
same time self assured mind of the singer who feels optimistic of the future. The line “Picture
you gettin' down in a picture tube” also creates a mental picture of people being stuck inside
the picture tubes of a television. I think that such an usage of language creates a feeling of
despair and oppressiveness of human constructs to our own independence of thought.
Description of the lyrical context:
The lyrical context of the song is that of a wild wild west movie as seen in films such as ‘The
Good, the bad and the Ugly’ and popular culture that have developed around the film. The
song recounts the story of an individual who has been let out of the cage (or captivity) and is
free to do whatever he wants and fantasizes of a life like in the movies where people can do
whatever they want. The story takes in a fictional setting, but reflecting upon the media
controlled society, impressing upon the fact that our opinions, fantasies and behavior are
influenced by what we see on the television and that leads to the corruption of our thoughts,
being ‘sucked into the lies’ propagated on the TV. The singer proposes salvation to the
audiences by helping them to see the truth and ‘survive in the lawlessness’ and dysfunction in
the society.
Description of characters:

3CLINT EASTWOOD- GORILLAZ
The song title ‘Clint Eastwood’ has been made to refer to the genre of wild wild west movies
that showcased ‘self righteous’ gunslingers fighting against evil and corruption and
protecting the innocents. The song features Damon Albarn, Del the Funky Homosapien and
Jamie Hewlett who are prominent musicians and rappers of their time. The character of the
poem is influenced by wild Wild West films and actors like Clint Eastwood and consider him
to have an important role in the society in the near future. The people have been described as
being blinded by popular mainstream media and films, which prevents them to perceive the
reality of nature and thus keeps them oblivious, almost ‘zombie dancing’ to what they see on
television.
Identification of the speaker:
The main character on which the lyric of the song revolves in a cynical person with a lot
negative opinions about the society, its superficial nature and overdependence of media,
which makes them gullible and easily manipulated. The central character, which is a part of
the society, is torn between the expectations of being happy all the time and with the harsh
reality of truth. He portrays the conflicting emotions in a sarcastic note, using the approach of
a social commentary on how people are being controlled and manipulated by the television
and how it prevents people from sensing the reality in its true form. The character thus plays
a part of a revolutionist, as he intends to free the society from the dependence on false reality
and open their mind to the truth. The character is glad that even though he is not very useful
now, but in the near future he will play a big role in the society.
Description of the lyric:
The lyric retells a story of a young man, who is able to see a silver lining of hope through a
shroud of darkness and despair and see his role in the society to help others to see their reality
more clearly. This person was once a captive but now has gained freedom and now will go

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around repairing everything that needs to be mended. He is now free and will do whatever he
feels like and will not bother about his surroundings and will not be affected. He will not
command people on what to do but instead help people to ‘pick and choose’ the version or
reality they actually want and choose whether they prefer fiction over fact. He will also tell
people about life and the hypes around it and see the corruption and demise of the society
more clearly. The protagonist would then help people to survive in a lawless society, just like
Clint Eastwood did in the film ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’.