“I wanna copy what you eat, how you look, who you fuck / Wanna be anybody but me.” The final line of the aforementioned lyric, excerpted from the first verse of “White Privilege,” hailing from British singer/songwriter Sam Fender, ultimately becomes the refrain. Fender makes a legitimate point about society, particularly the younger generation, who attempt to be ‘woke’ by idolizing the ‘popular figures’ instead of being themselves – privilege. Arguably, Fender also seems to make a point about cultural appropriation, an angle that wouldn’t be far-fetched from the white privilege that he seeks to atone for on this gem from his 2019 debut album, Hypersonic Missiles.
In an interview with Official Charts, Fender states that “White Privilege” is “About the duality of politics that’s going on, what it is to have white privilege, and how that has affected my life.” Throughout the record, he highlights the many improprieties plaguing England and the world. Politically, he references the messiness of Brexit, blaming the older population and condemning their disregard for the youth. Even so, he also has tough words for the youth, characterizing them as aloof, uninformed, and – you guessed it – privileged.
“Start up my motor, eat, drink some burgers and cola
Feed my addictions and vices, oh, how my iPhone entices
My echo chamber media, regurgitated trivia
Befall the left and the right, catered for privileged whites.”
Fender also tackles political correctness and counter productiveness. He also examines his own privilege in arguably some of the most notable lyrics of the song:
“The patriarchy is real, the proof is here in my song
I’ll sit and mansplain every detail of the things it does wrong
‘Cause I’m a white male, full of shame
My ancestry is evil, and their evil is still not gone.”
That final line serves as a brilliant coda to a superb record that makes you think and reflect. Fender acknowledges the wrongs of his ‘ancestors,’ also reflecting on his own privilege and lack thereof as a white male. “Would my career be different if I was black and female? Probably,” he tells Official Charts, while via Independent, he “believes that if he was in the position of some other singer-songwriters in the industry – ‘already extremely rich middle-class white boys who are bankrolled by their parents’ – he’d probably have about four albums out by now.” The big takeaway? White privilege exists, even if it’s in different levels and to varying degrees.
You can learn more about Sam Fender here:
About The Curator - Brent Faulkner
Slightly eccentric with interests that seem to know no ends, restless ‘Renaissance Man’ is the best way to characterize Brent Faulkner, a native of Kentucky. A certified music educator, multi-instrumentalist, and composer known for his incredibly sharp ear, he lives and breathes music of a variety of styles. In addition to passion for educating, performing, and writing music, he’s equally passionate blogging and writing about it, managing his own site, The Musical Hype (https://themusicalhype.com). When he’s not intensely analyzing music, you can find him reading or watching a movie, reality television or some sporting event.
