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"Human" become a number-one song on the israeli single chart this week. source: http://www.charts.co.il/charts.asp?id=12 -- Albuman ( talk) 19:10, 24 December 2008 (UTC)
At the end of the song, the lyrics drift into a sampling of lyrics from the song "Dancing Horses" by 80s alternative band Echo & The Bunnymen. Also dancers would make sense as it ryhmes with "answer" which is 2lines after "are we human or are we dancer"
I've read in a german translation of the lyrics a new way to look at the line "Are we human or are we dancer?": They claim that dancer ist meant as marionette. That would make sense with 2 other lines: "Cut the cord" and "... I'm on my knees ...": Because if you cut the cord of a (dancing) marionette it falls to its knees. Furthermore: A marionette has vital signs (like dancing) but cold hands. Maybe it's a jibe at the music industry ...
-- Eddie2 ( talk) 10:51, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
Or maybe it's a jab at the type of human beings many have become? "Vital" as in actions are being taken, but "hands are cold" as in those actions are only about appearance and not substance. Papillonone ( talk) 03:37, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
This is my first contribution to a discussion on Wikipedia, so take it easy on me! I agree with the comment directly above that the discussion is great and very interesting. However the addition of paragraphs relating to theories circulating in The Netherlands, while plausible and interesting, don't add much substance to the article, in my opinion. Can they be 'firmed up' with references etc.?-- Homer2 ( talk) 21:35, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
Maybe it's "Are we Human or (Face) Dancer?" As in the shapechanging Face Dancers from Frank Herbert's Dune series, engineered beings used to assassinate humans and steal their identities for nefarious purposes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.198.55.163 ( talk) 22:15, 4 June 2010 (UTC)
The words "My Sign is Vital" in the Killers 'Áre We Human' recalled something that eluded discovery for a while. Upon further reflection the Rush song 'Vital Signs' was reviewed and it was noted that it too has a message that is quite timely and important, or rather- vital. It was also noticed that this Rush song shares areas of grammatical incorrectness with the Killers song. One of the Rush phrases is: 'Everybody got to elevate from the norm. Coincidence or connection?-- 79.179.111.78 ( talk) 02:52, 19 March 2009 (UTC)TJ
The article clearly describes the meaning behind the line "Are we human, or are we dancer?" but why is the line "...are we dancer?" and not "...are we dancers?" How can "we" (a collective) be a "dancer" (one)? E.G. ( talk) 07:16, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
Hi there, the song isn't about 'Dancers' as in people who dance! Dancer refers to a state of mind which comes from a quote which they heard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.97.244 ( talk) 13:58, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
I believe the grammatical conflicts can also be explained via "poetic license." Papillonone ( talk) 03:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
"Dancing" actually can be an adjective (technically, a present participle), as in "dancing bears." Also, it is important to distinguish between "human" as a noun and "human" as an adjective. In other words, you can be "a human" or you can be "human". If I ask you, "Are you human?", it implies that being "human" is somehow more significant than being "a human." You would answer "yes", but then the question could be asked, "what does it mean to be human?" So, it is "human" as a description of identity. If I ask "are you a human", you would simply say "yes", and that would suffice. It would be a scientific, not a philosophical question.
In essence, being "human" is not simply a label, not simply a species. It is a state of existence, and it implies far more than just being a living creature. For example, atrocities committed by actual humans are sometimes described as "not human" or "inhuman" because we have standards for what it means to be "human". But any single human could commit such atrocities and be considered "not human" because he or she is not acting in accordance with what it means to be human.
Likewise, it seems that the songwriter might be implying that "dancer" is a state of mind that has certain standards as well. By saying "dancer", the link between the individual and the way the individual is choosing to be identified is much stronger than simply being "a dancer" or any ol' dancer. By saying "I am a dancer", I simply indicate what I do. By saying "I am dancer", I mean that I inhabit some sort of existence that is defined by the essence, the energy of dancing. Perhaps by being "dancer", one becomes more in tune with the rhythms of the world around him or her. So, what may seem to be a simple grammatical mistake may have been a very careful rhetorical (meaning "for a specific purpose") choice indicating a plane of existence that is not just "human", but "dancer" as well.
I'm sure a linguist could offer a more scientific explanation of how the word "dancer" is being used in a non-traditional way. User:godummydotshutup —Preceding undated comment added 05:24, 18 January 2010 (UTC).
Lyrically it's just cleaner, more elegant. Instead of saying "humans/dancers", he chose to say "human/dancer" thus removing the extrenuous s's (which wouldn't have added any meaning, but wouldn't have sounded as good) Beyond that, the song is in fact a "dance" song ;) He didn't want the lyrics to be interpreted literally, because that would be an easy way to dismiss the deeper meaning. ("are we... dancers" is more prone to literal interpretation, than "are we... dancer") "dancer" is being used as a metaphor, as others have said, referencing a marionette. But then, when you do take the song literally, then basically the lyrics are saying "are you going to dance or not?" So in that sense it's telling you to dance to the song ^^ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.193.189.7 ( talk) 14:26, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
If you consider the parallel construction in his question--“Are we human or are we dancer?"--, dancer is obviously a plural collective noun, just as human is. —Preceding F. Macias comment added by 140.147.236.194 ( talk) 19:51, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
Hi there. "Human" became a number one song in the UK also, not a number 3 song. As far as i'm aware it's been their only number one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.97.244 ( talk) 13:31, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
To the user who undid the (correctly added) link to the official video - don't go randomly reverting edits without paying a little attention. The link was to the official video, posted by Universal Music Group. That it "isn't released in all countries" is not even something that matters in this context (although if you DO somehow know the countries it was released in, or that it specifically wasn't released in, it would seem more appropriate for you to add that information, correctly sourced of course).
I apologize if you were offended by my "Mr. Reference Needed" comment, but the appropriate behavior is not to essentially vandalize the article. It took me 10 seconds to track down the verifiably official video - it seems like someone who cared about Wikipedia would be at least making a rudimentary attempt to do the same. 98.232.58.2 ( talk) 04:11, 29 April 2009 (UTC)
The Nietzche interpretation on the lyrics is an enlightening read, but IMO, as it's an uncited interpretation/analysis, it's original research, so I flagged it as such. Entitled ( talk) 09:49, 23 February 2010 (UTC)
Yeah, for one thing it is original research. Plus, when has Wikipedia been a place for extensive analysis anyway? I mean, I know whoever wrote it probably worked hard on it but it should go. ShokuMasterLord ( talk) 22:24, 2 March 2010 (UTC)
I've altered the claim that this song was voted number 77 in XFM's "100 Greatest Songs of All Time": the original URL was a spamlink, promoting the book but not quoting it online, and therefore is not a valid source; the list is actually about the top thousand, not top hundred, songs: and according to the current website, the song is #97, not #77 ~dom Kaos~ ( talk) 11:05, 26 August 2011 (UTC)
This link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFGE72zz3g almost certainly doesn't belong in the article. But it's pretty upbeat, so I've added it here for you all to enjoy. Shannock9 ( talk) 00:25, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
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Human (The Killers song) article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject. |
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"Human" become a number-one song on the israeli single chart this week. source: http://www.charts.co.il/charts.asp?id=12 -- Albuman ( talk) 19:10, 24 December 2008 (UTC)
At the end of the song, the lyrics drift into a sampling of lyrics from the song "Dancing Horses" by 80s alternative band Echo & The Bunnymen. Also dancers would make sense as it ryhmes with "answer" which is 2lines after "are we human or are we dancer"
I've read in a german translation of the lyrics a new way to look at the line "Are we human or are we dancer?": They claim that dancer ist meant as marionette. That would make sense with 2 other lines: "Cut the cord" and "... I'm on my knees ...": Because if you cut the cord of a (dancing) marionette it falls to its knees. Furthermore: A marionette has vital signs (like dancing) but cold hands. Maybe it's a jibe at the music industry ...
-- Eddie2 ( talk) 10:51, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
Or maybe it's a jab at the type of human beings many have become? "Vital" as in actions are being taken, but "hands are cold" as in those actions are only about appearance and not substance. Papillonone ( talk) 03:37, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
This is my first contribution to a discussion on Wikipedia, so take it easy on me! I agree with the comment directly above that the discussion is great and very interesting. However the addition of paragraphs relating to theories circulating in The Netherlands, while plausible and interesting, don't add much substance to the article, in my opinion. Can they be 'firmed up' with references etc.?-- Homer2 ( talk) 21:35, 1 February 2010 (UTC)
Maybe it's "Are we Human or (Face) Dancer?" As in the shapechanging Face Dancers from Frank Herbert's Dune series, engineered beings used to assassinate humans and steal their identities for nefarious purposes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.198.55.163 ( talk) 22:15, 4 June 2010 (UTC)
The words "My Sign is Vital" in the Killers 'Áre We Human' recalled something that eluded discovery for a while. Upon further reflection the Rush song 'Vital Signs' was reviewed and it was noted that it too has a message that is quite timely and important, or rather- vital. It was also noticed that this Rush song shares areas of grammatical incorrectness with the Killers song. One of the Rush phrases is: 'Everybody got to elevate from the norm. Coincidence or connection?-- 79.179.111.78 ( talk) 02:52, 19 March 2009 (UTC)TJ
The article clearly describes the meaning behind the line "Are we human, or are we dancer?" but why is the line "...are we dancer?" and not "...are we dancers?" How can "we" (a collective) be a "dancer" (one)? E.G. ( talk) 07:16, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
Hi there, the song isn't about 'Dancers' as in people who dance! Dancer refers to a state of mind which comes from a quote which they heard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.97.244 ( talk) 13:58, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
I believe the grammatical conflicts can also be explained via "poetic license." Papillonone ( talk) 03:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)
"Dancing" actually can be an adjective (technically, a present participle), as in "dancing bears." Also, it is important to distinguish between "human" as a noun and "human" as an adjective. In other words, you can be "a human" or you can be "human". If I ask you, "Are you human?", it implies that being "human" is somehow more significant than being "a human." You would answer "yes", but then the question could be asked, "what does it mean to be human?" So, it is "human" as a description of identity. If I ask "are you a human", you would simply say "yes", and that would suffice. It would be a scientific, not a philosophical question.
In essence, being "human" is not simply a label, not simply a species. It is a state of existence, and it implies far more than just being a living creature. For example, atrocities committed by actual humans are sometimes described as "not human" or "inhuman" because we have standards for what it means to be "human". But any single human could commit such atrocities and be considered "not human" because he or she is not acting in accordance with what it means to be human.
Likewise, it seems that the songwriter might be implying that "dancer" is a state of mind that has certain standards as well. By saying "dancer", the link between the individual and the way the individual is choosing to be identified is much stronger than simply being "a dancer" or any ol' dancer. By saying "I am a dancer", I simply indicate what I do. By saying "I am dancer", I mean that I inhabit some sort of existence that is defined by the essence, the energy of dancing. Perhaps by being "dancer", one becomes more in tune with the rhythms of the world around him or her. So, what may seem to be a simple grammatical mistake may have been a very careful rhetorical (meaning "for a specific purpose") choice indicating a plane of existence that is not just "human", but "dancer" as well.
I'm sure a linguist could offer a more scientific explanation of how the word "dancer" is being used in a non-traditional way. User:godummydotshutup —Preceding undated comment added 05:24, 18 January 2010 (UTC).
Lyrically it's just cleaner, more elegant. Instead of saying "humans/dancers", he chose to say "human/dancer" thus removing the extrenuous s's (which wouldn't have added any meaning, but wouldn't have sounded as good) Beyond that, the song is in fact a "dance" song ;) He didn't want the lyrics to be interpreted literally, because that would be an easy way to dismiss the deeper meaning. ("are we... dancers" is more prone to literal interpretation, than "are we... dancer") "dancer" is being used as a metaphor, as others have said, referencing a marionette. But then, when you do take the song literally, then basically the lyrics are saying "are you going to dance or not?" So in that sense it's telling you to dance to the song ^^ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.193.189.7 ( talk) 14:26, 8 February 2010 (UTC)
If you consider the parallel construction in his question--“Are we human or are we dancer?"--, dancer is obviously a plural collective noun, just as human is. —Preceding F. Macias comment added by 140.147.236.194 ( talk) 19:51, 28 January 2010 (UTC)
Hi there. "Human" became a number one song in the UK also, not a number 3 song. As far as i'm aware it's been their only number one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.97.244 ( talk) 13:31, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
To the user who undid the (correctly added) link to the official video - don't go randomly reverting edits without paying a little attention. The link was to the official video, posted by Universal Music Group. That it "isn't released in all countries" is not even something that matters in this context (although if you DO somehow know the countries it was released in, or that it specifically wasn't released in, it would seem more appropriate for you to add that information, correctly sourced of course).
I apologize if you were offended by my "Mr. Reference Needed" comment, but the appropriate behavior is not to essentially vandalize the article. It took me 10 seconds to track down the verifiably official video - it seems like someone who cared about Wikipedia would be at least making a rudimentary attempt to do the same. 98.232.58.2 ( talk) 04:11, 29 April 2009 (UTC)
The Nietzche interpretation on the lyrics is an enlightening read, but IMO, as it's an uncited interpretation/analysis, it's original research, so I flagged it as such. Entitled ( talk) 09:49, 23 February 2010 (UTC)
Yeah, for one thing it is original research. Plus, when has Wikipedia been a place for extensive analysis anyway? I mean, I know whoever wrote it probably worked hard on it but it should go. ShokuMasterLord ( talk) 22:24, 2 March 2010 (UTC)
I've altered the claim that this song was voted number 77 in XFM's "100 Greatest Songs of All Time": the original URL was a spamlink, promoting the book but not quoting it online, and therefore is not a valid source; the list is actually about the top thousand, not top hundred, songs: and according to the current website, the song is #97, not #77 ~dom Kaos~ ( talk) 11:05, 26 August 2011 (UTC)
This link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAFGE72zz3g almost certainly doesn't belong in the article. But it's pretty upbeat, so I've added it here for you all to enjoy. Shannock9 ( talk) 00:25, 2 August 2013 (UTC)
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